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".
Learning the Game
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These go with learning the game
When you love her and she doesn't love you
You're only learning the game
When she says that you're the only one she'll ever love
Then you find that you are not the one she's thinking of
Feeling so sad and you're all alone and blue
That's when you're learning the game
Buddy Holly's "Learning the Game" is a beautiful ballad about the inevitable heartbreak that comes with learning the game of love. The lyrics describe the pain that one experiences when they love someone who doesn't love them back, and the disappointment when they find out that the person they love is not thinking of them. The song paints a picture of someone who is feeling sad and alone after the realization that they were just a player in the game of love, and not a winner.
The lyrics perfectly capture the emotions that come with heartbreak and unrequited love. The words "hearts that are broken and love that's untrue" reveal that not everyone is playing the game of love with pure intentions. The lines "when she says that you're the only one she'll ever love, then you find that you are not the one she's thinking of" highlight how easily someone can get burned in the game of love. The song reminds us that learning the game of love takes a lot of practice, and sometimes, heartbreak is just a part of the process.
Line by Line Meaning
Hearts that are broken and love that's untrue
Experiencing heartbreak and false love are part of the process of learning how to navigate romantic relationships
These go with learning the game
These negative experiences are an inherent part of the learning process
When you love her and she doesn't love you
One-sided love is a common experience in the process of learning how to love
You're only learning the game
This experience is a valuable lesson in the process of learning how to love
When she says that you're the only one she'll ever love
Hearing words of commitment and devotion from a partner can be misleading
Then you find that you are not the one she's thinking of
Realizing that your partner's words were insincere can be a painful learning experience
Feeling so sad and you're all alone and blue
Experiencing sadness and loneliness is a common and difficult part of the learning process
That's when you're learning the game
These difficult experiences are when the true lessons of love and relationships are learned
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BUDDY HOLLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick Stocks
Hearts that are broken and love that’s untrue
These go with learning the game
When you love her and she doesn’t love you
You’re only learning the game
When she says that you’re the only one she’ll ever love
Then you find that you are not the one she’s thinking of
Feeling so sad and you’re all alone and blue
That’s when you’re learning the game
When she says that you’re the only one she’ll ever love
Then you find that you are not the one she’s thinking of
Feeling so sad and you’re all alone and blue
That’s when you’re learning the game
That’s when you’re learning the game
Eric Tansley
So ahead of it's time both musically and lyrically. I'm from England and visited the Buddy Holly museum in Lubbock during a month driving across the USA in 2011. I was recovering from divorce at the time - my wife had an affair and left me after 30 years of marriage. So this song had particular meaning for me !
Ronald Quasebarth
Hard to overstate Buddy's effect on rock and more. His legacy still lives on after 63 years.
dave whellan
I can't begin to tell you what effect his music had on me as an eleven year old kid living in the UK in 1958. It was truly trail blazing stuff, never heard anything like it before and sounded absolutely fantastic. I know Elvis is regarded as the king of R&R but this guy was the real king, his musicianship and song writing set the stage for the 1960's pop music explosion and he was so influential on so many that followed him in that fabulous music decade. Such a legacy left by a man who changed so much but, tragically, died so young.
Jenny wren
It doesn't matter any more was mine, 1947 too..
Jeffrey Edwards
Dead right Dave.
Javi Marqués
He was the Real King, but….i agree, dies too young
Eleazar Beltran
He just wrote great songs. That simple. Every song has a beautiful melody. Great lyrics. For his time he was writing great rock n roll songs. Now he should be remembered as one of the greats
s b
An absolute musical hero. I wish I was around to hear/see Buddy perform live
Dave Macdonald
Me too mate 🇬🇧
ron kennington
yes