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".
Well ... All Right
Buddy Holly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well all right let people know
About the dreams and wishes you wish
In the night when lights are low
Well all right, well all right
We'll live and love with all our might
Well all right - well all right
Well, all right, so I'm going steady
It's all right when people say
That those foolish kids can't be ready
For the love that comes their way
Well all right, well all right
We will live and love with all our might
Well all right, well all right
Our lifetime of love will be all right
Well all right, well all right
We'll live and love with all our might
Well all right, well all right
Our lifetime love will be all right
Buddy Holly's "Well...All Right" is a song about being foolish in love and not being afraid to show it. The song encourages listeners to embrace their dreams and wishes, especially at night when lights are low. The lyrics capture the fear of being judged by others for being in love too soon, but also the determination of sticking with that love and living and loving fully.
The first stanza suggests that being foolish in love is not something to be ashamed of or hidden from others. The second stanza addresses the fear of judgment from others for falling in love too quickly, but Holly dismisses this criticism by insisting that they will "live and love with all [their] might." The repetition of "well all right" reinforces the singer's conviction that everything will be alright as long as they are in love.
Overall, the message of the song is a simple one: love is worth taking a chance on, even if it means being a little bit foolish. The lyrics and melody come together to create a buoyant and optimistic song about embracing love in all its forms.
Line by Line Meaning
Well all right, so I'm being foolish
It's okay that I'm doing something that others may consider silly or unwise.
Well all right let people know
It's okay to share your true feelings and desires with others.
About the dreams and wishes you wish
Talk openly about the things you hope for and want in life.
In the night when lights are low
When it's dark and quiet, it's a good time to think about your hopes and desires.
Well all right, well all right
It's okay, everything is good.
We'll live and love with all our might
We will be fully invested in living and loving to the best of our ability.
Our lifetime of love will be all right
Our love will survive and thrive over the course of our lives.
Well, all right, so I'm going steady
It's okay that I'm in a committed relationship.
It's all right when people say
It's okay to hear others' opinions, even if they don't necessarily match your own.
That those foolish kids can't be ready
Some may doubt the readiness of younger people for serious relationships, but we know better.
For the love that comes their way
We are confident in our ability to handle whatever love and life may bring.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BUDDY HOLLY, JERRY ALLISON, JOE MAULDIN, NORMAN PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv
Many many people share the same opinion.
Buddy Holly was a PROPER musician. He wrote his own songs and his guitar playing was second to none at that time. He had more influence than pactically any one from his era. Guitar playing excellence, Songwriting Genius.
The Holy Grail of Excellence in Musicianship. Wrote his own songs which were covered decades later without any feeling or sense of compromise. So much that younger audiences often didn't know the covers (Linda Ronstadt, Santana etc) were penned way back in the fifties.
Buddy Holly-a Trailblazer in Songwriting and Guitar playing. Totally changed the rules and set new benchmarks beyond any Rock artist of his era.
A musical masterpiece Genius.
Elvis Presley-A good looking hip swivelling entertainer with a nice voice...
Big Difference!
@jmoody166
I saw Buddy one time at a country music show at Broncho Stadium in Odessa. Hometown hero Roy Orbison was also on that show headlined by Country Music Hall of Famer Faron Young. Great memories of the West Texas music scene.
@JorgeFernandez-ww2np
In my opinion the greatest songwriter and vocalist in the history of rock & roll.
@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv
Many many people share the same opinion.
Buddy Holly was a PROPER musician. He wrote his own songs and his guitar playing was second to none at that time. He had more influence than pactically any one from his era. Guitar playing excellence, Songwriting Genius.
The Holy Grail of Excellence in Musicianship. Wrote his own songs which were covered decades later without any feeling or sense of compromise. So much that younger audiences often didn't know the covers (Linda Ronstadt, Santana etc) were penned way back in the fifties.
Buddy Holly-a Trailblazer in Songwriting and Guitar playing. Totally changed the rules and set new benchmarks beyond any Rock artist of his era.
A musical masterpiece Genius.
Elvis Presley-A good looking hip swivelling entertainer with a nice voice...
Big Difference!
@jokkergar
@@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vvboth great on their own but elvis is the one who started it all along with scotty moore " Without Elvis, none of us could have made it" period.
@waynejohanson1083
Imagine if he would have not died so young.
@bluecamus5162
All original Crickets have now passed, Jerry Allison leaving us just 5 days ago. If there's a rock 'n roll heaven, Buddy has put the band back together by now. Rock on, guys, rock on.
@kmslegal7808
I heard Sonny Curtis on a Beatles talk show recently and he sounded well. The author of rock standard "I fought the law". He was in and out of the Band and not an original as you say
@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv
Well put. I couldn't have worked it myself.
@SoLaRe60
What happened to the second apostrophe?
@ARIZJOE
The fact that this guy came out of Lubbock, TX to practically invent the performer/songwriter in pop/rock music is truly amazing. Without Buddy, there would probably be no Beatles.