Oh, Boy! (The Crickets song)

1957 song by The Crickets

"Oh, Boy!"

Single by the Crickets
from the album  The "Chirping" Crickets
B-side| "Not Fade Away"
Released| October 27, 1957
December 22, 1957 (UK)
Recorded| July 29 - August 1, 1957, Clovis, New Mexico
Genre|

* Rock and roll
* rockabilly

Length| 2:10
Label| Brunswick 9-55035
Songwriter(s)| Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, Norman Petty
Producer(s)| Norman Petty
The Crickets singles chronology
| "That'll Be the Day"
(1957)  | "Oh, Boy!"
(1957)  | "Maybe Baby"
(1958)

|
|

"Oh, Boy!" is a song written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman and Norman Petty. The song was included on the album The "Chirping" Crickets and was also released as the A-side of a single, with "Not Fade Away" as the B-side. The song peaked at number 10 on the US charts,[1] number 3 on the UK charts in early 1958,[2] and number 26 in Canada.[3] (See 1958 in music for more context.)

## Background

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The song was originally recorded as a demo by Sonny West as "All My Love (Oh Boy!)" at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico in early 1957. Petty presented West's demo to Buddy Holly with the intention of Holly recording the song. On the BBC's Classic Albums series in 2019, West said, "I had a decision to make whether to say I want to do it myself and I said 'No, I want Buddy to do it', it can't hurt anything and if it didn't work I could go back and do it myself someday." It was subsequently recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets between June 29 and July 1, 1957, at Norman Petty Studios with Holly singing lead vocals and The Picks providing backing vocals. The song is in an A-A-B-A format with a 12-bar blues verse and an 8-bar bridge. (Holly also covered another West song, "Rave On".)

### Lyrics change

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West has stated that Holly made a small change to the original lyrics of the song. He told the BBC's Classic Albums series in 2019, "I said 'All my love, all my kissing, you're gonna see what you've been missing'. And with Buddy's verse, 'All my love, all my kissing, you don't know what you've been missing'. I have no idea, maybe it has more punch that way."

## Covers

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"Oh Boy!" was covered by British glam rock group Mud. It reached number 1 for two weeks on the UK Singles Chart in May 1975.[4] It was the band's third and final UK number one. It was included on their album Mud Rock Volume 2, which reached number 6 in the UK Albums Chart.[5] Other versions include:

* Bobby Vee recorded the song in 1963.
* Jackie DeShannon released a version of the song on her album Breakin' It Up on the Beatles Tour! (1964).
* The song was "revived" in an offbeat power ballad version by Starbabies, which reached the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1979.
* Los Lobos recorded the song for the film La Bamba in 1987.

## References

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1. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 \- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
2. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1958-02-01. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
3. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - February 3, 1958".
4. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 495\. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
5. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 382\. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

## Sources

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* 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 (1975). Buddy Holly: His Life and Music. Popular Press. ISBN 0-85947-018-0
* Goldrosen, John; Beecher, John (1996). Remembering Buddy: The Definitive Biography. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80715-7.
* Gribbin, John (2009). Not Fade Away: The Life and Music of Buddy Holly. London: Icon Books. ISBN 978-1-84831-034-6

* v
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Buddy Holly

The Crickets

Singles|

* "Love Me"
* "That'll Be the Day"
* "Words of Love" (b/w "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues")
* "Peggy Sue" (b/w "Everyday")
* "Oh, Boy!"
* "Not Fade Away"
* "I'm Gonna Love You Too"
* "Maybe Baby"
* "Rave On"
* "Think It Over"
* "Early in the Morning"
* "It's So Easy"
* "Heartbeat"
* "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (b/w "Raining in My Heart")
* "Peggy Sue Got Married" (b/w "Crying, Waiting, Hoping")
* "True Love Ways"
* "Valley of Tears"
* "Bo Diddley"
* "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"
* "Love Is Strange"

Studio albums|

* The "Chirping" Crickets
* Buddy Holly
* That'll Be The Day

Compilation albums|

* The Buddy Holly Story
* The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2
* Reminiscing
* Showcase
* Holly in the Hills
* Giant
* 20 Golden Greats
* For the First Time Anywhere
* Words of Love
* Greatest Hits
* Down the Line: Rarities
* Memorial Collection

Tribute albums|

* Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly)
* Rave On Buddy Holly
* Listen to Me: Buddy Holly

Related articles|

* Buddy Holly discography
* List of songs
* Waylon Jennings
* Bob "Bobby" Montgomery
* María Elena Holly (wife)
* Norman Petty
* The Picks
* Surf Ballroom (site of final performance)
* The Day the Music Died (1959 plane crash)
* The Buddy Holly Story
* Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story
* "Buddy Holly" (song)
* Buddy Holly Center

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The Crickets

* Buddy Holly
* Jerry Allison
* Joe B. Mauldin
* Niki Sullivan
* Earl Sinks
* Glen Hardin
* Jerry Naylor
* Sonny Curtis

Studio albums|

* The "Chirping" Crickets
* Buddy Holly
* In Style with the Crickets
* Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets
* Something Old, Something New, Something Blue, Somethin' Else
* California Sun / She Loves You
* Rockin' 50's Rock'n'Roll

Compilation albums|

* 20 Golden Greats
* Words of Love
* A Collection

EPs|

* Just for Fun (1963)

Singles|

* "That'll Be the Day"
* "Oh, Boy!" (b/w "Not Fade Away")
* "Maybe Baby"
* "Think It Over"
* "It's So Easy"
* "Love's Made a Fool of You" (b/w "Someone, Someone")
* "When You Ask About Love"
* "More Than I Can Say" (b/w "Baby My Heart")
* "I Fought the Law"
* "Don't Ever Change (b/w "I'm Not A Bad Guy")
* "Punish Her" (Bobby Vee, solo, A-side) (b/w "Someday (When I'm Gone From You)" by Bobby Vee & the Crickets)
* "My Little Girl" (b/w "Teardrops Fall Like Rain")
* "Lonely Avenue" (b/w "You Can't Be In-Between" USA, "Playboy" UK)
* "From Me to You" (b/w "Please Please Me")
* "(They Call Her) La Bamba" (b/w "All Over You")
* "True Love Ways" (b/w "Rockin' 50's Rock And Roll")

Crickets solo records|

* The 1st of Sonny Curtis (1968)

Related articles|

* Discography
* Buddy Holly discography
* Norman Petty
* Brunswick Records
* Coral Records
* Philips Records
* The Picks
* David Box
* Tommy Allsup
* Joe Osborn
* Bob Montgomery (songwriter)
* The Buddy Holly Story (1978 film)
* Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (1989 musical)

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