My Essential Albums: "BD Music Presents: Buddy Holly"

Let's just ignore the fact that I find the album cover to this particular record fairly offensive and move on to talking about the greatness of the music with a tiny prior warning.

The prior warning is that this article is going to be a little bit longer than what you're used to. I have selected some songs to cover but seriously, have you seen the damn size of this album - it was very, very difficult to select them and my handwritten notes are now a mess, thank you.

We're not going to say very much about Buddy Holly's life because his story is fairly known to everyone, but one thing I do want to say is that he was the youngest King of Rock there was. It was an absolutely tragic loss for the entire world of music when this man died, quite possibly on par with the deaths of Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.

He had a massive influence over music and the way rock bands are designed, and if you want to have a look at where his inspiration really went - just take a look at the Beatles. Not only are they named after Buddy Holly's band "The Crickets", but they have the exact same formation as the band. Buddy Holly was really one of the first great modern rockstars.

I feel like nowadays people don't appreciate him like they used to and there's not many Buddy Holly fans around today. So, I write this article to encourage you to become one if you aren't already - and if you are, then you're doing the world of song a great service by keeping the music alive.

We're not going to discuss his death here, that's for you to research if you don't already know because you live in a cave.

Buddy Holly's influence on music is pretty much unrivalled when it comes to form and structure. He is to form and structure what Bob Dylan is to songwriting, what Elvis is to performance, what Michael Jackson is to pop music. I love Buddy Holly and I want to share that love with you by covering one of the longer compilation albums of some greats he has written (unfortunately my own personal favourite Buddy Holly song is not on this album - but it is on Buddy Holly Lives and it's called "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" if you want to check it out, head over to that article).

If you'd like to learn more about Buddy Holly, I recommend: Buddy Holly - The Definitive Biography by Phillip Norman. It's a brilliant book and has around 400-and something pages. It is very detailed and is written incredibly. Or, you could watch the film The Buddy Holly Story (1978), because that's pretty awesome too. I was shocked at how much Gary Busey looked like Buddy Holly, it was uncanny.

Buddy Holly's career may have been cut really damn short and it hurts us all every day, but we know that we appreciate what we have of him because what we do have is freaking awesome. An incredible human being, a true modern rockstar and a very, very talented young man. Buddy Holly's music lives on in all the people that still listen to him - all these 60 years later.

In the modern day, Buddy Holly is renowned as being the man who influenced an entire generation: The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and many more copied his style and continue to reference him in their biggest influences, their favourite artists and their most sublime moments of seeing him on stage (lucky!). Famously, Bob Dylan saw Buddy Holly on stage in Duluth two days before Holly's death and said that Buddy Holly "looked at (him)..." and it seemed to give him purpose. Bob Dylan has never been so articulate about his love for Buddy Holly, but that was a beautiful statement as he went to accept the grammy for Time Out of Mind.

We won't be covering the songs by Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper that appear on this album, purely because I want to cover them on their own albums. So this one will just be about the section that covers the Buddy Holly songs. As there are quite a few songs, I will try to keep them fairly concise, but if I get carried away talking about Buddy Holly, then you'll know. Here we go then.

Long live the King.

Love Me

I freaking love the guitar solo on this song, it sounds amazing. Pretty much everyone who listens to Buddy Holly's songs loves his singing voice because it is smooth as hell. Just listen to these lines:

"Oh, love me love me love me

Well, I'm hoping you do

Oh baby, love me love me love me

The way that I love you."

Yes the guitar on this song and the soft drums really are something, but this song is really made by those damn vocals. I'm not going to lie - this is one of my favourite songs by him (and you'll hear me say that a lot). There's something really nice and sweet about this song, but also really swingin' and rockin'. It's a brilliant opening to the album because it really shows off the extent of his voice - and it very flexible.

Love Me is a real rock and roll/rockabilly song and has brilliantly simple lyrics to make you concentrate on the beat and the sound of the song overall. There's something really quite intense about this song and the way you can hear everything. Nothing is trying to be covered, every single thing can be heard.

The guitar solo in the middle is my favourite part though - I really want to think about this and if it was performed live, what that guitar solo sounded like on the stage. It must have been awe-inspiring to listen to.

