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".
Rip It Up
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fool about my money, don't try to save,
My heart says go go, have a time,
Saturday night and I'm feelin' fine,
I'm gonna rock it up, I'm gonna rip it up,
I'm gonna shake it up, gonna ball it up,
I'm gonna rock it up, and ball tonight.
Got me a date and I won't be late,
Picked her up in my 88,
Shag on down by the union hall,
When the joint starts jumpin' I'll have a ball,
I'm gonna rock it up,
'Long about ten I'll be flying high,
Walk on out unto the sky,
But I don't care if I spend my dough,
Cause tonight I'm gonna be one happy soul,
I'm gonna rock it up,
I'm gonna rip it up,
I'm gonna shake it up, gonna ball it up,
I'm gonna rock it up, and ball tonight.
The lyrics of Buddy Holly's "Rip It Up" describe the excitement and anticipation of a young man on a Saturday night, just after getting paid. He's feeling carefree and wants to enjoy himself by going out, letting loose, and having a good time. The singer is more than ready to spend his hard-earned money on dancing and having fun rather than saving it or being responsible. He's filled with energy and ready for a night filled with joy, and he plans to rock it up and rip it up, while shaking it up and balling it up. At the core of the lyrics is a celebration of youth, freedom, and the desire to experience life to its fullest.
The second half of the lyrics describes the singer's journey to his date and the fun he plans on having with her. He intends to pick her up in his 88 and take her over to the union hall. The entire night, he's going to have a blast, dancing and jumping around, letting the music take him higher and higher. He knows that he's going to be running low on funds by the end of the night, but that doesn't matter. The happiness and fun he's going to experience are far more important than the empty wallet he's sure to have come Sunday.
Overall, "Rip It Up" is a song that captures the spirit of youthful exuberance, unfettered joy, and living in the moment. Buddy Holly's upbeat and exciting music perfectly matches the lyrics and serves as an anthem for all those who want to have a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, it's Saturday night and I just got paid,
It's a weekend night, and he has recently received his salary.
Fool about my money, don't try to save,
He has no intention of saving his money and is ready to spend it foolishly.
My heart says go go, have a time,
He is feeling pumped and eager to go out and have fun.
Saturday night and I'm feelin' fine,
He is feeling good and in high spirits because of the weekend.
I'm gonna rock it up, I'm gonna rip it up,
He is going to party hard and make the most of the night.
I'm gonna shake it up, gonna ball it up,
He is going to dance and party wildly.
Got me a date and I won't be late,
He has a date and plans to arrive on time.
Picked her up in my 88,
He picked up his date in his car.
Shag on down by the union hall,
They plan to go to a dancing event at the union hall.
When the joint starts jumpin' I'll have a ball,
He will have a great time when the party gets going.
'Long about ten I'll be flying high,
Around 10 pm, he will be extremely happy and enjoying his time.
Walk on out unto the sky,
He is feeling so good that he might even appear to be walking on clouds.
But I don't care if I spend my dough,
He is not worried about spending all his money as long as he has a good time.
Cause tonight I'm gonna be one happy soul,
He knows he will have a great night and be very happy.
I'm gonna rock it up,
He plans to party hard and in a wild manner.
and ball tonight.
He intends to dance and have a great time at the party.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Robert Blackwell, John Marascalco
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind