Peggy Sue (1957) & Peggy Sue Got Married (1959) – Buddy Holly

(Peggy Sue) Gerron stated that she first heard the song at a live performance at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium in 1957, and that she was “so embarrassed, I could have died.”

Today you get two Buddy Holly classics in the same post. Giddyup! In both of these songs you will find no gimmicks, no frills, no smoke n mirrors, just solid songwriting that has never aged. Buddy got funky with his substantial intonations too and it still sounds amazing. And RIP Jerry Allison (died August 22, 2022) who created and played a timeless drum part here at only 17 years old. This ‘gallop’ sound (and the fading in fading out technique) was used by many others after including Bob Dylan on Series of Dreams. I cannot imagine how many more legendary songs like this would exist if Buddy Holly was alive today. Such a loss for music, with such a great impact on all the greats; he will never be forgotten!

Peggy Sue was inspired by Peggy Sue Gerron (see image left) who went to the same Lubbock high school as Buddy and married Crickets drummer Jerry Allison.

‘As Gerron recalled, their first encounter occured when Holly, running late for a gig, accidentally knocked her over. “He ran over to me, guitar in one hand, amp in the other, and said, ‘I don’t have time to pick you up, but you sure are pretty’, before he ran off,” Gerron told the BBC in 2013. “So another girl came and helped me pick up my books and she said, ‘Do you know who that was? That was Buddy Holly.‘”

Several weeks later, Gerron was on a date with her future husband, Crickets drummer Jerry Allison, when they ran into Holly and his date. “[Holly] started laughing, Jerry asked him what was so funny, and he said ‘I’ve already overwhelmed your Peggy Sue,’” Gerron remembered.’ – Rolling Stone

Most of the following was cherry-picked from the Wikipedia articles below:

Peggy Sue was written by Jerry Allison and Norman Petty (according to the official record, though Buddy Holly is known to be a principal songwriter too). The song was originally entitled “Cindy Lou”, after Holly’s niece, the daughter of his sister Pat Holley Kaiter. The title was later changed to “Peggy Sue” in reference to Peggy Sue Gerron The song was originally entitled “Cindy Lou“, after Holly’s niece, the daughter of his sister Pat Holley Kaiter. The title was later changed to “Peggy Sue” in reference to Peggy Sue Gerron (1940–2018).

Allison had 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, Norman Petty. 

[Verse 1]
If you knew Peggy Sue
Then you’d know why I feel blue
Without Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh well I love you gal, yes, I love you Peggy Sue

[Verse 2]
Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue
Oh how my heart yearns for you
Oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh well I love you gal, yes, I love you Peggy Sue

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Peggy Sue Got Married was posthumously released in July 1959 as a 45-rpm single with Crying, Waiting, Hoping. It refers to Buddy’s 1957 hit song Peggy Sue and was one of the first sequels of the rock era. Buddy Holly recorded the vocal, accompanying himself on guitar, on December 8, 1958, in apartment 4H of “The Brevoort” on New York City’s Fifth Avenue. Record producer Jack Hansen prepared Holly’s solo recording for commercial release. Buddy Holly’s original, undubbed home recording was used as theme music in the film Peggy Sue Got Married.

[Verse]
Please don’t tell, no-no-no
Don’t say that I told you so
I just heard a rumour from a friend
I don’t say that it’s true
I’ll just leave that up to you
If you don’t believe I’ll understand

[Chorus][x2]
You recall a girl that’s been in nearly every song
This is what I heard, of course the story could be wrong
She’s the one, I’ve been told
Now, she’s wearing a band of gold
Peggy Sue got married not long ago

References:
1. Peggy Sue – Wikipedia
2. Peggy Sue Gerron, Who Inspired Buddy Holly Classic, Dead at 78 – Rolling Stone
3. Peggy Sue Got Married (song) – Wikipedia