In the pantheon of rock and roll history, few songs carry the emotional weight and lasting resonance of Buddy Holly’s “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.” Released just months before his tragic death in the infamous “Day the Music Died” plane crash, the track stands as a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of life and the bittersweet realization that some things are simply out of our control.
The song’s origins can be traced back to 1958, when Holly collaborated with pioneering songwriter Paul Anka to craft this melancholic masterpiece. Anka’s lyrics, which poetically grapple with the acceptance of lost love and the idea that “it doesn’t matter anymore,” perfectly complemented Holly’s introspective vocal delivery and the tender, stripped-back instrumentation.
What makes “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” so enduring, however, is the way in which it transcends the specific narrative of a failed relationship and instead taps into the universal human experience of confronting the fragility of life. In the wake of Holly’s untimely passing at just 22 years old, the song took on an even more profound and tragic resonance, as listeners were forced to confront the sobering realization that the artist’s own time had, indeed, run out.
The track’s opening lines, “There you go and baby, here am I / Well you left me here so I could sit and cry,” immediately
