Crying, Waiting, Hoping” is a song written by Buddy Holly, first released in 1959 as the B-side to “Peggy Sue Got Married”. Three versions of Holly’s recording have been released: the original 1959 commercial release, a 1964 reissue with different orchestration, and Holly’s original private home recording.

The song was first recorded on December 14, 1958, when Holly recorded himself playing guitar and singing alone in apartment 4H (some sources say 3B) at “The Brevoort” on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. After Holly’s death on February 3, 1959, his final home recordings of six new compositions were handed over to record producer Jack Hansen. Hansen hired studio musicians and the Ray Charles Singers to add instrumental and vocal backing to Holly’s voice and guitar, aiming to recreate the signature Buddy Holly and the Crickets sound as closely as possible.

“Crying, Waiting, Hoping” became the most successful of the six overdubs, so much so that it was initially intended to be released as the A-side of a single. Holly had recorded the song with pauses between the words (“Cryin’… waitin’… hopin’…”), and Hansen cleverly turned these into call-and-response phrases, with backup singers echoing each word. For a German reissue, the producer added even more echo by playing the Hansen recording in an echo chamber.

Hansen’s studio version of “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” was recorded on June 30, 1959, at Coral Records’ Studio A, along with “Peggy Sue Got Married”. Both songs were released as Holly’s first posthumous single. (Holly’s remaining four tracks were later re-recorded by Hansen and his team in 1960, and all six songs were eventually released on The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2

In 1964, Holly’s manager, Norman Petty, recorded his own versions of the six final Holly songs using his studio and backup group, The Fireballs. Petty’s versions differ from Hansen’s in that they omit background vocals and feature new surf-guitar arrangements for a different sound.

Lyrics

I, I just can’t seem to get you off of my mind
Crying (crying), waiting (waiting), hoping (hoping), you’ll come back
I just can’t seem to get you off my mind
Crying (crying), waiting (waiting), hoping (hoping), you’ll come back
You’re the one I love, and I think about you all the time
Crying (crying all night long), my tears keep a-falling all night long
Waiting (waiting all night long) it feels so useless, I know it’s wrong
To keep a-crying (crying), waiting (waiting), hoping (hoping), you’ll come back
Maybe someday soon, things will change and you’ll be mine
(Ahh, maybe someday soon, things will change and you’ll be mine)
Crying (crying all night long), my tears keep a-falling all night long
Waiting (waiting all night long) it feels so useless, I know it’s wrong
To keep a-crying (crying), waiting (waiting), hoping (hoping), you’ll come back
Maybe someday soon, things will change and you’ll be mine
Crying, waiting, hoping

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