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".
Last Night
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I pray Lord above to guide and protect you
Though I'm not wanted now, I still love you somehow
That is my only prayer, for you
Last night as I gazed through the mist in my eyes
I wanted you here to hold you so near
But silence tells me, you didn't hear my plea
I miss you so much since you left me
Though I'm not wanted now, I still love you somehow
That is my only prayer, for you
The lyrics of "Last Night" by Buddy Holly depict a man looking out of his window, gazing at the stars, and praying to the Lord above for protection and guidance for someone he loves deeply. The man expresses how much he longs to hold this person close, but the silence he hears tells him that his plea has gone unheard. The man's heart is broken, and he is filled with a deep ache since this person has left him.
The song captures the pain of unrequited love, and the lyrics paint a picture of a man who is in a state of mourning but still holds a deeply devoted love for the person he lost. The haunting tone of the song and the poignant lyrics create a sense of loss and heartbreak that is all too relatable. The use of repetition in the lyrics enhances the emotional intensity of the song and highlights the man's unwavering devotion despite the rejection he has faced.
Overall, "Last Night" is a beautifully crafted song that speaks to the universal experience of unrequited love. It is a testament to Buddy Holly's incredible songwriting talent and has become a classic in its own right.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night as I watched the stars from my window
Buddy Holly was looking at the stars from his window.
I pray Lord above to guide and protect you
Buddy Holly prayed for guidance and protection for his loved one.
Though I'm not wanted now, I still love you somehow
Buddy Holly still has feelings of love for his loved one, despite not being wanted.
That is my only prayer, for you
Buddy Holly's only wish for his loved one is for them to be guided and protected.
Last night as I gazed through the mist in my eyes
Buddy Holly was looking at something through teary eyes.
I wanted you here to hold you so near
Buddy Holly wanted to be with his loved one.
But silence tells me, you didn't hear my plea
Buddy Holly feels like his loved one is not listening to him.
I miss you so much since you left me
Buddy Holly is deeply missing his loved one since they left him.
My heart ached apart since you left me
Buddy Holly's heart is hurting since his loved one left him.
Though I'm not wanted now, I still love you somehow
Buddy Holly still loves his loved one despite not being wanted by them.
That is my only prayer, for you
Buddy Holly's only wish for his loved one is for them to be guided and protected.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOE MAULDIN, NORMAN PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cc-oo7vn
Last night as i watched the stars from my window
I prayed lord above to guide and protect you
Though i'm not wanted now i still love you somehow
That is my only prayer
For you
Last night as i gazed trough the mist in my eyes
I wanted you here to hold you so near
But silence tells me you didn't hear my plea
I miss you so much since you left me
My heart ached apart since you left me
Though i'm not wanted now i still love you somehow
That is my only prayer
For you
@geoffgarfield2325
Buddy sadly passed so young And produced a catalogue of absolutely magnificent music
The saddest loss there has been
@elchingon6759
This one right here is top 3 for me as far as buddy holly goes. I heard this song like 14 years ago and still love it today. RIP Buddy Holley from Lubbock, TX.
@nildaferrer185
Love this song, Then again there isn't a song of Buddy's I don't like. I don't think he made any bad songs. He was a genius. God how I wish he would not have gotten on that plane.
@jessicawiley5797
Sorry for writing you, just out of curiosity your page come up on my suggested friend lists so I was just wondering if I knew you from somewhere??
@eliortegajr9710
RIP.
Great song!
@sandyotelli8886
Because I love You 💛💟👍is divine too👼🙆😻
@KaBoomChannel
This guys recording career only lasted a year and a half. Is that insane or what? And look at the huge amount of stuff he recorded, to this day 56 years after his death I'm still finding songs of his I never heard before.
@RickysChannel1
You're right! Sooo many great songs in such a short time , love his music..
@TheFarmerfitz
I can only imagine what kind of stuff he would have come out with had he lived till now... Would he have collaborated with the Beach Boy's? The Beatles? Elvis, Jerry Lee, Cash, etc....
@nickanderson9094
It was more like three years.
He was a Decca artist before he signed to Brunswick/Coral.
He recorded some great stuff in 1956.