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".
It's Not My Fault
Buddy Holly Lyrics
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It's not my fault - if a future love you can't see
I should have known I could never win your hand
I know I can't hold your heart with just a wedding band
I'm just a fool in your broken chain of hearts
Each one is falling now and I can't hold the parts
I guess you're one of those fond to be free
It's not my fault - if you're not falling in love me
In this song, Buddy Holly is expressing his frustration as he tries unsuccessfully to win over the heart of a woman. He's willing to do anything to make her love him, but it seems that she's just not interested. He's starting to come to terms with the fact that he'll never be able to win her hand and hold her heart with just a wedding band.
Buddy Holly sings about being just a fool in her broken chain of hearts, indicating that she's been with other men in the past and is not willing to settle down with him. Each one of her broken hearts is falling and he can't hold the parts. Holly is acknowledging that he's just one in a long line of men who have unsuccessfully pursued her.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not my fault - if you're not falling in love with me
I cannot control whether or not you fall in love with me, so I cannot be blamed for it.
It's not my fault - if a future love you can't see
If you can't envision a future love with me, that is not within my control and therefore not my fault.
I should have known I could never win your hand
I realize now that I could never win your affection and should have known that from the beginning.
I know I can't hold your heart with just a wedding band
I understand that simply being married to you cannot guarantee that you will love me.
I'm just a fool in your broken chain of hearts
I am just one of many people who have been hurt by you in the past.
Each one is falling now and I can't hold the parts
Each person you have hurt is now suffering and I cannot fix the damage you have caused.
I guess you're one of those fond to be free
I assume that you are someone who values their freedom and independence above being in a committed relationship.
It's not my fault - if you're not falling in love with me
Once again, I cannot be held responsible for the fact that you do not have romantic feelings for me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENNY JR. HALL, MYRICK WELDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind