Buddy Holly only recorded for a few years before his untimely death in 1959. But in that time, he left behind a treasure trove of pristine pop songs and rockabilly-tinged ramblers for other artists to explore with cover versions. These four massive acts did justice and then some to the Holly originals that they tackled. Then again, they were working with staggeringly great source material.
The Beatles carried a lot of different influences into their recording career. Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley certainly stood tall, as well as Motown music and even more genteel genres like music hall and Broadway. But Buddy Holly’s music probably created the most impact on their early sound. They paid proper tribute with “Words Of Love”. On the original, Holly used primitive recording techniques to create the self-harmonizing he does on the pretty, country-tinged number. The Fab Four didn’t need to do that, simply letting their ace singers, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, tackle those harmonies. Their version emerged as one of the standouts on their unheralded 1964 album Beatles For Sale.