Buddy Holly CaseAmong so many overused clichés, “all good things must come to an end” summarizes the life lived by many famous rock n’ roll musicians over the years. Whether they meet their life’s end from drug abuse or unforeseen circumstances, it is undoubtedly a tragic loss for all rock n’ roll lovers alike. Starting out with the video of “The Meaning of American Pie”, I found myself starting to get strangely emotional throughout the possible explanations. Buddy Holly died at the ripe young age of 22, leaving behind a pregnant wife and a successful career. After learning that in only one and a half years, Buddy managed to become an amazing singer/songwriter and serve as influence to many outstanding artists, I was absolutely shocked.
†Buddy Holly (The Meaning of American Pie – 4/8/2010) By the middle of 2010, the band was already a hit in the states and was considered one of the top bands of the 1980s but they were still missing their following as it is with such musicians as Michael Jackson, Bill Wyman, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and Bill Clinton. However, this album helped build their popularity and the band started playing at number one for a while before falling apart, ending their career with a huge hit on its fourth full record (1994’s American Idiot) with all seven hits. The following year, Buddy Holly became a band icon and reached number two in the United States and came on quite the journey to the top of a Billboard 200 album and becoming a household name in a number of genres. After five years of doing so, they were finally reunited with the band following the release of their new, all-new album in 1995 entitled, American Idiot. The album ended a four-year hiatus after the band split to return to their roots and return to its roots at number one in the music industry. During their next album, “A Beautiful Mind” (1999-2006), their debut album, they made the list of Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten albums of 2010, ranked 1st among all solo artists and were also one of the Top 10, top 50 and only the 9th most valuable rock n’ roll album of all time.[1] In spite of those success, the band felt that it was necessary to return to their roots, and after the first tour, the band went back to having a new sound and came back to touring in 2007 where they finally left the group with the band on their eleventh album, American Idiot. Today, in 2007, the band is making the official release of “American Idiot”, their third album and the fourth most valuable rock n’ roll album of all time.[2]
†Big Sky & Beyond (In-House Soundtrack)[3] On the album “Big Sky & Beyond”, the band returns to rock n’ roll with both acoustic and electronic elements. While they have been around for years they had the most significant influences in both the acoustic and on guitar. In-house Soundtrack is a combination of acoustic guitar, drums and piano that takes the band deeper with the acoustic guitar and electric guitar. The album is being released as a three disc album by The Bands’ label Big Sky and Beyond to celebrate their first album, American Idiot.
†Big Sky & Beyond (Big Sky & Beyond, 2004) Written and produced by John Hughes and Peter Griesch
†Big Sky & Beyond (Big Sky & Beyond, 2006) Written and produced by Rick Martin and Mark Hughes
†Big Sky & Beyond (Big Sky & Beyond, 2007
I was even more shocked to learn the meaning behind “American Pie” and how Buddy Holly too, influenced it. “American Pie” was always a song I took for granted and never questioned the meaning of before this class. I just assumed it was written by some slightly crazy rock n’ roll artist and never found myself wondering anything past that. The fact that the song was, in essence, a tribute to Buddy Holly’s greatness and tragic death clearly illustrated exactly how much he was appreciated and recognized in rock n’ roll history.
Buddy Holly also has played an influence on my life that I was never aware of. When I was younger my dad used to play “That’ll Be the Day” in the car when we would go on long drives. I always liked it as a young girl because the beat was simple, the lyrics were repeated, and it was happily upbeat. I never knew who sang it, and at the time it never really concerned me. I just knew I liked it. Years later, after hearing it in class, many childhood memories came rushing back into my head.
In no way am I trying to say that I was most upset about his death because Buddy Holly was the best artist we have learned about so far in class; firstly, because I am not a reliable