Song of the Day 11/18: Buddy Holly, “That’ll Be the Day”

Guest post by Nathan Arizona

We’ve just learned they’re going to paint over the Buddy Holly crosswalk in his home town of Lubbock, Texas. Trump has decided to enforce a 12-year-old rule banning art work on public crossings. Otherwise, no federal money for you. The original rule stressed safety, but statements by officials made it clear the real threat is dissent about the way they operate. The “P” word crept into their comments.

“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced. Sycophantic Texas governor Greg Abbott got busy enforcing the rule. “Texans expect their tax dollars to be used wisely,” he said, “not advance political agendas on Texas roadways.”

What was this threat to the very survival of our nation? Four images of a dangerous pair of spectacles placed there in honor of the kind worn by the nearsighted 1950s hitmaker.

Are Trump and his MAGAts ever going ever to stop this stuff before he’s voted out of office? As the title of one of those rockabilly hits puts it, “That’ll Be the Day.”

But he might be kicked out of the Mar-a-White House before then. “Maybe Baby.” It may turn out that “It’s So Easy” — impeachment is always on the table. It might happen “Early in the Morning.” Then we’d “Rave On” and on and on. We have to keep up our spirits. Otherwise we might decide “It Doesn’t Matter Any More.”

But enough of that. More than enough?

So let’s consider Holly himself and his music. “That’ll Be the Day” was his first hit, in 1957. He got the title from a line John Wayne says in “The Searchers.” The song is on the prestigious National Song Registry. He and his sometime backup band the Crickets wrote it in about a half-hour. It’s said to be the first song Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison recorded together.

Holly’s music had the beat of early rock ’n’ roll but was not obviously bluesy. He anticipated British Invasion groups with his straight-forward two-guitar-plus-rhythm-section lineup and hook-filled songs that he wrote himself, not to mention his wardrobe of suits. In fact. Holly came off as kind of a nerd (those subversive glasses!) and in this he anticipated some new wave groups like Talking Heads. Rolling Stone ranked him 13th on its list of the 100 greatest artists.

He was killed in a plane crash at 22 on what Don McClean called “the day the music died” in “American Pie.” It was Holly’s death that made it so significant. Richie Valens had basically two hits, good ones, ”Donna” and “La Bamba.” The Big Bopper was radio DJ who had scored with a semi-novelty song. Buddy Holly had almost too many hits to count.

Here’s “That’ll Be the Day,” performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, followed by “Maybe Baby” from the “American Graffiti” soundtrack.