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Buddy Holly — Not Fade Away
Album: The Definitive Collection
Avg rating:
7.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1510









Released: 1958
Length: 2:16
Plays (last 30 days): 2
I'm a-gonna tell you how it's gonna be
You gonna give your love to me
I wanna love you night and day
You know my love will not fade away
Well, you know my love not fade away

My love is bigger than a Cadillac
I try to show it and you drive-a me back
Your love for me got to be real
For you to know-a just how I feel
A love for real not fade away

I'm a-gonna tell you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me
A love to last-a more than one day
A love is love and not fade away
A love is love and not fade away
Comments (161)add comment
Album cover must be the only known photo of Buddy without his specs!  
 rob311 wrote:
Hmmmm. Costello was 4  years old the day the music died.

Hmmm. It's almost as though I was making a joke!
 sfyi2001 wrote:





remarkable how flexible his arms were
1957.


A foundational track of the rock and roll cannon. Brought the Bo Diddley beat to the attention of a wider audience.
 On_The_Beach wrote:

Dude totally stole his look from Elvis Costello.



Hmmmm. Costello was 4  years old the day the music died.
Dude totally stole his look from Elvis Costello.
 exjunkie wrote:

Brilliant bridge into rock music along with all the black musicians who led Holly there.



influences here mainly Country.........particularly Jimmie Rodgers 
 Spiderwoman wrote:

So that's what Two Nice Girls rhymed their The Queer Song to!

Ha! It's been awhile since I've seen a TNG reference that was not mine!
Used to see them all the time. Loved how they would swap instruments between songs. I think Gretchen is still kicking around. I remember her saying she was genuinely surprised how many straight guys were in the audiences - how about because you write and perform great stuff!
c.

The Dead probably does the best cover of this.  

To close out a show. Outdoors...hot and sweaty, dark sky with stars. And then its over.   
Brilliant bridge into rock music along with all the black musicians who led Holly there.
 CowboyJJ wrote:

Wikipedia says that he was born in 1969 and died in 1959!




Back in 1973, I worked with somebody that thought it was a Grateful Dead Tune!
Wikipedia says that he was born in 1969 and died in 1959!
Buildings and bridges may crumble but American music will never fall!
Recorded in Clovis, New Mexico.  That town is in the middle of nowhere, between Lubbock and Albuquerque.  That makes me wonder how many charted hits have been recorded on the Great Plains.. there can't be many of them.
 Proclivities wrote:

That beat is essentially a "Latin clave" rhythm, which existed before the 20th Century.
Or, as Bo Diddley once described it...The heartbeat of the universe...
Tony in NJ
W.A.S.T.E.


 oufason wrote:

This rock and roll thing will never last...



That's what my father told me in '68.  Rock is dead.  I think NOT! LLRP
 argexpat wrote:
"I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be/You're gonna give your love to me"

Kinda rapey, no??
Not really, get your head outa the gutter.
"I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be/You're gonna give your love to me"

Kinda rapey, no??
 Tomasni wrote:
My rating goes down to 7  
 

i am many others read this and set our rating to 10 just to balance the force!
 xjebediahx wrote:
That lyrics haven't aged too well...
 
On the contrary, yes. Yes they have. 
That lyrics haven't aged too well...
Am I one of the few who believes BH would have faded away a few years later if he hadn't left us so early and tragically? Started a family, opened a VW dealership, and started the first avocado farm in California? I think so.
If anyone ever watches the buddy holly story, there is a very good version of this song at the end of the movie
Yikes!  I can't believe I haven't yet commented on (maybe) my favorite BH tune....cardboard box and all....it's a 10....and a few of the covers that BillG plays are good too.  LLRP!!
 LizK wrote:
Still great!  {#Bananajam}{#Dancingbanana}{#Bounce}I never get tired of watching bananas dance!!!!!!!!
 
 On_The_Beach wrote:

You had a cardboard box? Luxury!
 


