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".
That'll Be the Day
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, that'll be the day, when you make me cry
You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie
'Cause that'll be the day when I die
Well, you give me all your loving and your turtle doving
All your hugs and kisses and your money too
Well, you know you love me, baby, still you tell me maybe
Well, that'll be the day, when you say goodbye
Yes, that'll be the day, when you make me cry
You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie
'Cause that'll be the day when I die
Well, that'll be the day, when you say goodbye
Yes, that'll be the day, when you make me cry
You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie
'Cause that'll be the day when I die
Well, when Cupid shot his dart he shot it at your heart
So if we ever part and I leave you
You sit and hold me and you tell me boldly
That some day, well, I'll be through
Well, that'll be the day, when you say goodbye
Yes, that'll be the day, when you make me cry
You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie
'Cause that'll be the day when I die
Well, that'll be the day, hoo-hoo
Well, that'll be the day, hoo-hoo
Well, that'll be the day, hoo-hoo
Well, that'll be the day
The song "That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly is considered one of the most iconic rock and roll songs of all time. It was released in 1957 and quickly became a hit, reaching No. 3 on the charts. The song tells the story of a man who is in love with a woman who keeps threatening to leave him. He tells her that when she finally does leave, it will be the day he "dies" - in other words, the end of their relationship. The song is told from the perspective of the man, who is frustrated with the woman's constant threats and her inability to commit to their relationship.
The lyrics of the song are simple but effective. The repetition of the lines "That'll be the day" and "When you make me cry" emphasizes the man's frustration and anger with the woman. The lines "You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie" suggest that he is aware of her manipulative tactics, but he still loves her and is willing to put up with her behavior.
Overall, "That'll Be the Day" is a classic rock and roll song that captures the spirit of the era. It's an anthem for anyone who has been in a frustrating relationship and felt like throwing in the towel.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, that'll be the day, when you say goodbye
The day you say goodbye will never come
Yes, that'll be the day, when you make me cry
The day you make me cry will never come
You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie
You say you're going to leave but you know it's not true
'Cause that'll be the day when I die
If you ever leave me, it will be the end of me
Well, you give me all your loving and your turtle doving
You give me all your love and affection
All your hugs and kisses and your money too
You show me affection and give me money
Well, you know you love me, baby, still you tell me maybe
You love me but you're unsure if it will last
That some day, well, I'll be through
You believe that someday love will end for us
Well, when Cupid shot his dart he shot it at your heart
When Cupid made you fall in love, he did it deeply
So if we ever part and I leave you
If we ever break up and I leave you
You sit and hold me and you tell me boldly
You hold me and speak confidently
That some day, well, I'll be through
You believe that someday love will end for us
Well, that'll be the day, hoo-hoo
That day will never come
Well, that'll be the day, hoo-hoo
That day will never come
Well, that'll be the day, hoo-hoo
That day will never come
Well, that'll be the day
That day will never come
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Norman Petty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind