โLove Is Strangeโ a quietly haunting echo of longing and loveโs strange mysteries
When you hear Buddy Hollyโs version of โLove Is Strangeโ, you sense at once that this is more than a simple cover it is a whisper from a past era, a soft farewell from a voice lost too soon, and a bridge between the R&B roots of the 1950s and the rock-and-roll spirit that defined a generation.
Though โLove Is Strangeโ was originally a hit song by Mickey & Sylvia in late 1956 topping the R&B singles chart and reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1957. Buddy Hollyโs take on the song was recorded later and released only after his death, on his posthumous album Giant (1969). On the charts, Hollyโs version never gained the same mainstream success it reached only the โBubbling Under Hot 100โ (around #105) and found modest reception on Canadaโs RPM chart at #76.
But numbers don’t tell the full story. The true significance of Hollyโs version lies in the atmosphere he created one of wistful tenderness, of memories lingering in the air.
๐ถ The story behind the song
Originally, โLove Is Strangeโ was built on a guitar riff by Jody Williams, later turned into the song by Bo Diddley (credited under the name of his then-wife, Ethel Smith). The earliest version was recorded by Diddley himself in May 1956 though it remained unreleased until decades later.
It fell to Mickey & Sylvia to give the song its iconic voice: recorded October 17, 1956, their rendition introduced the now-famous spoken-word exchange (โSylvia!โ / โYes, Mickey.โ / โCome here, Lover Boy!โ) a playful, intimate dialogue between two lovers, before drifting into the melodic chorus. That charming interplay, plus the upbeat guitar and sax backing, captured audiencesโ hearts and made the song a crossover hit.
Over the years, โLove Is Strangeโ has been covered many times by country acts, soul duos, and rock artists. But perhaps none of those versions carries quite the same bittersweet aftertaste as the one by Buddy Holly.
Buddy Hollyโs version a haunting echo
Buddy Holly recorded his version around 1959 shortly before his tragic plane crash on February 3 that year. Yet, like so many of his final efforts, it remained in the vault unreleased until 1969, when the album Giant compiled various overdubbed recordings.
When you listen to Hollyโs โLove Is Strangeโ, you hear a gentler tempo, a slightly more reflective tone the youthful energy of the original mellowed by time, or perhaps by destiny. The melody drifts, the voice resonates with a softness, almost like heโs singing directly to you across decades. Itโs not meant to chart or dominate the airwaves itโs meant to linger, to evoke memories.
In that sense, Hollyโs version becomes a kind of elegy: not of himself, but of a moment in music history when R&B, rockabilly, and rock-and-roll were intermingling, evolving when songs like this carried both innocence and emotional weight.
A final thought for those who remember
If you close your eyes and let the gentle strumming and soft voice of Buddy Hollyโs โLove Is Strangeโ wash over you, you might find yourself transported back maybe to a teenage dance hall in the โ50s, maybe to a memory youโve long tucked away. Thatโs the magic here: not the chart position, not the cover art, but the small ache of nostalgia, the fragile beauty of a voice that still reaches out across time.
In the tapestry of early rock and roll, this track is a quiet thread subtle, melancholic, but enduring. And for those who listen with their hearts, it reminds us that even in the loudest eras, sometimes the gentlest song lingers the longest.