Awesome. The purity of his work is timeless.  No frills, simple, and damn good!
My rating goes down to 7  
Such a classic.  Obvious 10.  That anyone might miss that shows they just don't get how rock and roll came to be.
So that's what Two Nice Girls rhymed their The Queer Song to!
 joelbb wrote:
The original is unmistakable, as in "Hey, that's the real Buddy Holly!"  Even his arrangements are still alive.  A 10 'cuz Holly himself is still Godlike (and still heavily covered).

 Possibly THE most covered artist in popular music.  A "10" mos' def'.


 jbuhl wrote:
according to the Wiki the percussion is done on a cardboard box
 
You had a cardboard box? Luxury!

according to the Wiki the percussion is done on a cardboard box
ROCK GOD
 a Macca double thumbs-up fella

joelbb wrote:
The original is unmistakable, as in "Hey, that's the real Buddy Holly!"  Even his arrangements are still alive.  A 10 'cuz Holly himself is still Godlike (and still heavily covered).

 


 Proclivities wrote:

That beat is essentially a "Latin clave" rhythm, which existed before the 20th Century.

 
It is also a beat well known to residents of the Crescent City, especially come Carnival Time
 ChrisVIII wrote:

sadly such a poor transition from

- the dandy warhols - Godless

- Jeff Beck - Rollin' and Tumblin'

and now this song ? Sorry, I can't like this song today after having listened to the two most excellent previous ones...

I'll wait for the next time I hear it to rate it fairly, right now, PSD is calling !  ;)

 



 
Agreed, most of Bill's transitions are fantastic, but this one hit hard enough I had to check I hadn't accidentally clicked PSD.

sadly such a poor transition from

- the dandy warhols - Godless

- Jeff Beck - Rollin' and Tumblin'

and now this song ? Sorry, I can't like this song today after having listened to the two most excellent previous ones...

I'll wait for the next time I hear it to rate it fairly, right now, PSD is calling !  ;)

 


the only thing missing in the background is john paul and george going 'woo-hoo-hoo'

{#Bananajam} 
The original is unmistakable, as in "Hey, that's the real Buddy Holly!"  Even his arrangements are still alive.  A 10 'cuz Holly himself is still Godlike (and still heavily covered).
can one of those tech guys who work for the fbi missing persons unit age buddy so we would know what he may have looked like after years of recording and touring...or not?
the original beatle..................{#Bananajam}
 Tana wrote:
So great. Isn't this the classic and much-copied Bo Diddley riff/beat, whatever you call it? If so, then Bo Diddley must have come first, right?

 
That beat is essentially a "Latin clave" rhythm, which existed before the 20th Century.
Oh the original . . . good deal!

amazing to this day...  love it...
 
or the bo deans kool
Buddy's Song by Fleetwood Mac would go good w this bill
Still great!  {#Bananajam}{#Dancingbanana}{#Bounce}
Last weekend we went to a celebration and award presentation for the remaining members of the Crickets.  J.I., Joe B and Sonny were in Very Fine Form .. we rocked away for a couple of hours with all kinds of surprise guests jumping up to the stage to join in.  It was a catered affair hosted by their management and by supporters of the fan club.  What a great evening. 
 yodasan_magoo wrote:

I believe it was out of Clear Lake IA if I remember correctly.

 
Right, that's where the crash ultimately was. They were playing there, but took off in nearby Mason City and didn't make it far. The bassist had chosen not to go on the plane. Some guy named Waylon Jennings. The crash also took Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. The day the music died...{#Cry}
An amazing recording from Norman Petty. Even when compressed for "radio" and played over a 128kbps stream, you can hear the sound of the room, the perfect balance of the instruments... hard to believe that was done in 1957.

Great song too, of course! 
no one ever sings "bop bop bop bop" anymore.
amazing how current this still seems.

 That_SOB wrote:
A fatefull plane ride out of Fargo in a storm and the rest is history.
I hope Buddy knew he was loved and a hero to so many of us .
Rave on to you Buddy !

