Jennings also pays tribute to his late friend and mentor Buddy Holly with a medley of the fellow-Texan's hits. Jennings had famously given up his seat on the fatal flight that claimed the life of Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, forever immortalizing himself in rock and roll trivia. Jennings, who was years getting over the tragedy, alludes to the flight on "A Long Time Ago," singing "Don't ask me who I gave my seat to on that plane, I think you already know, I told you that a long time ago" (he also name-drops fellow outlaw Willie Nelson in the song). In the liner notes to "The Essential Waylon Jennings", Wade Jessen quotes the singer: "Buddy was the first guy to ever have faith in me as a singer. He was a rhythm guitar picker, and that's basically what I am. He taught me that you can take country songs and put different rhythms to 'em...But mainly, what I learned from Buddy was an attitude. He loved music, and he taught me that it shouldn't have any barriers to it." The cover of Merle Haggard's honky tonk classic "The Bottle Let Me Down" was an ironic choice for Jennings who, despite his fondness for pills and drugs, never indulged in alcohol.