Best Buddy Holly Song

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Based on one of those 50 Greatest Hits cds...

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Rave On 3
Peggy Sue 3
It Doesn't Matter Anymore 2
Everyday 2
Holly Hop 1
Maybe Baby 1
Brown Eyed Handsome Man 1
Wishing 1
I'm Gonna Love You Too 1
Crying, Waiting, Hoping 1
Well...All Right 1
Raining In My Heart 1
That'll Be The Day 1
Not Fade Away 1
Take Your Time 0
Soft Place In Your Heart 0
True Love Ways 0
Love Me 0
Listen To Me 0
Tell Me How 0
Early In The Morning 0
Modern Don Juan 0
Reminiscing 0
It's So Easy 0
You've Got Love 0
I Fought The Law 0
Rock Around With Ollie Vee 0
Think It Over 0
What To Do 0
Down The Line 0
Ting-A-Ling 0
Learning The Game 0
You're So Square 0
Ready Teddy 0
Blue Days, Black Nights 0
Midnight Shift 0
Girl On My Mind 0
Words Of Love 0
Heartbeat 0
Little Baby 0
I'm Looking For Someone To Love 0
Peggy Sue Got Married 0
It's Too Late 0
Baby, Won't You Come Out Tonight 0
Changing All Those Changes 0
I'm Gonna Set My Foot Down 0
Look At Me 0
Love's Made A Fool Of You 0
Fool's Paradise 0
Oh Boy 0


Darin, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:21 (fourteen years ago)

Key-rist, NFA vs. Peggy Sue Got Married vs. I'm Looking For Someone To Love vs. Heartbeat, maybe?

cia never wore tie-dyes (kkvgz), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:24 (fourteen years ago)

I don't even know half of these. Must research.

cia never wore tie-dyes (kkvgz), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:25 (fourteen years ago)

Out of the ones I know my favorite is Rave On so that one.

\(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:26 (fourteen years ago)

Heartbeat, Words of Love, Not Fade Away, Well All Right - damn, he produced so many classics so quickly. First thought is Words of Love; his vocal delivery is amazing.

EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:29 (fourteen years ago)

That'll Be The Poll: A very credible Buddy Holly poll

it's time for the fish in the perculator (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:30 (fourteen years ago)

everyday, maybe? pretty much have that song in my head everyday, anyway.

tylerw, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:30 (fourteen years ago)

Words of Love probably? Every Day close second

The Everybody Buys 1000 Aerosmith Albums A Month Club (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:32 (fourteen years ago)

Rave On.

― ENBB, Saturday, August 8, 2009 11:31 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

At least I'm consistent.

\(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:33 (fourteen years ago)

I totally missed that other poll on my search this morning. Oh well, at least it's a different batch of songs.

Darin, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:34 (fourteen years ago)

has anyone purchased that big buddy holly box set that came out a year or two ago? i want it, but don't have the $$$.

tylerw, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:35 (fourteen years ago)

this one
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rtY-2ZOt8fM/Sv3ggVP1yjI/AAAAAAAAHHY/zPSvLodI1cI/s640/,000000.jpg

tylerw, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:37 (fourteen years ago)

Today, Wishing.

Trip Maker, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 17:53 (fourteen years ago)

I'll stay consistent and vote for Well...All Right once again.

kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 18:05 (fourteen years ago)

I want that box set too, tyler, but it's overpriced. Never seen it on sale either.

I have the bazillion disc Purple Chick thing around here somewhere so it's not a huge priority.

EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 18:07 (fourteen years ago)

Peggy Sue is probably my favorite vocal performance ever

gospodin simmel, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 18:13 (fourteen years ago)

ha, yeah, i've got that 9 disc purple chick thing too. the official box set just looks purty.

tylerw, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 18:14 (fourteen years ago)

Such a great writer, it's hard to vote for a cover, but Brown Eyed Handsome Man is one of my favourite records ever

I'm Street but I Know my Roots (sonofstan), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 18:32 (fourteen years ago)

"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" is my favorite today

Darin, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 18:57 (fourteen years ago)

"Crying, Waiting, Hoping" as before

Euler, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:02 (fourteen years ago)

gonna have to be all twee and emo & vote for Everyday

mari$$a marchant (Pillbox), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:05 (fourteen years ago)

Probably "Look at Me." I went through a period around university where I listened to the two regular-issue Holly albums a lot.

clemenza, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:06 (fourteen years ago)

"Peggy Sue" or "Heartbeat" or "Oh Boy" or "Rave On" or "Words of Love" or "Everyday" or "I'm Gonna Love You Too" or ...

Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:36 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f62pPag0ph8

Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:37 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okK5w-64-JY

Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:37 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJd567IViTA

Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:38 (fourteen years ago)

Bruce liked Buddy. But then, everyone likes Buddy. Or should.

Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:38 (fourteen years ago)

!!!!!

<3

\(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:38 (fourteen years ago)

They're all great but Oh Boy/Badlands is just great. I really love Badlands tho so that might be why.

\(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:44 (fourteen years ago)

is it just me or are those Springsteen covers all incredibly awful? jeezus...

it's time for the fish in the perculator (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:45 (fourteen years ago)

haha

it's time for the fish in the perculator (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:45 (fourteen years ago)

lol

\(^o^)/

\(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 19:51 (fourteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Monday, 2 May 2011 23:01 (fourteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 23:01 (fourteen years ago)

well, there's a lack of consensus for ya

Darin, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 23:03 (fourteen years ago)

my vote for Words of Love didn't register! grr.

EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 23:04 (fourteen years ago)

four months pass...

Would have turned 75 today. I showed this clip to my class:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQiIMuOKIzY

Keep a nice open mind about what the young people go for.

clemenza, Wednesday, 7 September 2011 22:16 (fourteen years ago)

Totally missed this poll. "Words of Love" needs a vote.

Lee547 (Lee626), Wednesday, 7 September 2011 22:21 (fourteen years ago)

That clip made my day, thanks!

Prostetnic Vogon Limbaugh (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 7 September 2011 22:29 (fourteen years ago)

amazing, thanks clemenza. 75! insane to think of all the music he could've made.

tylerw, Wednesday, 7 September 2011 22:41 (fourteen years ago)

Except for Johnny Cash, the mid- and late '60s weren't kind to any of the major '50s guys. I have a hard time envisioning what Holly would have been up to in '68. Hosting a network variety show?

clemenza, Wednesday, 7 September 2011 23:13 (fourteen years ago)

Aww, missed this poll. "Words of Love" or "Rave On."

curmudgeon, Thursday, 8 September 2011 15:21 (fourteen years ago)

Except for Johnny Cash, the mid- and late '60s weren't kind to any of the major '50s guys.

Elvis had a tremendous late 60s, all those songs he recorded in Memphis.

I think Buddy would have stayed relevant. By 1959 he had already moved to NYC. It's hard to believe he was only 22 when he died.

kornrulez6969, Thursday, 8 September 2011 16:19 (fourteen years ago)

No votes for You're So Square? Late write-in. :(

she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Thursday, 8 September 2011 16:20 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, Buddy was about to get on some next level shit in New York. Would rock and roll as we know it today have been mad different?

kkvgz, Thursday, 8 September 2011 16:26 (fourteen years ago)

don't know! i mean, i can see him going back to the country like jerry lee, too.

tylerw, Thursday, 8 September 2011 16:30 (fourteen years ago)

I could also see Holly really creating some cool stuff in response to the British Invasion. He seemed to be more forward-thinking than a lot of his contemporaries and I think he could have stayed relevant for years.

Darin, Thursday, 8 September 2011 16:35 (fourteen years ago)

See, I read somewhere that he was learning to play flamenco guitar which like, what would he have done with that? Or even just having more of his songs. Damn it...

kkvgz, Thursday, 8 September 2011 16:41 (fourteen years ago)

See, I read somewhere that he was learning to play flamenco guitar

Ha, that's weird. Obviously he was into extending his (guitar) technique, i wonder what he would have done with a Marshall stack.

Euripides Trousers (Tom D.), Thursday, 8 September 2011 16:42 (fourteen years ago)

Elvis did have the late-'60s comeback, yes--for him, I meant before that, all the soundtrack years. I thought about Holly maybe heading to Nashville, but I don't if a "back to the country" scenario makes sense with him, because I'm not sure if he was ever country. I don't really hear that in his two official albums...maybe there are earlier demos I don't know.

clemenza, Thursday, 8 September 2011 16:58 (fourteen years ago)

have always meant to pick up a good holly collection but have never figured out which one was the best and most comprehensive -- any recommendations?