 
I believe it was out of Clear Lake IA if I remember correctly.

So great. Isn't this the classic and much-copied Bo Diddley riff/beat, whatever you call it? If so, then Bo Diddley must have come first, right?
Buddy, you still Rock!
 iTuner wrote:


Have to agree.

Sometimes people have to admit that the cover can be better than the original.

This song wouldn't exist without BH, but it sure doesn't have the timeless quality the Dead's version has.

 

I 3rd that..  

Almost anytime I went to a dead show, Not fade away, would be the oncore song...
I know Bill doesn't roll like this, but since I am reading LIFE, I would love to hear the Stones version following this.
A fatefull plane ride out of Fargo in a storm and the rest is history.
I hope Buddy knew he was loved and a hero to so many of us .
Rave on to you Buddy !

Where else but RP would you hear a mix of Morphine, Jeff Beck, and Buddy Holly? Great rockin' selections
 jlind wrote:
This sounds like a great song, but the production quality of this is very poor.... gets a 7
 

(cough) and imagine if Buddy had all the equipment given to performers nowadays in the studio.  Oh wait, that's right...I would guess you are under 30, and that you think 45's are a gun, that vinyl is something you cover your auto seats with, and that Mick Jagger wrote this song.  sigh.  So you think production makes the song?  Maybe...but not for Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry or Little Richard or .... If I could rate this a 10 squared, I would.  {#Bananajam}{#Drummer}{#Bananasplit}{#Clap}

 jlind wrote:
This sounds like a great song, but the production quality of this is very poor.... gets a 7
 
I suppose that is not a surprising comment coming from someone who was apparently born in 1984.  Holly's recordings were state-of-the-art in the 1950's.


Ah, Buddy.  You were taken from us too, too soon.  {#Notworthy}
Put a {#Smile} on my face,been some time hope it won't fade away.

 denmom wrote:


I must respectfully disagree.  I love the Dead in general, and their version of this as well, but for me Buddy's original has a kind of crystalline simplicity that nothing can supercede.
 
Let's not forget the Stones' cover of this song.  It was on one of their very early albums.

Sweet.  In yea olde fashioned sense.{#Smile}
Reminds me of before I was a kid.

Graham Nash on Buddy Holly - Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz-oiSZAZuA

"British musician Graham Nash, co-founder of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, talks on Feb. 1, 2009, about his idol Buddy Holly and his participation in the "50 Winters Later" Concert"

 kaybee wrote:
Damn!  I missed this and the segue into BoDeans! {#Frustrated}
 
Don't bang your head.  Here it is again!

Man, I love hearing Buddy Holly music! period
buddy holly
Damn!  I missed this and the segue into BoDeans! {#Frustrated}
I would love to hear  the "Trout Fishing In America" version of this song. One of the grooviest remakes I've ever heard.
I've no doubt that had I been a teenager in the 50s, this song would have blown my world wide open.  

All the head-spinning creative chaos of the 60s and 70s, its all right there, in the leading edge of Holly's guitar notes and vocals.

History in a song. 
 iTuner wrote:


Have to agree.

Sometimes people have to admit that the cover can be better than the original.

This song wouldn't exist without BH, but it sure doesn't have the timeless quality the Dead's version has.


 

I must respectfully disagree.  I love the Dead in general, and their version of this as well, but for me Buddy's original has a kind of crystalline simplicity that nothing can supercede.
Classic! Buddy Holly will 'Not Fade Away'!
its the Buddy Holly Richy Valenz Bopper weekend her in Clear Lake.....this is where Rock n Roll was born....and Holly was the one who did it.....
trekhead wrote:
Are The Crickets actually singing, 'Mmm-Bop...'
WHOA! Somebody call Hanson's lawyers!
Hannio wrote:
...deserves to be chained to a rock listening to Celine Dion for all eternity.
... or Michael Bolton.
yuck
Mugro wrote:
Go ahead and flame me, but this song isn't Buddy's anymore. It is owned, lock stock & barrel by the Grateful Dead.
Have to agree. Sometimes people have to admit that the cover can be better than the original. This song wouldn't exist without BH, but it sure doesn't have the timeless quality the Dead's version has.
Truly classic.
When I was about 9, my parents had the occasional spontaneous party, putting on Buddy Holly records, & they & their friends would do 50's dancing in the lounge room. We had wooden floorboards, & no kidding, they jumped. As a little girl, it was just fantastic to watch. I love hearing Buddy Holly songs.
I definitely wouldn't miss this one if it didn't come on again for a while. But hey, that's why I listen to RP, they play all sorts of stuff I'd never listen to otherwise, and most of it is a hit. This one is a miss for me though.
meloman wrote:
No flames. For a person of my generation, this is the real thing. The rest are covers, some better, some worse.
Yup.
BKardon wrote:
Anyone who rates this a 1 deserves....I don't even know what.
...deserves to be chained to a rock listening to Celine Dion for all eternity.
TJOpootertoot wrote:
I don't listen to the Dead and had no idea they even covered the song (I have heard the pretty solid Stones version). There aren't too many covers that best the originals in the public consciousness (All Along the Watchtower and A Little Help From My Friends come to mind). But at the risk of dissing the Dead I think far more people think of Buddy Holly than the Dead when they hear this. The Dead are HUGE amongst people who listen the Dead but pretty much invisible to most people, I think....
Wow. Off topic for this song topic, but do you really think this is true? Cockerization has never helped any song.
Nice to hear the original but I love the Dead's version better
Are The Crickets actually singing, 'Mmm-Bop...'
TJOpootertoot wrote:
But at the risk of dissing the Dead I think far more people think of Buddy Holly than the Dead when they hear this. The Dead are HUGE amongst people who listen the Dead but pretty much invisible to most people, I think....
That doesn't sound like a dis to me. I think so too...the Dead are mostly invisible to people who aren't into them, because they were never a mainstream band and rarely played on mainstream radio. Anyway, they're huge to me, and I definitely think of them when I hear this song.
buckskin wrote:
I wouoldn't say LS&B but it's DEFINITELY more associated w/GD. Don't recall hearing the BH but, hey, it's Holly. It's a 9. Shit, it's a 9 no matter whom does it(so far)!!!
I don't listen to the Dead and had no idea they even covered the song (I have heard the pretty solid Stones version). There aren't too many covers that best the originals in the public consciousness (All Along the Watchtower and A Little Help From My Friends come to mind). But at the risk of dissing the Dead I think far more people think of Buddy Holly than the Dead when they hear this. The Dead are HUGE amongst people who listen the Dead but pretty much invisible to most people, I think....
Mugro wrote:
Go ahead and flame me, but this song isn't Buddy's anymore. It is owned, lock stock & barrel by the Grateful Dead.
I wouoldn't say LS&B but it's DEFINITELY more associated w/GD. Don't recall hearing the BH but, hey, it's Holly. It's a 9. Shit, it's a 9 no matter whom does it!!!
dogdokken wrote:
The things the Dead did to this song, no other band will ever be able to do (to any song). NFA from 01/22/78 blows my mind.
I'll take the stones version - The worst cover I ever heard was the Dead stumbling through Louie Louie which every high school garage band on earth has probably managed to play better than how they did playing to 20k folks at MSG in NYC
Mugro wrote:
Go ahead and flame me, but this song isn't Buddy's anymore. It is owned, lock stock & barrel by the Grateful Dead.
What a joke, and a bad one at that. The Dead's version cannot even touch the original.
Mugro wrote:
Go ahead and flame me, but this song isn't Buddy's anymore. It is owned, lock stock & barrel by the Grateful Dead.
