It is said not to be the case that The Crickets chose their name while listening to a playback of "I'm Gonna Love You Too" ; rather, the name was chosen while going through an encyclopedia of names. Other names had been considered including The Scoundrels and The Spiders. Holly's manager (Norman Petty) and owner of the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis ,NM, decided to keep the chirping in the record, but this is in no way tied to the origin of the band's name. In real life, they chose the name due to huge number of crickets in Texas that particular time of year. It should be worth noting that they almost chose the name The Beetles (it is said that John Lennon later named his band in homage to Holly and The Crickets).
Rhythm guitarist Sullivan wasn't comfortable with the amount of traveling and to a lesser extent, he didn't fit in with Jerry and Joe B. For the same reason, Jerry and Joe were not ready to leave small town Lubbock for big city NY. The big move was the real reason why The Crickets initially broke up, but Holly was not daunted by the breakup; he chose a new back-up band for the Winter Dance Party Tour. The new band consisted of Tommy Allsup, Waylon Jennings and Carl Bunch on drums. Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were booked on the tour with Holly and his new band. Dion and newcomer Frankie Sardo also performed on this particular tour. But after about 4 months, Jerry and Joe B began to have second thoughts about the breakup of the band. They had planned to fly to Moorehead, MN, and surprise their friend. Destiny stepped in and the music world suffered its first tragic accident February 3, 1959.
The Crickets (Jerry and Joe) continued to record on their own with guitarist Sonny Curtis and vocalist Earl Sinks. The album Remnants was released in 1973 with band members Allison, Curtis, Albert Lee, Ric Grech, Steve Krikorian (later known as Tonio K.), Carol Montgomery, and Nick VanMaarth.
In the film The Buddy Holly Story, the story of the band was altered drastically and includes many inaccuracies. Due to The Crickets selling the rights to another studio, their film counterparts' names were changed for legal reasons. In addition, there are only two Crickets -- a bass player clearly being Mauldin and a drummer modeled on Allison, and the character of Sullivan and his quitting the band is omitted entirely. The real Crickets were outraged on being portrayed as racists, as well as the latter scene in which they appear at Holly's door wanting to reunite. In reality, they had discussed with Holly, shortly before his death, about going on a reunion tour.
The Crickets released The Crickets and Their Buddies in 2004, featuring classics from all parts of their career, with performances by several prominent artists, including Eric Clapton, Rodney Crowell, Waylon Jennings, Nanci Griffith, John Prine, Graham Nash, and Bobby Vee.
On 28 October 2008, The Crickets were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN. On 14 April 2012, The Crickets were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
On February 6, 2016, "The Crickets & Buddies" performed in Clear Lake, Iowa, at the Surf Ballroom, the site of Holly's last performance. Members of previous line-ups appeared, including Sonny Curtis, Glen D. Hardin, Albert Lee, Tommy Allsup, Gordon Payne and others. After the show, Allison announced that it was the group's final performance.
An Empty Cup
The Crickets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now I know - what a fool I've been
She was to meet me (an empty cup, a broken date)
We had a date (a broken date, an empty cup)
A date at seven - I dreamed of heaven
Now it's way past eight
No wonder I can't help but cry
To think she never cared - just tears me up
Now all I have to show for love - is this empty cup
Just like this Coke - my love is gone
I've hit the bottom - now I'm all alone
The Crickets/Buddy Holly’s song “An Empty Cup” is a classic tale of heartbreak and disappointment in love. The song’s opening line sets the scene for the listener: “One lonely night - at this drive-in”. The singer is waiting at a drive-in for a girl he had a date with, but she does not show up, leaving him feeling foolish for believing she would. The song’s title is a poignant metaphor for his own emotional emptiness, as well as serving as a literal description of the date he was stood up on - a Coke that he ordered, but ends up going to waste.
The lyrics go on to describe his dashed hopes and dreams: “She was to meet me (an empty cup, a broken date) / We had a date (a broken date, an empty cup) / A date at seven - I dreamed of heaven / Now it's way past eight”. The singer is left to wallow in his heartbreak, wondering why she didn’t show up and why she doesn’t care about him. The final lines of the song depict his despair and loneliness: “Just like this Coke - my love is gone / I've hit the bottom - now I'm all alone”.
Overall, “An Empty Cup” is a bittersweet, melancholy song about lost love, dashed hopes, and the emptiness left behind in their wake. While the melody is catchy and upbeat, the lyrics tell a tale of heartbreak and disappointment, revealing a deep sense of sadness and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
One lonely night - at this drive-in
It was a lonely night for the singer at the drive-in
And now I know - what a fool I've been
The singer regrets his actions and considers them foolish
She was to meet me (an empty cup, a broken date)
The singer's date did not show up and he was left waiting with nothing to fill him, feeling disappointed
We had a date (a broken date, an empty cup)
The singer had made plans with his date, but they didn't materialize, he was left with disappointment and emptiness
A date at seven - I dreamed of heaven
The singer was excited about his date and had high hopes for it
Now it's way past eight
The time for the date with his crush has passed, and now it's too late
She just drove by - with another guy
The woman the singer was waiting for drove by in another guy's car, most likely ignoring the singer
No wonder I can't help but cry
It is a given the singer was devastated and couldn't prevent himself from crying
To think she never cared - just tears me up
The singer realized that his love interest never really cared about him, which was detrimental to him
Now all I have to show for love - is this empty cup
The singer has nothing to show for his love except for emptiness
Just like this Coke - my love is gone
The singer likens his lost love to an empty Coca-Cola, which is just a container and doesn't have real value or substance
I've hit the bottom - now I'm all alone
The singer feels he has hit rock bottom and is ultimately alone as a result of losing his crush
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ROY ORBISON, NORMAN PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tonetwisters
Beyond compare. Would sit and listen to this entire album over and over again ... what an incredible sound, great singing, wonderfully melodic guitar lines, and that patented gift that Buddy had ... FEELING!
Leo Saari
Plain and simple - this song is OUTRAGEOUS . One of the best Buddy and The Crickets ever recorded. WOW! What a sound!
Kinuklon
Just beautiful - I remember this on "The Chirpin Crickets" - on vinyl !!!! - still brings a tear to my eye
Scotseasy
I have it on the flip-side of the single (7", 45rpm), "You've Got Love".
Black/White Ford
Rolling down the road in my ‘56 Vicky listening to Buddy, nothing in my world has changed much. God bless.
Keith Nation
Who is listening to this awesome song by the great Buddy Holly in 2020? I know I am!! :)
Karl Mezansky
me too.....buddy was the best ever
Jo Line
Here in 2023 ✔✔💯💯👍👍
Tom Clark
2023😊
Vickie Wupdafox
Great song. Written by Roy Orbison. Roy, Buddy and Moon Mullican were the best rock 'n' roll singers from Texas.