Midnight Shift

This is a brilliant song (and for obvious reasons... *smiles in Buddy Holly*) and it has an awesome story to it. There's a cool vibe to this song with a strong guitar in the background and those subtle drums really do make the song what it is. The lyrics begin (you'll see why I love this song) after a short introduction from the guitar:

"If you see old Annie better give her a lift

Cause Annie's been a-working on a midnight shift..."

Now you see why I love this song, Buddy sings my name. I'm gonna talk about it A LOT, but also this song is very swingin' and I love the part when the music stops and you can only hear his voice.

I love these lines:

"If Annie puts her hair up on her head

Paints them lips up bright, bright red

Wears that dress that fits real tight

Starts staying out 'til the middle of the night..."

This is the set I love because I pretty much do three out of four of these lines. You will never catch me doing the fourth line because well, Buddy, you don't know this but Netflix exists now and there's shows I need to watch. Otherwise, I am all down for doing my hair up, wearing red lipstick and fitted dresses.

Anyways, you know why I love this song so much - Buddy sings my name and I will never get over that.

Modern Don Juan

This song might be shorter than others but it's still great to listen to. The swingin' beat makes it classic rockabilly and the way he sings is absolutely beautiful. I love this song because it is so short and sweet and swingin'. The guitar is smooth and prominent and the lyrics open:

"Well, I ain't nothin' but a man in love

I ain't nothin' but a man in love..."

This song is beautiful and the start lyrics and the end lyrics being the same make a good sound for the song having this piece in the middle where the story is told.

These are my favourite lyrics from the song:

"The girls they say I'm their only one

They even say I'm a modern Don Juan..."

I love the way he sings the last part of the second line, it is absolutely beautiful. You can probably tell I love him a lot - and his voice is just one of the many reasons. This song will really show you the greatness of his vocal chords, that's if you're ready.

Rock Around With Ollie Vee

Rock Around With Ollie Vee is a bloody great song, it's bluesy and it's swingin'. I love the way his voice has such great intonation on this song and the way the blues really influences the way the song sounds. The lyrics open with the brilliant chorus:

"We-ell, we're gonna rock

To the rhythm and the blues tonight

Rock 'cause ev'rything's gonna be all right

'Cause tonight, we're gonna

Rock to the rhythm and the blues."

This song is fast and brilliant. The blues influence, the guitar, the drums, the vocals - everything fits together perfectly to make this excellence. This is one of my favourite songs by Buddy Holly and it really shows.

I now want to share my favourite part of the song:

"I'm gonna shout and a holla and a giggle tonight

I'm gonna shake it just a little in the middle of the night

'Cause tonight, we're gonna

Rock-a-rock around with Ollie Vee, Olli-olli-Vee..."

I love the way he sings that second line because it's so damn fast like you will blink and miss it entirely. I love the way he sings it because his voice is so damn brilliant that he can sing as fast as he likes and still sound articulate.

Peggy Sue

Did you think I was just not gonna put it in?

Peggy Sue is known as one of the most famous songs Buddy Holly ever recorded, between that and Not Fade Away, these two songs make some of the seminal songs of the 1950s. The song opens with subtle drums and then Buddy Holly begins to sing:

"If you knew Peggy Sue

Then you'd know why I feel blue without Peggy

My Peggy Sue

Oh well, I love you gal, yes, I love you Peggy Sue."

This song is ever so slightly syllabic and sounds slower than Rock Around With Ollie Vee (obviously). But this song also has a timelessness to it - it is an incredibly designed song that keeps that thorough beat regardless of how fast or slow Buddy Holly is singing. The opposition between the drum beat and the more syllabic singing sounds brilliant and seriously, it has been copied so many times by other people. The sound is simple but that simplicity is awe-inspiring.

The lyrics might be simple (as some people say) but everything else in the song makes up for it. It is that simplicity that makes it incredible because, as we've already said, the instrumentation and the vocals is brilliant and the design of the song is damn good. I would say "it sounds like it could've been released today" but today's music is complete rubbish compared to this. Peggy Sue is just one of those superior songs.

Everyday

Everyday is another one of my favourite Buddy Holly songs, it has a brilliant sound to it that I love - it is subtle and heartwarming. The song sounds incredible because most of what you hear are those lovely vocal chords. Man, are those vocals good and does that song rock really sweetly. These are the opening lyrics, on the chorus:

"Everyday, it's a gettin' closer,

Goin' faster than a roller coaster,

Love like yours will surely come my way.

