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.
Girl Of My Best Friend
The Crickets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way she talks
How long can I pretend
Oh I can't help I'm in love
With the girl of my best friend
Her lovely hair,
Her skin so fair
Oh, I can't help I'm in love
With the girl of my best friend
I want to tell her
How I love her so
And hold her in my arms, but then
What if she got real mad and told him so
I could never face either one again
The way they kiss
Their happiness
Will my ache-in' ever end
Or will I always be in love
With the girl of my best friend?
Never end,
Will it ever end?
Please let it end
The Crickets' song Girl Of My Best Friend is about a man who is secretly in love with his best friend's girlfriend. The lyrics describe his internal struggle as he is unable to resist his strong feelings for her. The way she walks and talks, and her lovely hair and fair skin all make him fall deeper in love with her. He wishes to tell her how he feels and hold her in his arms, but the fear of losing his best friend and the potential consequences hold him back from expressing his love.
The song portrays the conflicting emotions of love, guilt, and betrayal. The singer is torn between his desire to be with the girl and his loyalty towards his best friend. However, his love for her is so intense that it has become unbearable, leaving him wondering if he will ever be able to forget her.
Line by Line Meaning
The way she walks,
I am infatuated with the way she walks, with grace and elegance.
The way she talks
I am mesmerized by the way she talks, softly and gently, like music to my ears.
How long can I pretend
I cannot hide my feelings any longer, I cannot pretend to be a friend when I am in love with her.
Oh I can't help I'm in love
I am powerless to stop my love for her, it overwhelms me completely.
With the girl of my best friend
To my despair, I am in love with the one girl who is the partner of my best friend.
Her lovely hair,
Her hair is captivating to me, shining like sunlight and capturing my eyes.
Her skin so fair
Her skin is delicate and fair, like a porcelain doll, which makes me admire her beauty even more.
I could go on and never end
I have a strong desire to keep talking about what I love about her incessantly, though it may not be appreciated.
I want to tell her
I want to confess my love to her, and let her know that she is my only one.
How I love her so
I feel a boundless love for her that goes beyond mere physical attraction.
And hold her in my arms, but then
I want to hold her in my arms, but I fear the consequences of my actions like her getting angry and telling my friend.
What if she got real mad and told him so
What would happen if she were to tell my best friend about my feelings for her? That is the fear that grips me and makes me hesitant.
I could never face either one again
I would be ashamed to show my face to either of them again, if my friend were to find out that my love for her goes beyond just friendship.
The way they kiss,
I am pained by the way she kisses him, and their passionate intimacy, as it is a reminder of what I do not have with her.
Their happiness
Her happiness brings me joy too but it also saddens me knowing that she is happy with someone who is not me.
Will my ache-in' ever end
Will this longing pain in my heart ever go away or will it remain forever?
Or will I always be in love
Will I always be hopelessly in love with her? Is there any other way?
With the girl of my best friend?
Will I always be in love with someone who is off-limits because she is with my best friend?
Never end,
I am tormented by the idea that this agony will never end.
Will it ever end?
I hope that someday this pain will end, and I will be able to move on from this unrequited love.
Please let it end
I am begging for respite from this suffering.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: BEVERLY ROSS, SAM BOBRICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Douglas Thompson
I met Bobby years ago…iconic. He sang so great and I met his sons. A poster and an autograph…..wow.
Tom Smith
I agree this is a fantastic version of the song, and the hiccups are a great addition.
Robert Silvestri
Love it. Memories.
VeeFan1964
My favorite off the Crickets album. For me it is a million times better than Elvis or Ral. The arrangement is solid, and the vocals are great. I especially like it when the "Bobby Vee hiccups" are added in as well!
shoknifeman2 mikado
You mean Buddy Holly hiccups
St Pauli
@VeeFan1964 Bobby added some great special effects to his vocals.i just like all of his songs,i have almost every LP and they all have something special about them.my favorite off this LP is "Well Alright".his career was launched when he filled in when Buddy Holley died."Suzie Darling" is another fav.his Buddy covers are all special.
St Pauli
@VeeFan1964 Bobby added some great special effects to his vocals.i just like all of his songs,i have almost every LP and they all have something special about them.
victor cassar
Smashing cover
GabiHans Hodosy
Very good Ral Donner Cover 👍
Rebecca D
Very nice. Thank you Tom S