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Hi all. Bobbie and dawg's recent "what if" historical epics prompted me to dust off this hypothetical tale I wrote two summers ago. It's my only attempt at this esoteric but intriguing genre.

I've always wondered what would've happened if Buddy Holly had not died in that 1959 plane crash, so this is my theory about it. (BTW, verses 4 and 5 are loosely based on Bruce Springsteen and early-60's star Gary "U.S." Bonds. Bruce produced a #11 comeback hit for Bonds in 1981, but he's been relegated to oldies tours since then.)

Anyway, I hope you can wade through this. Tell me what you think. Thanks!


BUDDY HOLLY 2001
©1999/2001 Anthony Torres
All rights reserved

(Verse 1)
My career’s been dying since 1959
Fabian and Frankie cut it down in its prime
Put a tune on the charts in July ‘63
Then the Beatles washed ashore and got rid of me

10 years later, I was saved by the 50's craze
The "Graffiti" flick, bobby socks and "Happy Days"
Even though I couldn’t get a hit on the charts
It sure seemed to me like I could make a new start

(Chorus)
I sang “Everyday” every night
And if I didn’t do “Peggy Sue”
It didn't feel right
I never minded just playin' the hits
The nostalgia-rocker shoe really did fit

(Verse 2)
The crowds, oh-hoo-ho man, the crowds
They were huge and they were loud
Two thousand here and three thousand there
I really thought that I was going somewhere

But before too long, every Fair or Fest I played
Was the same oldies thing, but on a different day
They just wanted what I’d done before 24
They didn’t care I wasn’t that man anymore

(Chorus)
I sang “Everyday” every night
And if I didn’t do “Peggy Sue”
It didn't feel right
I still didn't mind playin' four or five hits
But a show full of them was really the pits

(Verse 3)
After each show, I'd talk to fans with hippie hair
Who'd ask what happened to those glasses I would wear
I’d say, “C'mon-- horn-rims aren’t in fashion these days”
They never cared that just like them, I'd changed my ways

In '81, the long-washed-up Bill Haley died
As a fellow Texan, of course it made me cry
But something 'bout the news struck a deep chord in me
I vowed I’d never wallow in my misery

(Chorus)
I won't sing “Everyday” every night
And I wouldn't do “Peggy Sue”
If it didn't feel right
Yeah, I wouldn't need to play the old hits
'Cause my new ones would tear my old image to bits

(Verse 4)
Then as if heaven-sent, a young rock star called me
And asked me to play guitar on his next LP
I told him, “Who, me?! I ain’t recorded in years!”
He said, “Well, with my clout, the suits will be all ears”

So I helped him, and sure enough, that kid was right
He landed me a record contract overnight
The comeback media hype shot me up the charts
Topping out at #12, I had my new start

(Chorus)
I didn't sing “Everyday” every night
And I didn't do “Peggy Sue”
If it didn't feel right
I thought I didn't need to play the old hits
'Cause my new one just tore my old image to bits

(Verse 5)
But on the road that year, I just felt rejected
I didn’t tour with that star like fans expected
His helping hand was just a one-time-only thing
And the younger folks who’d see me didn’t care a thing
About the new me
So nowadays, y'see-ha-hee---

(Chorus)
I sing “Everyday” every night
And if I don't do “Peggy Sue”
It wouldn't be right
But how much longer can I play my old hits?
I'm hardly livin' when I'm livin' like this

(Tag)
Yeah, I've been hardly livin'
Since I had my old hits

Gee Anthony, guess you couldn't find a decent rhyme for Bo Diddley huh?

Always wondered how a band with a few solid hits could keep on going, night after night, same old same old. There's no Hollywood Squares for the has beens of music.

But you have painted a good picture here. Nicely done

John

I really enjoyed this, Anthony. I had to keep reading to see what happened. Very interesting lyric. And I really like the "what if" foundation you set for it.

Nice return to the original chorus at the end - and with 4 DOUBLE verses, 5 choruses, 1 extended verse, and a tag at the end - I think you've answered the question in my mind of "what became of Don McLean's American Pie?" In this reality, this is it!

Good work!

Anthony; HAD TO RESPOND on this lyric. Buddy Holly is one of my all time favs and i didn't even grow up with his music (I'm 31). VERY unique and really enjoyed this. I didn't see a thing worth commenting about. I've read alot on his life along with the Big Bopper and just mentioned Richie Valenz in a song i posted a few days ago. Just learned that American Pie was the name of the plane he was in that crashed...i never knew that. THis is good stuff. DOn't know how "commerical" it would be...but who cares. Nice one!

Anthony, muy bueno, my friend. This is quite excellent writing! I, too, felt this was the answer to Don Mcleans's "American Pie." In fact, I thought it would be cool to have a verse that made reference to McLean's song with a line something like:

"Hey, you all, the music didn't die,
What's all this talk about American Pie?"

This lyric also reminded me a lot of Rick Nelson's very same complaint in "Garden Party." Your take on it is very well done. I especially liked the first line in your chorus. Really good, this 'un.

Greg

John, Conner, Blake and Greg-- thanks!!! I had no idea that plane was called "American Pie." Interesting. And yeah, this song is reminiscent of "Garden Party." That's a good song.

Thanks again for giving a long lyric like this a look-see. (Try saying *that* ten times fast! )

Anthony

Hey Anthony, I just had to comment on this song after reading it. This was not only enjoyable but it's the kind of song that makes you think a bit. The has-been is an intriguing story. This song gave me a feeling of what it may be like for some of them. Not a pretty picture I suppose. And then here we are hoping for our one big hit so we can join the ranks. I guess the difference is that we are not the artist. The fame is not something we will have to deal with very much. Very interesting stuff! Great job, no nits from me.

David

Hey Anth', A Great One y'got Here!

Greg already beat me to the Ricky Nelson "Garden Party" Song being along this Line...only Yours deals with a Star who really CAN'T get out there & Change the Way Things Are...Alas! (Rick at least got to Sing His & make Quite a Nice Comeback with it!)

Fine Job with the "What If" here...tho I think B.H. woulda had LOTS More Hits had he only Lived a Bit Longer...

Alas, we'll Never Know!

"KUDOS!"

(Gonna have to Locate & Rewrite an '80's Lyric I did about Jimi Hendryx' Departure, titled "BLACK TRAVELER"--sort of a Similar "Lament"...forgot I'd written it...THIS makes me wanna!)

Big Thanks &
A Big Guy-Hug
Stan

This is COLOSSAL!!! And very well written. I don't know too much about the man at all except that Gary Busey played him in the movie and he wore funky glasses. Don't want to take away from his memory, cause I know lots of folks were big fans of his. Not really sure how this would play out on today's radio, though. It's a great "what if" song and it kinda gives you that "It's A Wonderful Life" kind of feeling.

Nicely written.


Tink

Mucho creativity here. Good writin', Anthony. No nitpicks from me. Great idea and great follow-through. Good stuff!

Corey

Hotrod, Stan, Tink and Corey-- thanks a bunch for wading through this one.

Stan-- I strongly suspect that Buddy Holly would've sounded dated after the Beatles burst onto the scene. An awful lot of big stars of the early 60s (Chubby Checker and Dion, to name two) were swept away by the British Invasion, and unless Buddy updated his sound (which he very well might have), his career would've died too.

And Tink-- If you don't know much about Buddy, you really ought to go to BearShare or some other Napster clone and download his hits. Surely you've heard "Peggy Sue" and "That'll Be The Day", but he has lots of great well-known songs, like "Oh Boy", "Rave On" and "It's So Easy" (which Linda Ronstadt turned into a hit in the 70's).

Anthony