(The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Sunday, 8 January 2017 20:46 (eight years ago)

I think this was considered the best to date when it came out in the mid-'80s--not sure if something better came along since.

http://img.discogs.com/d76Wzozyn0vNEhCq_N96S-YjizY=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-2158796-1267184876.jpeg.jpg

I'd highly recommend the two albums he did while alive--one with the Crickets, one on his own--although you'd miss a few songs from the posthumous LP

clemenza, Sunday, 8 January 2017 21:11 (eight years ago)

I think the 3-disc/60 track "Memorial Collection" is the the most comprehensive, non-Public Domain collection that's easily available. It's kind of an annoying set though in that it could easily have been a 2-disc not by cutting anything, but simply by utilizing disc space better. I turned it into two CDRs for the car, and still had room to add some Holly covers to end of disc 2.

"I must believe that my charm was not in my ass." (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 8 January 2017 21:34 (eight years ago)

There's a guy down here with a vinyl warehouse open for once a month sales. He's got a couple copies of that late '70s complete recordings vinyl box that Marcus wrote about in Stranded. I kind of pine for one despite knowing they're probably hella expensive (one of 'em is still sealed).

"I must believe that my charm was not in my ass." (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 8 January 2017 21:39 (eight years ago)

That entry was where I learned the word "draconian."

clemenza, Sunday, 8 January 2017 21:44 (eight years ago)

The best single-disc collection: The Definitive Buddy Holly.

https://www.discogs.com/Buddy-Holly-The-Definitive-Collection/release/1383882

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 9 January 2017 00:47 (eight years ago)

That's a nice enough set, but it slights his worthwhile pre-fame stuff, and completely shorts the posthumous stuff.

"I must believe that my charm was not in my ass." (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 9 January 2017 01:51 (eight years ago)

RIP Tommy Allsup: http://lubbockonline.com/entertainment/2017-01-11/tommy-allsup-guitarist-who-toured-buddy-holly-dies

"I must believe that my charm was not in my ass." (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 12 January 2017 01:18 (eight years ago)

four years pass...

I just heard Slippin' and Slidin' for the first time yesterday and I can't stop listening to it. Just so astonishingly good and weird and cool.

Lily Dale, Tuesday, 27 July 2021 19:53 (four years ago)

Yeah, that's a good one - another gem uncovered from those home demos that were among his last recordings. Given how young he was (22!), his good physical and mental health, and the quality of his final recordings, Holly's death ranks way up there as one of the most incalculable losses in rock.

birdistheword, Tuesday, 27 July 2021 20:59 (four years ago)

Yeah, incalculable is the word for it. These demos really bring home to me how much range he had, and how much potential to keep developing as an artist. He's 22, he has this huge oeuvre of perfect pop songs already behind him, and yet there's so much of his incredible talent that he's only starting to explore. Who knows where he would have gone, given the time?

btw I can't believe "Oh Boy" didn't get any votes at all in this poll. And yet I can't argue with any of the winners.

Lily Dale, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 05:45 (four years ago)

“True Love Ways” is def a sentimental favorite, when I was little I used to sit in front of the hi-fi system & listen to it. It’s like a lullaby.

not that it’s my number one but it’s def a favorite

i think “Everyday” is my fave? maybe?

terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 28 July 2021 06:31 (four years ago)

There's some discussion on the YT Slippin and Slidin video concerning whether or not it's psychedelic. Apparently Jason Pierce has said it's the most psychedelic song ever.

Deflatormouse, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 06:34 (four years ago)

The riff is all major chords which I think contributes to the proto-psych quality.

Deflatormouse, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 06:50 (four years ago)

There's a similar part in 'Arnold Layne'

Deflatormouse, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 07:11 (four years ago)

Kinda day-glow

Deflatormouse, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 07:16 (four years ago)

Not sure which version of "Slippin and Slidin" everyone is listening to on YouTube. I can only find two versions. One has a '60s rock band backing overdubbed on it. The other is an acoustic demo.

o. nate, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 15:18 (four years ago)

I will admit the overdubbed version is a clever mash-up that does sound psychedelic.

o. nate, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 15:27 (four years ago)

I've been listening to the two slow versions that are on the Down the Line: Rarities compilation that's on Spotify. One is dubbed and the other not, so probably the same thing you're seeing on Youtube.

