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".
Moondreams
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
as the lonely and loveless hours go by
Your face takes its place in every moonbeam
moondreams bring thoughts gentle as a sigh
Moondreams can be a sensation
Moondreams may be fascination
love can be our destination
you and I can share this dream
Wishing for you in my moondreams
as the lonely and loveless hours go by
Will do until you can share all my dreams
moondreams brought by moonbeams in the skymoondreams - moondreams
The lyrics to Buddy Holly's song Moondreams delve into the concept of dreaming and the power that it holds over the mind and heart. The opening line, "Strange things take place in my moondreams," sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is filled with imagery and descriptive language. The moondreams that Holly refers to seem to be a haven for him during the lonely and loveless hours of his life. In these dreams, he sees the face of the person he yearns for, and the gentle thoughts that come with these visions are comforting and familiar.
The words that follow explore the different ways that moondreams can manifest. They can be a sensation, something that is felt rather than seen, or they can be a fascination, something that captivates and intrigues the mind. The ultimate destination of these moondreams is love, and Holly's lyrics suggest that he and the person he dreams of can share this dream together. However, until that day comes, he can only wish for her in his moondreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Strange things take place in my moondreams
Unusual and peculiar events happen in my dreams under the moonlight
as the lonely and loveless hours go by
During the lonely and unloved moments, the dream happens
Your face takes its place in every moonbeam
Your face appears in every beam of light emanating from the moon in my dream
moondreams bring thoughts gentle as a sigh
Dreams under the moon bring about soothing and mild thoughts
Moondreams can be a sensation
Dreams under the moon can create a feeling or experience
Moondreams may be fascination
Dreams under the moon can be captivating
love can be our destination
Love can be the objective of our dream
you and I can share this dream
We can experience this dream together
Wishing for you in my moondreams
My dream is to have you in my dreams under the moonlight
Will do until you can share all my dreams
Until you can join me in all of my dreams, this dream will suffice
moondreams brought by moonbeams in the sky
Dreams under the moonlight are initiated by beams of light from the moon
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: NORMAN PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jason Touvi
This has got to be one of the most underrated Holly tunes of all time. From rockabilly, country, blues, bluegrass, and pop, Buddy did it all. This song is a testament to his musical abilities.
He would have been Phil Spector before Phil.
Jason Touvi
This is one of Holly's lost gems. What a great song. I think Norman Petty wrote this one. This was one of four songs Holly used strings. What a voice . Think about Holly's range from "Ting a Ling, That'll Be the Day, Peggy Sue, Maybe Baby, Well Alright, and this one. What a dynamo. Holly was only 19-22 when he did most of his music.
mcbillygoat !
Buddy Holly’s orchestrated recordings represent an amazing vision of syncopation for a rock song among the background players. A sentiment echoed later in the productions of The Beach Boys “Pet Sound.” Brian Wilson, the composer and musical director, was also the producer and a very big fan of Buddy Holly. This song is amazing although it gets better every time I hear it.
Ian Miller
I was a fan of Buddy and the Crickets but I had forgotten all about Moondreams until I was given the vinyl of Buddy and the RPO. I was blown away - still am on hearing the original. Sublime.
G B
Genius! Light years before anyone!No Dylan or Beatles without him !
Bruna Lobo
54 years since that sad day. Rest in peace sweet Buddy.
Karl Mezansky
amen
MrAlsfan5
One of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time.
Raymond Williams
I first heard this song about this around fifty years ago in Birmingham England on the buddy holly story volume two maybe one.I did not take to it to well,
because buddy had so many great records at the time.I loved the other three songs he did with strings but it sounded dated especial as it was written by Norman Petty.Any way I played it again just and found out what a fool i was to think that way.Buddy's voice is as usual fantastic and full of emotion.He sings it like he is telling us a true story,We are so lucky to have had him and all his talents.You can put on most of Buddy's records and think they are recent.Thank you Buddy .
Tonetwisters
Wow. Haven't heard this one in years. Can't remember what album this is off of ... but boy, it is so good. Very innovative for an early rock and roll singer.