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
In "Well...All Right," Buddy Holly sings about dreams, love and the foolishness that often accompanies young love. The song is about being true to oneself and one's dreams, and not being afraid to express them. The lyrics also speak to the idea that young love can be true and strong, despite what others may think.
The opening lines suggest that the singer is aware that he may be making foolish decisions, but he does not shy away from it. He is embracing his dreams and wishes, even in the face of criticism. Similarly, in the second verse, he talks about the criticism that young love often receives because people do not believe that they are ready for it. But Buddy Holly is firm in his belief that they are indeed ready and that their love will last a lifetime.
The chorus emphasizes that they will live and love with all their might, and their lifetime of love will be all right. The repetition of "well all right" gives the impression that the singer is convincing himself that everything will be okay, even if it may not be. But he maintains a positive outlook and expresses his commitment to his dreams and his love.
Overall, "Well...All Right" is a song about resilience, determination, and the power of young love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well all right, so I'm being foolish
It's okay if I'm acting immature or silly
Well all right let people know
I don't mind telling everyone my thoughts and feelings
About the dreams and wishes you wish
I want to share your aspirations and desires with others
In the night when lights are low
Especially during the quiet and intimate moments
Well all right, well all right
Everything is good and acceptable
We'll live and love with all our might
We will do our best to experience and express love to the fullest
Well all right, well all right
It's okay and we accept it
Our lifetime of love will be all right
Our love will be fine for all time
Well, all right, so I'm going steady
It's alright that I have a steady girlfriend
It's all right when people say
I don't get upset when others criticize or judge me
That those foolish kids can't be ready
People may doubt our readiness or ability to love each other
For the love that comes their way
But we are confident that our love is real and right for us
We will live and love with all our might
We promise to experience and express love to our fullest extent
Our lifetime of love will be all right
Our love will sustain and thrive throughout our lifetime
Well all right, well all right
Everything is good and we accept it
We'll live and love with all our might
We will cherish and embrace our love with our full effort
Well all right, well all right
It's all good and we accept it
Our lifetime love will be all right
Our love will flourish throughout our life
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.