Peggy Sue Got Married (song)

"Peggy Sue Got Married"
Single by Buddy Holly
from the album The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2
B-side	"Crying, Waiting, Hoping" (Holly)
Released	July 20, 1959 (USA) August 28, 1959 (UK)
Format	7" 45 rpm
Recorded	1958, New York
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:04
Label	Coral C62134 (USA) Coral Q72376 (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Buddy Holly
Producer(s)	Jack Hansen
Buddy Holly singles chronology
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (1959) "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1959) "True Love Ways" (1960)
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (1959) "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1959) "True Love Ways" (1960)

"Peggy Sue Got Married" is a song written and performed by Buddy Holly. It was posthumously released in 1959 as a 45-rpm single with "Crying, Waiting, Hoping". It refers to his song hit "Peggy Sue". It was one of the first sequels of the rock era.^[1]

Background

Buddy Holly recorded the vocal, accompanying himself on guitar, on December 8, 1958, in apartment 4H of "The Brevoort", Fifth Avenue. Studio musicians recorded backup vocals and instrumentals on June 30, 1959 at Coral Records' Studio A in New York City. An alternate version of the song, with new instrumentals but without backup singers, was recorded in 1964.

The studio recording sessions and overdubs for "Peggy Sue Got Married" were similar to those for the posthumous track "Crying, Waiting, Hoping".

Other recordings

The Crickets recorded their own version after Buddy Holly's death in 1959.^[2] David Box, a native of Lubbock, Texas, and a near identical Buddy Holly soundalike, joined the group as lead vocalist for this version of "Peggy Sue Got Married" which was released in the United States as the B-side of Coral 62238 in 1960. The Crickets had decided to use the original arrangements they had used for "Peggy Sue" with the only change being David Box on lead vocal.^[3][4]

Buddy Holly's original, undubbed home recording was used as theme music in the film Peggy Sue Got Married.^[5]

The Beatles performed the song at the 1969 Get Back/Let It Be sessions in 1969 in a medley with "Maybe Baby" with John Lennon on lead vocals.

The Hollies recorded a version using Buddy Holly's vocals from the December 5, 1958 demo take joined by returning member Graham Nash as part of the Not Fade Away tribute.

Fleetwood Mac recorded a version of the song in 1968 featuring Peter Green for BBC Radio One.^[6]

Rikki Henderson released his recording of "Peggy Sue Got Married" in 1959 as an Embassy Records 45 single.

South African Roger Smith recorded the song in 1962 in a version released on the Twistin' Wild album.^[7]

In July 2015, UK Rollercoaster Records released a high-tech remix by Chris Hopkins.^[8][9][10]

David Bowie's single Ashes To Ashes is influenced by Peggy Sue Got Married in that it also returns to an earlier hit, and in particular, the character Major Tom. Both refer to earlier songs, in Holly's case, Peggy Sue, and in Bowie's, Space Oddity.

References

Sources

• Amburn, Ellis (1996). Buddy Holly: A Biography. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-14557-6.
• Bustard, Anne (2005). Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4223-9302-4.
• Dawson, Jim; Leigh, Spencer (1996). Memories of Buddy Holly. Big Nickel Publications. ISBN 978-0-936433-20-2.
• Gerron, Peggy Sue (2008). Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?. Togi Entertainment. ISBN 978-0-9800085-0-0.
• Goldrosen, John; Beecher, John (1996). Remembering Buddy: The Definitive Biography. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80715-7.
• Goldrosen, John (1975). Buddy Holly: His Life and Music. Popular Press. ISBN 0-85947-018-0
• Gribbin, John (2009). Not Fade Away: The Life and Music of Buddy Holly. London: Icon Books. ISBN 978-1-84831-034-6