I assumed the dubbed version was based on a different demo from the one that's included in the compilation? It has some weird wordless vocal stuff at the end that isn't in the undubbed version. I like them both.

Lily Dale, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 15:35 (four years ago)

They're interesting, though would not dislodge the Little Richard original recording in my mind as the definitive interpretation.

o. nate, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 15:42 (four years ago)

Buddy Holly's most psychedelic moment is the use of "True Love Ways" in the Never Say No to Panda series of cheese commercials.

Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 15:58 (four years ago)

Some interesting wikipedia details on the overdubs:

Besides their own recordings, the Fireballs were studio musicians for other recording artist projects... Norman Petty had been Buddy Holly's main recording producer; after Holly's death, he obtained the rights to Holly's early rehearsal and home demo recordings. From May 1962 until August 1968, Petty had the Fireballs overdub the Holly material, making them the band he never knew he had, though the band had met Holly at Petty's studio in 1957. The overdubs were originally released on four albums of "new" Holly material throughout the 1960s with four of the efforts, released as singles, charting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fireballs

o. nate, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 16:12 (four years ago)

I quite like some of those overdubs

Sam Weller, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 16:21 (four years ago)

Same here. The two-cd, 50-track The Buddy Holly Collection from 1993 used the versions with the Fireballs' overdubs, and I think they made the right call. That set is still probably the best Buddy Holly collection you can find in terms of cost (very cheap now), consistency and overall quality. If you want more, you might as well spring for the complete box set.

birdistheword, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 17:00 (four years ago)

That seems to have been re-released (with the same tracks) as Buddy Holly Gold, which was the first CD of his I heard.

Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 17:23 (four years ago)

UME's Gold series is kind of weird because most of those simply repackage previous two-CD compilations, but with different (usually much less) artwork. It looks like a lame money-saving repackaging scheme where they slap the same art template on to every release.

birdistheword, Wednesday, 28 July 2021 18:36 (four years ago)

Here's the performance of "Oh Boy!" where Ed Sullivan supposedly ordered Buddy's amp turned down and then called him "Buddy Hollit" when introducing him. Despite that, Buddy's pissed-off, raspy vocal is so satisfying -- his shout just before the solo is very punk rock, as is the (silent) solo itself, which lasts all of about eight seconds but foreshadows Pete Townshend and Johnny Ramone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtIOy9WcxU0

Sam Weller, Monday, 2 August 2021 08:06 (four years ago)

My dad had the 20 Golden Greats LP, the one with the "Buddy Holly Lives" cover, and I used to play the hell out of it as a kid. I always felt the overdubbed stuff (which I like) fit in perfectly.

Josh in Chicago, Monday, 2 August 2021 11:50 (four years ago)

xp That performance is so cool! I had never seen it.

I had the Buddy Holly Gold album and listened to it a lot as a kid, so a lot of his songs are permanently engraved on my brain, but in a sort of context-free way. I really had no sense of what he was like as a performer.

Lily Dale, Monday, 2 August 2021 15:09 (four years ago)

Yeah, love that performance. Makes me miss Holly even more, or rather what he would've been like had he been around longer.

My dad had the 20 Golden Greats LP, the one with the "Buddy Holly Lives" cover, and I used to play the hell out of it as a kid. I always felt the overdubbed stuff (which I like) fit in perfectly.

That's still a great LP. It's been superseded by better-sounding and more extensive collections, but it still holds up as a really great 20-track overview.

birdistheword, Monday, 2 August 2021 15:20 (four years ago)

one year passes...

Jerry Allison has died per the official social media accounts of the Buddy Holly estate. He was the last surviving member of the Crickets.

("Peggy Sue" was named after his future wife - she passed away in 2018.)

birdistheword, Monday, 22 August 2022 19:58 (three years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qQzuvfvBdE

birdistheword, Monday, 22 August 2022 19:59 (three years ago)

Never noticed this before, but Allison's playing with the bottom end of his left stick.

birdistheword, Monday, 22 August 2022 20:00 (three years ago)

https://scottkfish.com/2015/12/29/jerry-allison-keep-everything-relatively-simple/

excerpts from interview with Jerry Allison.

Jerry Allison: Well, I started playing drums in the school band in the fifth gradde. I started studying music and the rudiments an the regular drumming deal, going through, like, band and high school band and all that.

