Paul McCartney says Buddy Holly was different to the rest of the rock and roll scene because he ‘wore glasses’

Buddy Holly made all the difference to Paul McCartney because he “wore glasses”.

The rock and roll world was hit with a surprising change when Holly appeared on the scene, with glasses on no less. McCartney would suggest this was a big deal at the time, as no other rockers were wearing spectacles. Speaking during an episode of The Beatles‘ Anthology documentary series, McCartney would praise both Holly and Elvis Presley. The Everyday hitmaker was praised as a “hero” of rock and roll by the Let it Be hitmaker, who heaped on praise for Holly and The King. He said: “Suddenly here was a rock and roll hero who had glasses.” It would prove to be a difference maker at the time, with John Lennon also sharing his love of Holly’s work.

Lennon would tell journalist David Sheff he could remember Holly’s work better than his own with The Beatles. He said: “I remember the old rock songs better than I remember my own songs. If I sat down in a room and just started playing, if I had a guitar now and we were just hanging out singing, I would sing all the early and mid-’50s stuff — Buddy Holly and all. I remember those.”

McCartney and Lennon were also heavily influenced by Presley, citing the Heartbreak Hotel hitmaker as a massive inspiration in their early years. McCartney says he, the rest of The Beatles, and Presley had “a bit of a do” when they met for the first time, with the Let It Be songwriter suggesting there was an atmosphere of old friends present at the meet. It seems to have lived up to expectations too, as McCartney suggested his meeting with the music legend was exactly what he had hoped for.

He said: “I think he was exactly like I imagined, yeah. I didn’t quite know what to expect when we went there, you know. I mean, I thought that he’d be the same, but I didn’t know how the atmosphere or anything would be in the place.

“But it was good, ‘cuz it was all old mates around. Old mates of his, you know, and we brought quite a few of ours. And so we just had a bit of a ‘do.” It’s a feeling that Lennon backed up too, suggesting Presley was “just how I expected him.”

Lennon said: “He just seemed normal to us, you know. And we were asking him about just making movies and not doing any personal appearances or TV. And he seems to enjoy it, you know. I think he enjoys making movies so much.

“We couldn’t stand not doing personal appearances. We’d get bored. We get bored quickly. He says he misses it a bit, you know. He’s just… he was great. He was just how I expected him.” The pair would also praise Presley for his influence on their careers.

In the Anthology documentary series, McCartney says Presley was one of the first musical artists he ever took note of. McCartney would say Presley was “what we had been waiting for.” The songwriter would also dub The King a “guru” of music, whose influence was clear.