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.
Lonesome Tears
The Crickets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I shed lonesome tears for you
Guess you know I know why
I cried when you said, "Goodbye"
When you left and you said, "I'm gone"
Lonesome tears fell all night long
Yes, you know I know why
You left me here all alone
Hear me talkin', won't you come back home?
Love me like you did before
Now need I tell you more?
Lonesome tears, sad and blue
I shed lonesome tears for you
Guess you know I know why
I cried when you said, "Goodbye"
You left me here all alone
Hear me talkin', won't you come back home?
Love me like you did before
Now need I tell you more?
Lonesome tears, sad and blue
I shed lonesome tears for you
Guess you know I know why
I cried when you said, "Goodbye"
The Crickets' "Lonesome Tears" is a mournful ballad about lost love and heartbreak. The song is a plea to a former lover, begging them to return and love the singer like they did before. The opening lines set the emotional tone of the song, with the singer expressing their sadness and loneliness through their "lonesome tears." The repeated refrain of "guess you know I know why, I cried when you said goodbye" illustrates the singer's knowledge and acceptance of their pain and heartbreak.
The second verse further emphasizes the singer's feeling of despair, as they recount how they cried all night long after their lover left. The singer's need for their lover to return is clear in the lines, "Love me like you did before, now need I tell you more?" The final verse repeats the earlier plea for the lover to return, accompanied by the emotional refrain of "lonesome tears, sad and blue, I shed lonesome tears for you."
Overall, the song encapsulates the sorrow and pain of losing someone you love and the desperate hope to get them back. The Crickets' performance is haunting, with lead singer Jerry Allison's raw and emotional vocals driving home the song's heartrending message.
Line by Line Meaning
Lonesome tears, sad and blue
I am crying sad and lonely tears for you
I shed lonesome tears for you
I cry tears because of the loneliness you caused me
Guess you know I know why
I believe you understand why I am crying
I cried when you said, "Goodbye"
I shed tears when you left me and said "Goodbye"
When you left and you said, "I'm gone"
You left me when you said "I'm gone"
Lonesome tears fell all night long
I cried sad and lonely tears throughout the night
You left me here all alone
You abandoned me and left me in solitude
Hear me talkin', won't you come back home?
I am pleading with you to hear me and return home
Love me like you did before
Please love me in the way you used to
Now need I tell you more?
Do I really need to explain myself anymore?
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BUDDY HOLLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind