Peggy Sue (song)

This article is about the Buddy Holly song. For the Blink-182 song, see Cheshire Cat (Blink-182 album).
"Peggy Sue"
Single by Buddy Holly
from the album Buddy Holly
B-side "Everyday"
Released September 20, 1957
Format 7" single
Recorded June 29 and July 1, 1957, Clovis, New Mexico
Genre Rock and roll
Length 2:29
Label Coral 9-61885
Writer(s) Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Norman Petty
Producer(s) Norman Petty
Buddy Holly singles chronology
"Rock Around with Ollie Vee"
(1957)		 "Peggy Sue"
(1957)		 "Oh, Boy!"
(The Crickets)
(1957)

"Peggy Sue" is a rock and roll song written by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, and Norman Petty, and originally performed, recorded and released as a single by Holly in early July of 1957. The Crickets are not mentioned on the single (Coral 9-61885)[1] but both Joe B. Mauldin (string bass) and Jerry Allison (drums) are known to be featured on the recording.[2] The song was also released on Buddy Holly's eponymous 1958 album. The song is ranked #194 on the Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song was originally called "Cindy Lou", and was named for Buddy's niece, the daughter of his sister Pat Holley Kaiter. The title was later changed to "Peggy Sue" in reference to Crickets drummer Jerry Allison's girlfriend (and future wife), Peggy Sue Gerron, with whom he had recently had a temporary breakup.[3]

Appropriately, Allison played a prominent role in the production of the song, playing paradiddles on the drums throughout the song, the drums' sound rhythmically fading in and out as a result of real-time engineering techniques by the producer, Norm Petty. Many music critics regard this as Holly's all-time best recording.

The song went to #3 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1957. The song is currently ranked as the 106th greatest song of all time, as well as the third best song of 1957, by Acclaimed Music.[4]

Initially only Allison and Petty were listed as the song's authors.[1] At Allison's insistence, Holly was credited as a co-writer after his death.

In 1999, National Public Radio (NPR) included "Peggy Sue" on the NPR 100, a list of "The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century".[5]

The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.[6]

Sequel

Holly wrote a poignant sequel called "Peggy Sue Got Married", and recorded a demo or practice version in his New York City apartment on December 5, 1958, accompanied only by himself on guitar. The tape was discovered after his death, and was "enhanced" for commercial release, by adding background vocals and an electric guitar track that drowned out Holly's own playing (and almost his voice as well). The rarely heard original version was released on a vinyl collection called "The Complete Buddy Holly", and was later used over the opening credits of the 1986 Kathleen Turner film Peggy Sue Got Married.[7] After Holly's death The Crickets would also release their own cover single in 1960. They followed the original Peggy Sue arrangements with the only difference being David Box, a Buddy Holly soundalike, singing as the lead vocalist.[8]

The Beach Boys version

"Peggy Sue"
Single by The Beach Boys
from the album M.I.U. Album
B-side "Hey Little Tomboy"
Released August 28, 1978
Format 7" vinyl
Recorded April 15, 1976
Genre Rock and roll
Length 2:14
Label Brother/Reprise
Producer(s) The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Honkin' Down the Highway"
(1977)		 "Peggy Sue'"
(1978)		 "Here Comes the Night"
(1979)

In 1978 the American rock band the Beach Boys recorded a cover of "Peggy Sue" for their M.I.U. Album. Originally recorded on April 15, 1976, for potential inclusion on the 15 Big Ones album, the Brian Wilson production was not selected for the final album. In 1978, Al Jardine revisited this recording, tweaking it to better fit with the production styling of the M.I.U. Album. Sung by Al Jardine, the song was also a hit for them, charting at number 59 in the United States when released as a single. The original Brian Wilson-produced version of the "Peggy Sue" was accidentally issued in place of the released Al Jardine version when the "M.I.U. Album" was briefly re-issued by Sony Music in 1991, but was soon discontinued. The wrong master of "Peggy Sue," also recorded by Brian Wilson and originally slated for 15 Big Ones, was also mistakenly used on the 1991 "M.I.U. Album" re-issue. That edition of the album is now considered a rare collectors item.

Legacy

Other notable recordings

1957 sheet music cover, Nor Va Jak Music, Inc., New York

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Buddy Holly: Peggy Sue at Discogs (list of releases)
  2. ↑ http://buddyholly.pagesperso-orange.fr/page3.htm Buddy Holly timeline
  3. ↑ Amburn, p78
  4. ↑ "Acclaimed Music Top 3000 songs". 27 May 2009.
  5. ↑ NPR Online. "NPR 100: Peggy Sue.".
  6. ↑ "Song artist 320 - Buddy Holly. tsort.org.".
  7. ↑ "Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)". IMDb.
  8. ↑ http://www.buddyhollyonline.com/related/dbox.html

Literature

External links