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".
Tribute to Buddy Holly
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, until 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 blue
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, woo ho
That'll be the day, woo ho
That'll be the day, woo ho
That'll be the day
"Tribute to Buddy Holly" is a song written by Mike Berry, who was a British pop singer in the '60s. It is a tribute to Buddy Holly, who was a rock and roll pioneer that had made a significant impact on the music scene before he died in a plane crash at the age of 22. The song is a nod to Buddy Holly's hit song "That'll Be The Day," which is referenced several times in the lyrics.
The overall mood of the song is upbeat, with catchy melodies that are characteristic of rock and roll. The lyrics of the song, however, belie a deeper sense of sadness and nostalgia. The singer seems to be reminiscing on a lost love, with the lyrics "when you say goodbye, when you make me cry." The tone shifts to a more fatalistic note when the singer predicts his own demise, saying "that'll be the day when I die." The repetition of the line "that'll be the day" throughout the song serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of life and love.
In conclusion, "Tribute to Buddy Holly" is a bittersweet tribute to a rock and roll legend. Its catchy melodies and upbeat tone are contrasted by lyrics that hint at the sorrow and transience that are inevitably part of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, that'll be the day, when you say goodbye
This is the moment when everything falls apart, and you say goodbye to me
Yes, that'll be the day, when you make me cry
I will shed tears when you leave because I have invested so much in this relationship
You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie
You promise to stay, but I am aware that the promise is hardly situational
'Cause that'll be the day when I die
The moment you are no longer present in my life, everything will fall apart, leading to my death (figuratively)
Well, you give me all your loving and your turtle doving
You have showered me with love and affection, including turtle dove-like promises
All your hugs and kisses and your money too
You have been generous with your hugs, kisses, and financial gifts
Well, you know you love me baby, until you tell me, maybe
You know that you love me, but the future is uncertain, and things might change
That some day, well I'll be through
You foresee a time when our relationship will come to an end
Well, when Cupid shot his dart he shot it at your heart
You were hit by Cupid's arrow and fell in love with me
So if we ever part and I leave you
If a time comes when I have to leave you
You sit and hold me and you tell me boldly
You will try to hold on to me, giving me assurance that you love me
That some day, well I'll be blue
But even with all your assurances and love, the thought of the future still makes you feel sad
Well, that'll be the day, woo ho
All of these scenarios will come to pass at some point
That'll be the day, woo ho
Everything will come to a head, and things will be clear
That'll be the day, woo ho
The culmination of all these scenarios will undoubtedly come
That'll be the day
All of these predictions will come true at some point
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JERRY ALLISON, BUDDY HOLLY, NORMAN PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wilfried Bergmann
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yea-yea-yeaaah-yeah
Snow was falling, wind was blowing
When the world said, goodbye Buddy
Still I know that up in heaven
Is where we'll hear him sing again
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah, yeah-yea-yeaaah
We'll always remember Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly was killed in a plane crash, in 1959
But his songs will always be remembered, always
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah, yeah-yea-yeaaah
We'll always remember Buddy...
Snow was snowing, wind was blowing
When the world said, goodbye Buddy
Still I know that up in heaven
Is where we'll hear him sing again
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah, yeah-yea-yeaaah
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah, yeah-yea-yeaaah
John Frantz
Great tribute. Hard to believe Holly wrote so many fantastic songs and influenced so many artist in the 22 short years of his life.
Buddy Holly
I love how right after he says we'll always remember Buddy the Peggy Sue beat kicks in. That's bad ass
Mich
Indeed buddy Buddy
akulina mackenzie
👏👏👏
Ritterle Comedy-Satire
So it is! 🙂
Wilfried Bergmann
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yea-yea-yeaaah-yeah
Snow was falling, wind was blowing
When the world said, goodbye Buddy
Still I know that up in heaven
Is where we'll hear him sing again
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah, yeah-yea-yeaaah
We'll always remember Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly was killed in a plane crash, in 1959
But his songs will always be remembered, always
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah, yeah-yea-yeaaah
We'll always remember Buddy...
Snow was snowing, wind was blowing
When the world said, goodbye Buddy
Still I know that up in heaven
Is where we'll hear him sing again
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah, yeah-yea-yeaaah
Wow-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah, yeah-yea-yeaaah
Renate Sunderkötter
Dankeschön, .bin Mike Berry auch so dankbar für den einfühlsam Song höre ihn mir seid Ewigkeiten an.
mark disley
Remember playing this when I was 16, over 40 years ago, still gives me goosebumps.
Jimmy Eriksson
Cant't help tears falling every time I hear this song.
mark disley
Remember playing this out of my Dads collection over 45 years ago, brilliant, thanks Dad, love you loads. X