Everyday, it's a gettin' faster,

Everyone says go ahead and ask her,

Love like yours will surely come my way."

The way he sings "goin' faster like a roller coaster" is brilliant purely because of that intonation. His voice is damn powerful and sounds so beautiful and passionate on this song - it is very difficult to stop listening to it once you start.

The verses are perfect and are some of my favourite parts of the song:

"Everyday seems a little longer,

Every way, love's a little stronger,

Come what may, do you ever long for

True love from me?"

I really do love the way he sings the last line and holds the last note a bit longer, it sounds amazing. His voice is at the forefront on this song and it really needs to be appreciated. The smoothness of this song is awesome and you really need to hear it.

I'm Gonna Love You Too

This song is a quintessential rockabilly love song, it has the backing singer harmonies at the beginning that set the pace of the song, the instrumentals that give the atmosphere and then, the lyrics kick in that give us the themes of the song. It's quite well-designed and I do not like the fact that it is under-appreciated. I'm Gonna Love You Too is an amazing song and it really does make for a nice addition to the album, especially after the subtlety of Everyday. The lyrics are quite brilliant, they are lovely to listen to:

"You're gonna say you've missed me

You're gonna say you'll kiss me

Yes you're gonna say you'll love me

'Cause I'm a-gonna love you too."

They're sweet lyrics, which makes for it being a love song. It also makes for a brilliant up-beat song, something that Buddy Holly's voice is very good at since his intonation is quite quick and his voice is very flexible.

The best place in the song to see this flexibility is:

"It's a gonna happen some day

You're gonna see things my way..."

It starts off high and then, gets quite low. I love the intonation of his voice because it sounds incredible on this song especially. There is an incredible amount of power behind his voice as well, especially to make it do all those wonderful things. This song is one of my favourite songs on the whole album for a reason - to the point I will repetitively listen to it for around half an hour or so. It's beautiful and you definitely need to listen to it.

Not Fade Away

Like Peggy Sue, the song Not Fade Away is a seminal Buddy Holly song and really does show off the young talent. This song has been one of the most played Buddy Holly songs of all time and has the potential to be one of the greatest songs to come out of the late-50s. The song starts off with a loud and prominent 50s beat and because of its iconic introduction and singing, serves to be the 107th Greatest Song of All Time (Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time) - take a look:

"I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be

You're gonna give your love to me

I want to love you night and day

You know my loving not fade away."

The way the backing singers sing in-between these lines really does make the song sound magical, almost surreal. The song starts off powerful and then, descends into subtlety and low notes by the second line. It goes back and does the same for the third and fourth lines. It is a feature of Buddy Holly's voice to have great intonation - he is seriously one of the greatest vocalists around, ever.

My favourite part of the song is when he sings:

"A love for real not fade away..."

I love the lowness of his voice and the line sounds so damn smooth like the intonation and that turn in the middle could just end you. It is a beautiful line of the song.

Needless to say, this is basically one of the most essential songs in the Buddy Holly songbook.

Mailman Bring Me No More Blues

One of my favourite Buddy Holly songs is up now. Mailman Bring Me No More Blues is one of the overlooked achievements of vocals, instrumentals and smooth rockabilly. The song is said to be rhythm and blues, I would actually argue that it is more blues rock than anything else, maybe a tad bit of swing. Rhythm and blues seems a bit too far for me to think though, that's more early Elvis territory.

The song starts off with that piano, it's a bluesy one and the scale is so typical of 50s swing and rockabilly by now they should just own it. The blues piano, the rockabilly smooth drums - it is a great feature before the chorus kicks in and Buddy Holly's voice dominates the track.

Since this song is pretty short, I'm going to tell you my favourite part of the song instead of going through it all:

"She wrote me only one sad night,

Told me she's no longer mine.

Sue sue mailman, that will do for sometime."

I would wager that anyone else do that last line with their voice and not cough up their own throat. Seriously, it is difficult to actually achieve, you really do see the extent of those vocals and how well he can sing the blues in this song. I love this song for its intense bluesy nature and yet, its ability to keep the soft rock and roll vibe. It's brilliant and the song is severely under-appreciated. I would love it if you listened to it today, it is one of my favourite songs by Buddy Holly. I'm sure you'll love it.

