Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Budd… Read Full Bio ↴Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock.

He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His style was influenced by gospel music, country music, and rhythm and blues acts, and he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school. He made his first appearance on local television in 1952, and the following year he formed the group "Buddy and Bob" with his friend Bob Montgomery. In 1955, after opening for Elvis Presley, he decided to pursue a career in music. He opened for Presley three times that year; his band's style shifted from country and western to entirely rock and roll. In October that year, when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets, he was spotted by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, who helped him get a contract with Decca Records.

Holly's recording sessions at Decca were produced by Owen Bradley. Unhappy with Bradley's control in the studio and with the sound he achieved there, he went to producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, and recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", among other songs. Petty became the band's manager and sent the demo to Brunswick Records, which released it as a single credited to "The Crickets", which became the name of Holly's band. In September 1957, as the band toured, "That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart and the UK Singles Chart. Its success was followed in October by another major hit, "Peggy Sue".

The album Chirping Crickets, released in November 1957, reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. Holly made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1958 and soon after, toured Australia and then the UK. In early 1959, he assembled a new band, consisting of future country music star Waylon Jennings (bass), famed session musician Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums), and embarked on a tour of the midwestern U.S. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, he chartered an airplane to travel to his next show, in Moorhead, Minnesota. Soon after takeoff, the plane crashed, killing him, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson in a tragedy later referred to by Don McLean as "The Day the Music Died".

During his short career, Holly wrote, recorded, and produced his own material. He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rock-and-roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. He was a major influence on later popular music artists, including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Weezer, and Elton John. He was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 13 in its list of "100 Greatest Artists".

Gotta Get You Near Me Blues
Buddy Holly Lyrics

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Tonight I'm so blue, thinking of you

I've got those gotta get you near me blues?
So hurry here to me, darling can't you see
I've got those gotta get you near me blues?

Have you ever had this feeling that I've been speaking of
To be so far away from the one that you love

So hurry here to me, darling can't you see

I've got those gotta get you near me blues?
Gonna head it on back to our country home
I've got those gotta get you near me blues?

And when I get there dear, no more will I roam
I've got those gotta get you near me blues?
There's a big yellow moon smiling down from above
That's no good to me without the one that I love

So hurry here to me, darling can't you see
I've got those gotta get you near me blues?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Buddy Holly's song "Gotta Get You Near Me Blues" express the feeling of longing and missing someone deeply. The singer is feeling blue and unable to shake off the feeling of loneliness as he thinks about his lover. He wants his lover to come to him as soon as possible, and he can't wait to be near them again.

The lyrics evoke a sense of distance and separation, as the singer is far away from the one he loves. He describes the feeling of being far from the person you love, and it's a feeling he knows all too well. The opening lines of the song, "Tonight I'm so blue, thinking of you, I've got those gotta get you near me blues?" convey the depth of his sadness and the urgency to have his lover close by.

The song emphasizes the importance of physical presence and how it can affect one's emotional well-being. The singer feels that nothing can replace the presence of his lover, and without it, even the beauty of nature means nothing to him. The lyrics "There's a big yellow moon smiling down from above, that's no good to me without the one that I love," express his deep sentiment of feeling incomplete without his love interest.

Gotta Get You Near Me BluesBuddy Holly Lyrics

Gotta Get You Near Me Blues
Buddy Holly Lyrics