Words_of_Love

Words of Love

Words of Love

1957 single by Buddy Holly


"Words of Love" is a song written by Buddy Holly and released as a single in 1957.

Quick Facts Single by Buddy Holly, B-side ...

Original version

Holly recorded the song on April 8, 1957. Holly harmonized with himself, by combining tape recordings of each part. The song was not a notable hit for Holly, although it is regarded as one of his important recordings and is available in most standard Holly collections.[4]

A compilation album, Words of Love, released by PolyGram in the UK in 1993, reached number 1 and was certified as a gold record.[5]

The Diamonds version

"Words of Love", released by the Diamonds as a 45-rpm single (Mercury 71128X45) in 1957, with a label crediting "Buddy Holley" as the songwriter

A doo-wop version by the Diamonds, released by Mercury Records on May 20, 1957, reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1957, making the song Holly's first hit, though as a composer not performer. The Diamonds also performed the song live on the ABC television show Circus Time on June 27, 1957, and included it on the 1962 Mercury LP album Pop Hits (MGW 12178).

The Beatles' version

Quick Facts Song by the Beatles, from the album Beatles for Sale ...

The Beatles recorded a cover version of the song on October 18, 1964 for the UK album Beatles for Sale. It first appeared in the U.S. on the album Beatles VI. It was also on a 7-inch extended play, Beatles for Sale No. 2, released by Parlophone/EMI in 1965. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who were fans of Holly, sang in harmony with George Harrison,[6] holding to the vocal and instrumental sound of Holly's original as well as they could. Before their big break, the group had performed the song live between 1958 and 1962, with Lennon and Harrison singing. For the official release, though, Lennon and McCartney shared vocal duties.[7] The song only took two takes, along with a vocal overdub.

Personnel

Personnel according to Ian MacDonald[8]

Other recordings and Solo Recordings by the Former Beatles

A 1963 Beatles performance of "Words of Love" recorded for BBC broadcast is included on the 2013 compilation album On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2. The recording was also included on a five-song promotional EP from the album, and on a DVD or Blu-ray included with the 2015 album 1+, The Beatles also jammed a version of the song during the Get Back/Let it Be session in 1969

Paul McCartney performed the song in 1985 on acoustic guitar for the documentary The Real Buddy Holly Story.[9]

Pete Best, a former drummer for The Beatles during August 1960 to August 1962 recorded a version of the song with his group The Pete Best Band in 1999.

Other cover versions


References

  1. Sergio Ariza. "A Legacy That Won't Fade Away". Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  2. Don McLean. "Buddy Holly, Rock Music Genius". CNN. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  3. Segretto, Mike (2022). "Rock and Roll: The First Eight Years". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 13–14. ISBN 9781493064601.
  4. "Song artist 253 - Buddy Holly". Tsort.info. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. "Album artist 488 - Buddy Holly". Tsort.info. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. "Words Of Love". The Beatles Bible. 16 March 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  7. MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (2nd rev. ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). pp. 140–141. ISBN 1-84413-828-3.
  8. Words of love (acoustic), retrieved 2023-09-08
  9. "Various - Sweetheart '09 (Our Favorite Artists Sing Their Favorite Love Songs)". Discogs.com. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  10. "Various - Everyday is a Holly-Day". Discogs.com. 1989. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  11. "Jimmy Gilmer - Buddy's Buddy (Buddy Holly Songs by Jimmy Gilmer)". Discogs.com. 1965. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  12. "Cover versions of Words of Love by Buddy Holly". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  13. "Various - Listen to Me: Buddy Holly". Discogs.com. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2017.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Words_of_Love, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.