That'll Be the Day (Version 2)

This song was written by Buddy Holly (yes, one of the most iconic songs of the 1950s that is considered to be a complex feat of rockabilly and the beginning of the model for modern rock and roll bands was written by a 20-21 year old. What have you achieved today? Right, didn't think so). It is also an incredible song and there are two versions of it. I love Version 1, but seeing as Version 2 tends to be more famous, I'll cover that one. (They're the same in everything but key). Buddy Holly and the Crickets released this on their album "The Chirping Crickets" and well, I have to say the first time I ever heard it (I really can't remember when that was, it was in a restaurant though and they were playing it), I could not stop listening to it. It's a swinging rockabilly rock and roll anthem!

On the 25th of February, 1957 - Buddy Holly and the Crickets made history with a guitar based introduction and the lyrics kicking in almost straight afterwards:

"Well, that'll be the day, when you say goodbye

Yes, that'll be the day, when you make me cry

You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie

'Cause that'll be the day when I die."

The way he uses that vocal intonation to go real low for the end of the fourth line is something that is a great achievement amongst the world of 1950s vocals. I love the last part of the fourth line, it's really low and syllabic when he sings "when I die". It is a brilliant thing to hear and I bet you'll love it too.

I love this line so much:

"That some day, well I'll be through..."

The way he sings this line is incredible because yes, it's low in notation but yes, it's held perfectly. It's all very similar on the scale and I cannot imagine how in the world he holds it without getting any higher at all. He really is a master vocalist. (Yes, in this article, we have been talking about Buddy Holly in the present tense, but do you see me caring about that? Don't complain, at least we can pretend he's still around).

Maybe Baby

Guess what, Buddy Holly wrote this song as well. Yes, you have achieved less than a 20-year-old when it comes to anything because this became an absolute hit of the late 50s. This song is through and through rock and roll and you can definitely tell. The song bounces and swings instead of something like Mailman Bring Me No More Blues were it hits the blues scale and rocks and descends upon it. This song is bouncy and happy, it has a brilliant guitar in the background and the drums control the song's rock and roll vibe.

The lyrics though, they open:

"Maybe baby, I'll have you

Maybe baby, you'll be true

Maybe baby, I'll have you for me."

It opens with the chorus and I love it because it really establishes the way the song sounds. I love it when he sings "you'll be true" because he holds the last note for a longer time than the others and well, it sounds absolutely amazing.

I love the bridge of this song:

"Well, you are the one that makes me glad

And you are the one that makes me sad

When some day, you'll want me

Well, I'll be there, wait and see."

The climb of the third and fourth line are my favourite just because those drums and the vocals sound so damn good. I love the way he sings "wait and see" because it is the end of that climb, so we are at the climactic point of the vocals and they are so powerful and soulful.

It's So Easy

I was going to cover the songs, Take Your Time, Heartbeat and Baby I Don't Care, but this is becoming slightly longer than the "slightly longer" I had in mind. Mainly because of that super long introduction I gave you and I apologise. We're covering It's So Easy now. I love this song because it is so damn sweet.

When he belts out these lyrics though, it gets almost really raw and well, that's Buddy Holly's singing voice for you. He's just so perfect, isn't he? Yes he is:

"People tell me love's for fools.

So, here I go, breaking all the rules.

It seems so easy,

Oh so doggone easy,

It seems so easy.

Where you're concerned, my heart has learned."

His voice, even though there's backing singers, instrumentals that are brilliant and polished and even a slight echo on the song, his voice is the only thing you remember. I knew it. This is not an unusual thing for a Buddy Holly song - the thing you remember is his guitar work and his vocals because they are so damn iconic. This song is not excused from that statement - it is yet another reason you should listen to this album.

Listen to Me

I know, I'm out of order, but seriously I wanted to include this song and it was in my handwritten notes, so I have no idea why it was missed out. (By golly, if you saw those notes it is so difficult to read them!) Listen to Me is one of the most iconic Buddy Holly songs there is and yes, I am an idiot for accidentally missing it out. The lyrics are sweet and the singing is a cool and smooth blend between a country love song and a swing beat. It is absolutely lovely to listen to:

"Listen to me and hold me tight

And you will see our love so right

Hold me, darling

Listen closely to me."

