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".
Modern Don Juan
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ain't nothin' but a man in love
The girls they say I'm their only one
They even say I'm a modern Don Juan
Well, there ain't but a-one thing puzzlin' me
I got a girl and she can't see
I want only to make her mine
Well, she thinks I'm just handing her a line
I'll never - ever let her go
Well, ain't nothin' but a man in love
Buddy Holly's song "Modern Don Juan" is a love song about a man who is deeply in love with a girl who he wants to make his own. The song starts off with the man describing himself as nothing but a man in love. He then goes on to mention how the girls say that he is their only one and they even call him a modern-day Don Juan. However, the man is puzzled by one thing, that he has a girl who he wants to be with but she can't see that. He wants to make her his own but she thinks that he is just handing her a line.
The chorus of the song is a declaration of love from the man to the girl. He loves her deeply and he will never let her go. The song is a testament to how love can make a man feel and how it can drive him to try and win the heart of the person he loves. Buddy Holly's voice and the guitar-driven melody perfectly capture the feeling of young love that is strong, pure, and unyielding.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I ain't nothin' but a man in love
I am just a normal man who is in love
I ain't nothin' but a man in love
To reiterate, I am just a man who is deeply in love
The girls they say I'm their only one
The ladies I speak with say that I am their one and only
They even say I'm a modern Don Juan
These ladies even compare me to Don Juan, a legendary seducer of women
Well, there ain't but a-one thing puzzlin' me
However, there is only one thing that is confusing me
I got a girl and she can't see
I am in a relationship with a girl who doesn't realize how strongly I feel about her
I want only to make her mine
All I desire is for her to be completely mine
Well, she thinks I'm just handing her a line
Unfortunately, she believes that I am lying and insincere
Oh, I love her so
I genuinely and deeply love this girl
I'll never - ever let her go
I will never, under any circumstances, allow her to leave my life
Well, ain't nothin' but a man in love
In summary, I am merely a man who is absolutely smitten with a special lady
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON GUESS, JACK NEIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@doowopnuts
You are missed greatly Buddy . Every day since February 3. 1959 - RIP.
@6Heureka
Great old song, great pics. Buddy lives forever. Thanks for posting
@rollingstone80
Buddy Holly.......FOREVER YOUNG, FOREVER
@iamised1
loved him then and love him now. RIP
@buddyholly3527
Same here! Buddy was King and the master of the Stratocaster
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1956 {November 15th} Buddy Holly recorded "Modern Don Juan" at the Owen Bradley's Quonset Hut studio in Nashville, TN...
Country sessions musician Farris Coursey played drums on the recording; Mr. Coursey has appeared on three records that peaked at #1 on Billboard's Country Singles chart, he played drums on Hank Williams' "Kaw-Liga" and Bobby Helms' "Fraulein", and on Red Foley's "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy" he slapped his thighs to re-create the sound of a rhythmic 'shoeshiner's rag'...
Mr. Coursey passed away on January 13th, 1968 at the young age of 56...
May he R.I.P.
@luap123311
I have never heard that song before -- Thanks for posting it. He was something else!
@RhiannonSkerrysloggett
This is one of my favorite songs of his!
@flup2143
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT
@valentine4178
Ya love to see it boah