When young Ritchie Valens came to town
the teenage girls would shriek.
They'd shriek.
"La Bamba," his song, they loved a lot
though Spanish did not speak.
And the point of the song in interpreted tongue
not one of them understood.
But the great guitar work made them dance.
It was mighty good.

From out of the west, a young man came
a guitar in his hand.
A man
the kind of a man who would get cheers
from all the teenage fans.
He had points on his glasses, how he saw
but all the kids understood.
When it came writin' rockin' songs
he was mighty good.

Everyone bought their 45s
and danced to them at the hall.
The Bopper and Holly and Valens
J.P., Holly and Valens
they played their songs and thrilled us all.

Some disc jockeys saw the fun 'twas had
from records they had spun.
Such fun.
One of them was a chubby guy
named J.P. Richardson.
Well, he wrote up a silly kind of a song
that's called "Chantilly Lace."
When it came the time for a rockin' tour
for him, found a place.

The tour that they took through Midwest towns
was very dark and cold.
It's told
that Buddy, he had enough
and hatched a plan so very bold.
And he hired a plane to fly them away
to hotel where fireplace burned.
When we read the papers, they told us
plane had not returned.

Called it "The Day the Music Died."
In cornfield, the plane did fall.
The Bopper and Holly and Valens
J.P., Holly and Valens
they were the bravest of them all.

The Bopper and Holly and Valens
J.P., Holly and Valens
they were the bravest of them all.