I love the way he sings that last line because it sounds so good. He holds the last note slightly and it makes the swing beat more prominent for a moment and then, he moves on the the adorable verses of this powerful almost-love-ballad song.

I almost died when he started talking though:

"Listen, listen, listen to me."

He literally talks these lines and it is a beautiful addition to the song - really weirds you out when you first hear it but you will slowly know how to love and appreciate Buddy Holly talking to you. Oh come on, we are so lucky to have this on record, you have no idea.

The next part of the song is the bridge:

"I've told the stars you're my only love

I want to love you tenderly

Those same bright stars in heaven above

Know now how sweet sweethearts can be."

Just look at how adorably sweet those lyrics are. I mean they are also sung amazingly, especially that syllabic way the first two lines are that match the drum beat very nearly. I love the power put into the last line of this set though - it really builds back up to the chorus well and it sounds beautiful.

Well...All Right

Yes, he named a song Well...All Right.

This song is also a seminal Buddy Holly song not just because of the way he sings it and how damn good it sounds, but also because it has such a bizarre name. Out of all of Buddy Holly's catalogue's song names, this one has to be the one that stands out. We don't know why it sounds odd, it just does.

His singing is subtle and powerful when it needs to be, making this song one of the best Buddy Holly songs ever recorded. It is technically brilliant and stands the test of time today because I was only responding to something about it last week! How incredible, 60 years after his death, it survives (as does all of his music).

Let's get some lyrics in here:

"Well all right, so I'm being foolish

Well all right let people know

About the dreams and wishes you wish

In the night when lights are low..."

This is another cool and smooth blend between country ballad and rock and roll/swing. It is a sweet song yes, but it is also beautifully sung. You can really tell, like in It's So Easy, Buddy Holly's voice stands out even though there are other things going on. Again, it is iconic for so many reasons and his voice is the main one.

Check out my favourite lyrics of the song:

"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."

That slight change of wording in the second line really does make a difference when you're listening to it. I love the last line because of that slight build that gets us back into the chorus. It's a brilliant thing he can do with his voice and well, you have to appreciate it on a song that is so strangely named and yet, so damn good to listen to.

It Doesn't Matter Anymore

This song is the Buddy Holly salty song. It's about a guy who is in conflict and Buddy Holly's singing is so smooth you can almost forget some of the lyrics are quite intense for the time period of break-up songs. I love this song as it did become a hit, but it also features on Buddy Holly Lives - the album of 20 of the Greatest Songs (which I think is fairy play, it is a brilliant song). I like the fact that this song, different as it may be from the Buddy Holly love songs, has earned its space amongst the Buddy Holly songbook. It is brilliant and more people should know about it.

I love the opening lyrics:

"There you go and baby here am I

Well you left me here so I could sit and cry

Well, golly gee what have you done to me

Well I guess it doesn't matter anymore."

The song's backing music almost sounds too happy to be something from a break-up, but it makes for really good music. His voice again, is unbelievably good for someone of his age - he is absolutely awesome.

Check out my favourite lyrics in the song:

"Well you go your way and I'll go mine

Now and forever 'till the end of time

I'll find somebody new and baby

We'll say we're through and you won't matter anymore..."

(Someone's salty, damn, Buddy!) Anyways, the first line is absolutely brilliant and always brings back the question of whether Bob Dylan named his song on Blonde on Blonde after it. The song is called Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine. It is very strange to have such a specific link, Dylan was a Holly fan after all. Buddy Holly's voice is so incredible, you have to listen to those lines specifically to understand the greatness in intonation.

Conclusion

You may not read this article at all, but I can assure you that Buddy Holly is quite possibly one of the greatest things to ever happen to music and well, it's a tragic loss - we have to be happy with what we have of him. His music lives on and will continue to if we keep it alive - so make sure you spread Buddy Holly's music wherever you can. He changed the world forever and stands as one of the icons of modern rock and roll. He has become a myth and a legend in just 60 years and well, I can honestly say that he is one of my favourite people ever to have lived - he truly was way ahead of his time and way more talented than some people give him credit for.

I hope you enjoy this album as much as I do.