"Words of Love" is a song written by

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

and released as a single in 1957.

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. A

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, ''

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

'', released by

PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

in the UK in 1993, reached number 1 and was certified as a gold record.

The Diamonds version

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

version by the

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...

, released by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

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 ''Circus Time'' was a variety program presented in the United States by television network ABC on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956 to June 27, 1957. ''Circus Time'' was not an actual circus broadcast but rather a circus-themed program, in wh ...

'' on June 27, 1957, and included it on the 1962 Mercury LP album ''Pop Hits'' (MGW 12178).

The Beatles' version

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

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 ''Beatles VI'' is the seventh Capitol Records studio album by the English rock band the Beatles in the United States and Canada (including ''The Beatles' Story''). It was the ninth album released into that market in less than one and a half ye ...

''. It was also on a 7-inch

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Beatles for Sale No. 2'', released by Parlophone/EMI in 1965.

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

, who were fans of Holly, sang in harmony with

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

, 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. The song only took two takes, along with a vocal overdub.

Personnel

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

– lead vocals,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

– harmony vocals, double-tracked

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, packing case :Personnel according to Ian MacDonald

Other recordings

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 ''On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2'' is a 2013 live/compilation album featuring 40 previously unreleased tracks from the Beatles' 1963–1964 BBC Radio broadcasts (accompanied by 23 interview tracks from the associated broadcasts). It was ...

''. 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+''.

Other cover versions

* Jessica Lea Mayfield recorded a cover version of the song for the

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

compilation ''Sweetheart: Our Favorite Artists Sing Their Favorite Love Songs''. *

recorded a version in 1985 on acoustic guitar. His version was featured in the documentary ''The Real Buddy Holly Story''. * Pat DiNizio covered the song for his tribute CD, ''Pat DiNizio/Buddy Holly'', in 2009. * The

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band Shoes covered the song for the 1989 Buddy Holly tribute album ''Everyday Is a Holly Day''. * Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs released a recording of the song in 1964 on the album ''Buddy's Buddy''. * Mike Berry recorded the song in 1999 for the tribute album ''Buddy—A Life in Music'', released on the Hallmark label. * The Pete Best Band recorded the song in 1999. * Jeremy Jay recorded the song in 2009. * Patti Smith's cover of the song is featured on the 2011 release '' Rave on Buddy Holly'', a tribute album featuring performances of Holly's music by various artists. *

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock music, rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, h ...

contributed a cover version to the tribute album '' Listen to Me: Buddy Holly'', released in 2011.

References

{{Authority control 1957 songs 1957 singles Buddy Holly songs The Beatles songs The Diamonds songs Jangle pop songs Music published by MPL Music Publishing Song recordings produced by George Martin Songs written by Buddy Holly 1950s ballads it:Words of Love