About The Song
“True Love Ways” is a song attributed to Norman Petty and Buddy Holly. Buddy Holly’s original was recorded with the Dick Jacobs Orchestra in October 1958, four months before the singer’s death. It was first released on the posthumous album The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2 (Coral 57326/757326), in March 1960. The song was first released as a single in Britain in May 1960, reaching number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. It was released the following month in the US, but did not make the charts. In 1988, a UK re-release of the recording by MCA, the single reached no. 65 on the UK singles chart in a five-week chart run.
“True Love Ways” was recorded at Buddy Holly’s last recording session on October 21, 1958, less than four months before his death. The session took place at Decca’s Pythian Temple studio and included two other great Holly Songs: “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” and “Raining in My Heart.” This studio session seems to indicate Holly’s transitioning from upbeat rock ‘n’ roll toward more melodious, slower tempo, orchestral arrangements. “True Love Ways” was not released until March 1960 on a posthumous album The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2.
The songs from that October 1958 session were Holly’s first to feature a full orchestra. The orchestra, consisting mainly of former members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra, was conducted by Dick Jacobs, who also did the arrangements. The instruments were eight violins, two violas, two cellos, guitar, bass, piano, harp, saxophone, and drums. The moving sax solos were played by Abraham “Boomie” Richman, a veteran of the Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman orchestras.
Buddy Holly wrote “True Love Ways” as a wedding gift to his wife, Maria Elena Santiago Holly. During a visit to the offices of music publisher Peer-South Music in the Brill Building in New York City, Buddy met Maria and asked her out. He proposed to her on their first date, June 19, 1958. Their wedding took place on August 15, about two months later.
In the extended version of the song, in the first ten seconds Holly can be heard preparing to sing. The audio starts with audio saying “Yeah, we’re rolling.” A piano player and a tenor saxophone player play some notes, and Holly mutters, “Okay,” and clears his throat. The producer yells, “Quiet, boys!” to everyone else in the room, and at the end of the talkback, the producer says, “Pitch, Ernie”, to signal the piano player to give Holly his starting note, a B-flat.
Holly biographer Bill Griggs points out that the melody borrows heavily from the gospel song “I’ll Be All Right,” a favorite of Holly’s, and one that would be played at his funeral in 1959. According to Griggs, the framework of the melody was written by Buddy, with the remainder, and lyrics, added by Petty.
Video
Lyrics
Just you know why
Why you and I
Will bye and bye
Know true love ways
Sometimes we’ll sigh
Sometimes we’ll cry
And we’ll know why
Just you and I
Know true love ways
Throughout the days
Our true love ways
Will bring us joys to share
With those who really care
Sometimes we’ll sigh
Sometimes we’ll cry
And we’ll know why
Just you and I
Know true love ways
Throughout the days
Our true love ways
Will bring us joys to share
With those who really care
Sometimes we’ll sigh
Sometimes we’ll cry
And we’ll know why
Just you and I
Know true love ways