The kind of music I liked was like Little Richard and Fats Domino. So that about wraps it up, I guess. (laughs)

No. Really, I took drum lessons and learned to read music and all that sort of thing. Couldn’t get much rock ‘n roll around Lubbock, Texas. But when it started happening I really enjoyed it and tried to play like Little Richard’s drummer, Earl Palmer. I think I played a lot of that stuff. He’s a good friend of mine. We play together a lot in L.A. when I use to live out there. I use to do a lot of sessions with him out there.

SKF: I was noticing [on Little Richard and Fats Domino records] the bass drum work he [Earl Palmer] did on those records.

JA: Yeah. He did great.

SKF: Little Richard and Earl Palmer were only a few years ahead of you guys. Almost contemporaries.

JA: Yeah.

SKF: They were about three or four years ahead of you?

JA: Maybe not even that much. Maybe just a couple. When we first went on the road we were doing shows with Little Richard. And Earl Palmer wasn’t on the road with him at that time. There was a guy named Cornelius Coleman that played on the road with Fats Domino. We were on the road with them the first tour we dd. Fats Domino’s band. I liked the way he played real well.

curmudgeon, Monday, 22 August 2022 20:49 (three years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEh2rAj_9IU

1958 "Real Wild Child" with Jerry Ivan Allison on vocals backed by the Crickets

curmudgeon, Tuesday, 23 August 2022 16:55 (three years ago)

two years pass...

66 years ago today.

Blind Willie Minitel (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 3 February 2025 16:11 (ten months ago)

The best.

Josh in Chicago, Monday, 3 February 2025 16:19 (ten months ago)

A long, long time ago.

clemenza, Monday, 3 February 2025 16:28 (ten months ago)

no votes for "Words of Love" is CRAZY

budo jeru, Monday, 3 February 2025 16:38 (ten months ago)

His older brother lived well into his 90s; it's not impossible that Buddy could have still been around to get a lifetime award at the Grammies or show up in a McCartney video, or whatever.

Halfway there but for you, Monday, 3 February 2025 16:53 (ten months ago)

...to Don McLean's joy/dismay.

Halfway there but for you, Monday, 3 February 2025 16:54 (ten months ago)

I could definitely see Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney paying their respects at the Kennedy Center. Maybe becoming friends with Lennon as they hang out as two outsiders who later relocated to New York City.

birdistheword, Monday, 3 February 2025 19:17 (ten months ago)

Also, would've voted for "Not Fade Away" but had I known the results beforehand, I would've voted for "Words of Love" because zero votes is just wrong.

birdistheword, Monday, 3 February 2025 19:26 (ten months ago)

Rave On, followed by Maybe Baby, followed by Think It Over

timellison, Tuesday, 4 February 2025 01:35 (ten months ago)

I can’t remember what I voted for and there are so many good ones, but if I have to pull a personal favorite out of my hat I’ll go with “Heartbeat.”

Blind Willie Minitel (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 February 2025 02:28 (ten months ago)

I'll add special mention to "Well...All Right," which is another favorite. It seemed to open up whole new territory that Holly probably would've explored further had he lived longer and continued to write songs. It feels like the first stirrings of righteous anger in a young man who suddenly feels the need to push back. It may have been about a relationship, but something about it feels like a bridge between that and so much more - it may even suggest that the distance between the personal and the political may not actually exist when you feel passionate about rejecting some kind of wrong.

birdistheword, Tuesday, 4 February 2025 03:09 (ten months ago)

Also really weird to see one of Paul Anka's songs get the second most votes in a Buddy Holly poll. (It's not a bad hit, but still...)

birdistheword, Tuesday, 4 February 2025 03:11 (ten months ago)

Hey, when he fuckin' moves, he slices like a fuckin' hammer...

Okay, heteros are cutting edge this year, too. (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 4 February 2025 03:21 (ten months ago)

I see I mentioned "Oh Boy" upthread, but other no-vote songs I really like are "It's So Easy" and "Midnight Shift."

Lily Dale, Tuesday, 4 February 2025 05:45 (ten months ago)

Turns out there are dozens of cover of “Raining in My Heart” and most of them are pretty good, including this posthumous duet with Gregory Porter. Who knew? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnl69BtKnbw

Blind Willie Minitel (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 February 2025 12:59 (ten months ago)


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