Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Budd… Read Full Bio ↴Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock.

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 Makes It Tough
Buddy Holly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

That makes it tough, woh, so tough
When you tell me you don't love me
That makes it tough oh, oh so tough whoa-oh
When you say you don't care for me no more

Memories will follow me for ever
Tho' I know our dreams cannot come true
All those precious things we shared together

Time goes by, I'll still remember you

And that makes it tough, oh so tough
When you tell me you don't love me
That makes it tough oh, oh so tough, mm mm mm mm, whoa oh

When you say, you don't care for me no more
Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm

Overall Meaning

In the song "That Makes it Tough", Buddy Holly sings about the pain of being rejected by someone you love. The lyrics express the feelings of loss and heartbreak resulting from a love that is no longer reciprocated. The opening line, "That makes it tough, woh, so tough", sets the tone for the song and conveys the deep emotional burden of unrequited love.

The second and third lines, "When you tell me you don't love me / That makes it tough oh, oh so tough", highlight the rawness of the situation. The person he loves has informed him that she no longer loves him, and this realization is taking a toll on his emotional state. The lyrics "Memories will follow me forever / Tho' I know our dreams cannot come true" express the sense of longing that comes from holding on to memories of a love that is no longer possible.

As the song progresses, Holly sings about the precious things that he and his love shared together. The lyrics "All those precious things we shared together / Time goes by, I'll still remember you" are particularly poignant because they suggest that, even though the relationship is over, the memories of it will never fade away. The final lines of the song repeat the opening lyrics, emphasizing the emotional weight of the situation.

Overall, "That Makes it Tough" is a powerful expression of the pain and sadness that come with losing a loved one. Through his heartfelt lyrics and emotive vocal performance, Buddy Holly captures the universal experience of heartbreak that will resonate with listeners for generations to come.

Line by Line Meaning

That makes it tough, woh, so tough
The situation becomes difficult and challenging when you express your lack of love for me.

When you tell me you don't love me
It's hard to hear that you don't have any feelings of affection towards me.

That makes it tough oh, oh so tough whoa-oh
It becomes increasingly difficult to deal with the situation when you share that you're no longer in love with me.

That Makes It ToughBuddy Holly Lyrics

That Makes It Tough
Buddy Holly Lyrics