True Love Ways
Encyclopedia
"True Love Ways" is a song co-written by Buddy Holly
and Norman Petty
and recorded with the Ray Ellis
orchestra in October 1958, four months before the singer's death. It was first released on the posthumous "The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2
" (Coral 57326/757326, March 1960). The song became a 1960 hit in Britain.
In some versions of the song, audio shows Holly preparing to sing and record, it starts with "Yeah, we're rolling," said by Norman Petty's wife, who also played on Buddy Holly's song 'Everyday'. A piano player and a tenor saxophone player start to play some notes, Holly mutters "Okay," and clears his throat. The producer yells "Quiet, boys!" to everyone else in the room, and at the very end of the talkback, the Producer says "Pitch, Ernie" to signal the piano player to give Holly his starting note, a B-flat.
Buddy Holly wrote "True Love Ways" for his wife, Maria Elena Holly
as a wedding gift. On April 29, 2011, Maria Elena Holly
unveiled the never before seen "True Love Ways" photo of their wedding kiss, now displayed at P.J. Clarke’s' above Table 53, the very table where they became engaged while on their first date, on June 20, 1958.
, country singer, released a successful cover version in 1980 (during the height of his popularity). Gilley's version reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles
chart in July 1980 .
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
and Norman Petty
Norman Petty
Norman Petty was an American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer who helped shape modern popular music, including pop and rock....
and recorded with the Ray Ellis
Ray Ellis
Ray Ellis was an American record producer, arranger and conductor. The orchestration for Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin is probably his best known work in the jazz vein.-Biography:...
orchestra in October 1958, four months before the singer's death. It was first released on the posthumous "The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2
The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2
The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2 is the fifth album released by Buddy Holly, a sequel compilation to The Buddy Holly Story . The second album to be released posthumously, it is also the first of a series of Buddy Holly albums to feature overdubbing of unfinished tracks, including Holly's last...
" (Coral 57326/757326, March 1960). The song became a 1960 hit in Britain.
In some versions of the song, audio shows Holly preparing to sing and record, it starts with "Yeah, we're rolling," said by Norman Petty's wife, who also played on Buddy Holly's song 'Everyday'. A piano player and a tenor saxophone player start to play some notes, Holly mutters "Okay," and clears his throat. The producer yells "Quiet, boys!" to everyone else in the room, and at the very end of the talkback, the Producer says "Pitch, Ernie" to signal the piano player to give Holly his starting note, a B-flat.
Buddy Holly wrote "True Love Ways" for his wife, Maria Elena Holly
Maria Elena Holly
María Elena Holly is the widow of rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly. She owns the rights to his name, image, trademarks, and other intellectual property.-Early years:...
as a wedding gift. On April 29, 2011, Maria Elena Holly
Maria Elena Holly
María Elena Holly is the widow of rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly. She owns the rights to his name, image, trademarks, and other intellectual property.-Early years:...
unveiled the never before seen "True Love Ways" photo of their wedding kiss, now displayed at P.J. Clarke’s' above Table 53, the very table where they became engaged while on their first date, on June 20, 1958.
Single releases
- USA: "True Love Ways" b/w "That Makes It Tough" (Coral C62210 - June 29 1960)
- UK: "True Love Ways" b/w "MoondreamsMoondreams (Norman Petty song)"Moondreams" is a song written by Norman Petty and released in 1957 by The Norman Petty Trio.Featured musicians are Petty on organ. Buddy Holly on guitar, Vi Petty on piano, Mike Mitchell on percussion and The Picks backing vocals....
" (Coral Q72397 20 May 1960)
Mickey Gilley version
Mickey GilleyMickey Gilley
Mickey Leroy Gilley is an American country music singer and musician. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the country charts, but the pop charts as...
, country singer, released a successful cover version in 1980 (during the height of his popularity). Gilley's version reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in July 1980 .
Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 66 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Other versions
- Frank IfieldFrank IfieldFrancis Edward Ifield is an early Australian-English easy listening and country music singer. He achieved considerable success in the early 1960s, especially in the UK Singles Chart, where he had four Number 1 hits between 1962 and 1963....
recorded it in the UK as the B-side of his October, 1964, hit "Summer Is Over", on Columbia DB 7355.
- Peter and Gordon's 1965 Capitol remake hit #14 (U.S.), which was also a hit for them in the UK during April, 1965 on Columbia DB 7524.
- Darren Burn recorded it in the UK in July, 1973, as the B-side of his debut single "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" on EMI 2040.
- Gary BuseyGary BuseyWilliam Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
made a cover version of this song in the biographicBiographicBiographic is a weekly comics feature by award-winning cartoonist and illustrator Steve McGarry. Launched in 2005, the feature is syndicated by Universal Uclick and appears in such publications as New York Daily News, Boston Herald, Toronto Sun, Hong Kong's Daily Young Post, India's Mail Today,...
film The Buddy Holly StoryThe Buddy Holly StoryThe film was adapted by Robert Gittler from Buddy Holly: His Life and Music, the biography of Holly by John Goldrosen. It was directed by Steve Rash.-Plot:...
(1978), and its album.
- Cliff RichardCliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
's cover version made the U.K. Chart Top 10 in April 1983.
- Ricky NelsonRicky NelsonEric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
's version is recorded in winter 1978/1979, but unreleased (Album : Rockabilly renaissance). It is released in may 1986, after Nelson death (Album : Memphis sessions)
- Joan JettJoan JettJoan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
in the film Light of DayLight of DayThe soundtrack to the film was released in 1987. As a single, "Light of Day" reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received additional album-oriented rock airplay due to the connection of Joan Jett and Bruce Springsteen....
(1987) performed the song, sparking rise for Trent ReznorTrent ReznorMichael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
in his early music career before starting the band Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
.
- David Essex and Catherine Zeta Jones made a duet on David's album (1994).
- Covered by The MavericksThe MavericksThe Mavericks is a country music band founded in 1989 in Miami, Florida, United States. Between 1991 and 2003 they recorded six studio albums, in addition to charting 14 singles on the Billboard country charts...
on the 1996 tribute album, Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly)Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly)-Chart performance:...
.
- Texas country singer Aaron WatsonAaron WatsonAaron Watson is an Texas country music singer.Watson was born in Amarillo, Texas and attended Abilene Christian University, where he began learning guitar, after playing junior college baseball in New Mexico. He gigged around Texas before releasing his debut album, A Texas Cafe; the follow-up,...
recorded a version of the song on his 2006 album, San Angelo.
- A series of commercialsNever Say No to PandaNever Say No to Panda is a 2010 series of television commercials produced in Egypt by Advance Marketing for Arab Dairy, manufacturers of Panda Cheese. The commercials, which feature a giant panda who terrorizes people for not wanting to try the cheese, have become a viral Internet hit.-Premise:In...
for the product Panda Cheese, from the Egyptian company Arab Dairy, uses the song as the theme tune of its unpredictable and destructive panda mascot. The commercials featuring the song became an instant hit in the internet and now an Internet MemeInternet memeThe term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
.
- My Morning JacketMy Morning JacketMy Morning Jacket is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.The band consists of Jim James , Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship , Patrick Hallahan , Carl Broemel , and Bo Koster .-History:My Morning Jacket was...
covered the song for the tribute album Rave On Buddy HollyRave on Buddy HollyRave On Buddy Holly is a compilation album by various artists released on June 28, 2011 through Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group and Hear Music. The title of the tribute album to musician Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash in 1959 at age 22, refers to the song "Rave On", one of his biggest...
, released in June 2011
- Jackson BrowneJackson BrowneJackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
has recently contributed a cover version for the upcoming tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly to be released in Sept 2011.