True Love Ways

"True Love Ways"
Song
B-side	"That Makes It Tough"

"True Love Ways" is a song co-written by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and recorded with the Ray Ellis orchestra in October 1958, four months before the singer's death. It was first released on the posthumous "The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2" (Coral 57326/757326, March 1960). The song became a 1960 hit in Britain.

In some versions of the song, audio shows Holly preparing to sing and record, it starts with "Yeah, we're rolling," said by Norman Petty's wife, who also played on Buddy Holly's song 'Everyday'. A piano player and a tenor saxophone player start to play some notes, Holly mutters "Okay," and clears his throat. The producer yells "Quiet, boys!" to everyone else in the room, and at the very end of the talkback, the Producer says "Pitch, Ernie" to signal the piano player to give Holly his starting note, a B-flat.

Buddy Holly wrote "True Love Ways" for his wife, Maria Elena Holly as a wedding gift. On April 29, 2011, Maria Elena Holly unveiled the never before seen "True Love Ways" photo of their wedding kiss, now displayed at P.J. Clarke’s' above Table 53, the very table where they became engaged while on their first date, on June 20, 1958.

Single releases

• USA: "True Love Ways" b/w "That Makes It Tough" (Coral C62210 - June 29 1960)
• UK: "True Love Ways" b/w "Moondreams" (Coral Q72397 20 May 1960)

Mickey Gilley version

"True Love Ways"
Song

Mickey Gilley, country singer, released a successful cover version in 1980 (during the height of his popularity). Gilley's version reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in July 1980 .

Chart performance

Chart (1980)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	66
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1

Other versions

• Frank Ifield recorded it in the UK as the B-side of his October, 1964, hit "Summer Is Over", on Columbia DB 7355.

• Peter and Gordon's 1965 Capitol remake hit #14 (U.S.), which was also a hit for them in the UK during April, 1965 on Columbia DB 7524.

• Darren Burn recorded it in the UK in July, 1973, as the B-side of his debut single "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" on EMI 2040.

• Gary Busey made a cover version of this song in the biographic film The Buddy Holly Story (1978), and its album.

• Cliff Richard's cover version made the U.K. Chart Top 10 in April 1983.

• Ricky Nelson's version is recorded in winter 1978/1979, but unreleased (Album : Rockabilly renaissance). It is released in may 1986, after Nelson death (Album : Memphis sessions)

• Joan Jett in the film Light of Day (1987) performed the song, sparking rise for Trent Reznor in his early music career before starting the band Nine Inch Nails.

• David Essex and Catherine Zeta Jones made a duet on David's album (1994).

• Covered by The Mavericks on the 1996 tribute album, Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly).

• Texas country singer Aaron Watson recorded a version of the song on his 2006 album, San Angelo.

• A series of commercials for the product Panda Cheese, from the Egyptian company Arab Dairy, uses the song as the theme tune of its unpredictable and destructive panda mascot.

• My Morning Jacket covered the song for the tribute album Rave On Buddy Holly, released in June 2011

• Jackson Browne has recently contributed a cover version for the upcoming tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly to be released in Sept 2011.