Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue/
Oh how my heart yearns for you.

Many songs from the 1950s have not aged well, but Buddy Holly still sounds great 70! years later. “Peggy Sue” is a simple love song, with a very common theme for the time–a guy professing his love for a girl (See Donna by Ritchie Valens). What makes this song great is that this is the beginning of rock, electric guitars, and three-piece bands feature the guitar, bass and drums. That wasn’t done before. The melody for this song holds up well. It is very catchy. Very upbeat.

A couple interesting instrumental notes about the song: notice how the lead guitar comes in prominently compared to the muted tone of the guitar during the verse. This is new stuff. Also, pay attention to the drums. Notice the ‘tom’ (non-snare) sound. That gives this song a lot of its signature style. And of course, Holly is famous for his, I guess you’d call it hicuppy singing style, which is featured prominently in this song. Has anyone else ever pulled this off?

Peggie Sue Lyrics

If you knew Peggy Sue
Then you’d know why I feel blue without Peggy
My Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal, yes, I love you Peggy Sue

Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue
Oh how my heart yearns for you
Oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal, yes, I love you Peggy Sue

Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty Peggy Sue
Oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal and I need you Peggy Sue

I love you Peggy Sue
With a love so rare and true
Oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Well I love you gal, I want you Peggy Sue

Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty Peggy Sue
Oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal yes I need you Peggy Sue

I love you Peggy Sue
With a love so rare and true
Oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh well I love you gal, and I want you Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you gal and I want you Peggy Sue

Songwriters: Buddy Holly / Jerry Allison / Norman Petty

I’ve been spending the last eight months/
Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end/
But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again.

“Begin Again” is a story of a woman on a first date. The narrator’s inner-dialogue is great, as she navigates potential dating minefields like bringing up the exes name too much and her inner insecurities. She still carries baggage from breaking up with her ex-boyfriend.

Overall, the song is hopeful about the future without being overbearing. We feel that the narrator will recover from her heartbreak. Maybe with this guy, maybe not. She’s telling you where she is on her journey and she’s out of the valley and things are looking better. This song shows that Swift can write with the best of them. The theme, lyrics and melody are great.

The arraignment of Swift’s “Begin Again” feels slightly off. It sounds too country. Caitlyn Hart & Madilyn Bailey deliver a cover that sounds contemporary and something like you would hear in a coffeehouse-which is the subject of the song.

I would love to hear Swift perform an arrangement like this. Dylan said that after he heard Hendrix play All Along the Watchtower, he copied Hendrix’s version. No shame in that.

Begin Again Lyrics

Took a deep breath in the mirror,
He didn’t like it when I wore high heels, but I do.
Turned the lock and put my headphones on,
He always said he didn’t get this song but I do, I do.

Walked in expecting you’d be late,
But you got here early and you stand and wait,
I walk to you.
You pull my chair out and help me in,
And you don’t know how nice that is, but I do.

And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid,
I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ’cause he never did.
I’ve been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does
Is break, and burn, and end.
But on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again.

You said you never met one girl who
Had as many James Taylor records as you, but I do.
We tell stories and you don’t know why
I’m coming off a little shy, but I do.

But you throw your head back laughing like a little kid,
I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ’cause he never did.
I’ve been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does
Is break, and burn, and end.
But on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again.

And we walk down the block to my car,
And I almost brought him up.
But you start to talk about the movies,
That your family watches
Every single Christmas and I won’t
Talk about that.
And for the first time,
What’s past is past.

‘Cause you throw your head back laughing like a little kid,
I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ’cause he never did.
I’ve been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does
Is break, and burn, and end.
Then on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again.
Then on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again.

Songwriters: Taylor Swift

Spirit move me, every time I’m near you/
Whirling like a cyclone in my mind.

Barry Manilow gets a bad wrap. I feel that people who say bad things about Manilow must not have heard this gem. The complexity of the songwriting in “Could it Be Magic”. You don’t hear many others producing songs with this type of depth- the transitions in and out of different keys, and still have it sound wonderful and coherent.  His voice sounds strong here and he delivers the words with some feeling. “Could it be Magic” is very under-rated.

There are a couple performances on the recording of “Could it be Magic” that I want to point out. The background singers are really good. They add another layer of sound-it almost sounds like another instrument.

Midway through the song when the drums come in it feels like a completely new song. It goes from ballad to rock song. The last thing I want to point out is that this could have been separated into three different songs. There are three different melodies in this song that are great. It really is a cacophony of sound.

Could It Be Magic Lyrics & Meaning

Spirit move me, every time I’m near you,
Whirling like a cyclone in my mind.
Sweet Melissa, angel of my lifetime,
Answer to all answers I can find.

Baby I want you come, come, come into my arms;
Let me feel the wonder of all of you.
Baby I want you now, now, now and hold on fast,
Could this be the magic at last?

Baby take me high upon a hillside,
High up where the stallion meets the sun.
I could love you, build my world around you,
Never leave you ’til my life is done.

Baby I love you come, come, come into my arms,
Let me know the wonder of all of you.
Baby I want you now, now, now and hold on fast,
Could this be the magic at last?

Could it be magic, come, come on, come come on,
Come into my arms, let me know the wonder of all of you.

Baby I want you now, now, now and hold on fast,
Could this be the magic at last?
Could it be magic?

Come, come, come into my arms,
Let me know the wonder of all of you, all of you,
Baby I want you now, now, now and hold on fast,
Could be the magic that lasts?

Could it be magic?

Baby I love you!

Songwriters: Adrienne Anderson / Barry Manilow