Classic Pop Icons

Buddy Holly’s rock ‘n’ roll classic “That’ll Be The Day” has been selected as Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons to mark what would have been the late star’s 75th birthday on September 7. “That’ll Be The Day” was released on single in May 1957, backed with “I’m Looking For Someone to Love,” and also appeared on The Crickets’ first album “The Chirping Crickets” a few months later.

“That’ll Be The Day” was the song that launched Buddy Holly’s career. Decca Records had signed Buddy in February 1956, but dropped him in January 1957 after his first couple of singles failed to chart. Undeterred, the future star began recording with Norman Petty the following month at a session that would produce the hit record “That’ll Be The Day.” This was in fact Buddy’s second recording of the song and would not have been released if Buddy had strictly observed the terms of his Decca contract. Under that contract, Buddy was prohibited from re-recording any songs that he had done at his Decca sessions for a period of five years. To get round this inconvenience, “That’ll Be The Day” was released under the group name “The Crickets.”

After the new version of “That’ll Be The Day” became a hit, Decca released the original recording on the B-side of the single “Rock Around with Ollie Vee” in September 1957, and then on the album “That’ll Be The Day” in April 1958.

Buddy Holly – “That’ll Be The Day” (original recording)

The changes introduced during the later recording were well judged. The new key of ‘A’ was much better suited to Buddy’s voice than the original key of ‘D’, and the bluesy intro and background vocals were also strong additions to the hit recording.

The Crickets – “That’ll Be The Day”

“That’ll Be The Day” was also a huge hit in the UK and helped make him a favourite among the nation’s youth, including both John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Before the Quarrymen became the Beatles, they recorded a demonstration disc of “That’ll Be The Day” which followed the original arrangement very closely. The recording was released on The Beatles’ “Anthology 1” in 1995.

“That’ll Be The Day” rightly takes its place alongside the likes of “Hound Dog,” “Johnny B. Goode” and “Great Balls Of Fire” as one of the true classics of early rock ‘n’ roll. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the song at number 39 on its list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

Authorship

“That’ll Be The Day” was written by Buddy Holly and drummer Jerry Allison. Norman Petty was also given a writing credit for his work during the production of the song.

The song title was inspired by the movie “The Searchers,” in which John Wayne said the phrase “That’ll be the day” on a number of occasions.

Recording date/location

The hit version of “That’ll Be The Day” was recorded on February 25, 1957 at Norman Petty Recording Studios, which was located at 1313 West 7th Street in Clovis, New Mexico.

The original version was recorded at Bradley’s Barn, Nashville on July 22, 1956.

Musicians

The following musicians appeared on “That’ll Be The Day”:

• Buddy Holly – lead guitar and vocals
• Larry Welborn – bass
• Jerry Allison – drums
• Niki Sullivan – backing vocals
• Gary Tollett – backing vocals
• Ramona Tollett – backing vocals
• June Clark – backing vocals.

Larry Welborn had been a member of the “Buddy, Bob and Larry” trio with Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery. His position on bass was subsequently taken by Joe B. Maudlin, who together with Allison and Holly made up the classic Crickets line up.

Chart performance

“That’ll Be The Day” had been out for four months when it finally reached number one on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart on September 17, 1957. This was Buddy Holly’s only number one single in the US.

The song hit the top spot in the UK on November 1, 1957.

Other notable recordings

As a classic rock ‘n’ roll song, “That’ll Be The Day” has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including Cliff Richard, The Hollies, Connie Francis and The La’s. Here’s two notable covers:

The Everly Brothers – “That’ll Be The Day”

“That’ll Be The Day” was one of a number of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll covers to feature on the Everly Brothers’ 1965 album “Rock ‘N Soul.” This is an interesting and highly successful cover, with the Everlys’ trademark harmonies backed by a slower, more R&B-influenced arrangement than the Holly original. The Everlys released “That’ll Be The Day” on single in 1965, backed with “Give Me a Sweetheart.” The single reached number 30 in the UK but failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Linda Ronstadt – “That’ll Be The Day”

Linda Ronstadt included “That’ll Be The Day” on her tenth album, “Hasten Down The Wind,” in 1976. This is an an appealing country rock interpretation, with a solid vocal and good guitar work from Andrew Gold and Waddy Wachtel.

“That’ll Be The Day” was the first single from the album and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. She would hit number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year with a cover of Holly’s “It’s So Easy.”

Here’s Linda with a live version from the period.

Linda Ronstadt’s cover of “That’ll Be The Day” is featured on the new Buddy Holly tribute album “Listen To Me: Buddy Holly.”

There will be a new Song of the Week on September 12.

Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be The Day” appears on a number of compilation albums, including the 2-CD “The Very Best Of Buddy Holly And The Crickets.” Both versions of “That’ll Be The Day” feature on the impressive 6-CD box set “Not Fade Away – The Complete Studio Recordings and More.”

Buddy Holly’s 75th Birthday has been marked with two tribute albums featuring cover versions of his classic hits – “Rave On Buddy Holly” and “Listen To Me: Buddy Holly.” Modest Mouse’s cover of “That’ll Be The Day” features on the former and, as noted above, Linda Ronstadt’s cover is included on the latter.

Title
The Very Best Of Buddy Holly And The Crickets (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Not Fade Away – The Complete Studio Recordings and More (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Listen to Me: Buddy Holly (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Rave On Buddy Holly(CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now