The things the Dead did to this song, no other band will ever be able to do (to any song). NFA from 01/22/78 blows my mind.
Mugro wrote:
Go ahead and flame me, but this song isn't Buddy's anymore. It is owned, lock stock & barrel by the Grateful Dead.
agreed
Mugro wrote:
Go ahead and flame me, but this song isn't Buddy's anymore. It is owned, lock stock & barrel by the Grateful Dead.
No flames. For a person of my generation, this is the real thing. The rest are covers, some better, some worse.
algrif wrote:
Odd that in all these comments, not one mentions the Stones version that brought them in touch with fame and fortune back in the 60's
Actually, The Stones take on this was the first one I heard, as a wee lass in the 60s. Loved it then, love it now, pretty much no matter who is doing it. I think it's just one of those songs that bands like to cover, even Rush.
Odd that in all these comments, not one mentions the Stones version that brought them in touch with fame and fortune back in the 60's
Ouuuuu Buddy o' mine.
MORE BUDDY !!!
I had not heard this version of the song before. Nice!
kazuma wrote:
BTW, if I'm not mistaken, Springsteen actually performed this song in tandem with "She's the One" (I forgot which came first in the sequence) and it just about tore the house down.
Every time I heard Bruce play them together, he always did Fade Away first and then segued seamlessly into She's The One. I assume it was to highlight the strong influence that Holly's song had on his own. If I remember correctly, during the dedication concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame he did a little tribute to Bo Diddley which transitioned into She's the One. A tip of the hat to the originator of the beat that Bruce used in his song.
Go ahead and flame me, but this song isn't Buddy's anymore. It is owned, lock stock & barrel by the Grateful Dead.
Its a "goodin"
This goes to 11.
I just love Buddy Holly, and the production of this is just right if you ask me. I'm going to be teaching poetry soon to my honors class and I'm starting off with "American Pie" and the Buddy Holly connection. Kids today need to know about Buddy Holly.
jadewahoo wrote:
Have you ever seen the pictures of this poser? He's an Elvis Costello knock off. And who does he think he is, singing a Rolling Stones song?
That's funny! Hearing this song reminds me of the old Stephen King movie "Christine" because it's on the soundtrack. What a great song!
jlind wrote:
This sounds like a great song, but the production quality of this is very poor.... gets a 7
God I hope this is a joke.
kazuma wins! (see below)
jlind wrote:
This sounds like a great song, but the production quality of this is very poor.... gets a 7
This was top quality for the time. I always thought Buddy's recordings were some of the most sparse (in a good way) and cleanest of the era.
This is greatness! So simple yet so perfect.
Yeah! good song - I also like the Stones version.
Buddy Holly is the guy that Elvis Costello wishes he were. I do, too. Holly was so ahead of his time.
lester wrote:
Well, I see your point. But I see more in defense of the originator: The Bruce Springsteen and Joe Ely versions you mention were part of live shows, costly, festive occasions. Did you see Buddy Holly live, too? And Buddy Holly didn't have the benefit of hearing their versions first. Also, are there additional existing recordings of perhaps different expressions the originator had in mind? or just this one?
Unfortunately, I am much too young to have seen Holly perform live and have no idea what that would have been like in comparison to a studio version of this song that was made with very limited technical resources. My main point is that my appreciation of this track (the original, to my knowledge) went way, way up when I saw it performed live by other artists who appreciated Holly's work enough to make the experience available, albeit "second hand", to those of us who were too young to see Holly do it himself. And BTW your characterization of a Joe Ely show (at that time) as "costly" really made me laugh. I think we were all standing out in the middle of some cow pasture in the blistering Texas sun and the tickets were about 3 bucks! It was mighty festive, though! I'm not quite sure what the point of disagreement is here. I don't feel like I'm dissing Holly in any way. I certainly don't mean to. I wish I had seen him play. But then I'd be about 25 yrs older and I'm already old enough right now!
kazuma wrote:
I saw fantastic live versions of this song back in the day by both Bruce Springsteen and Joe Ely, each of which opened my eyes to the power of this song in ways that the Holly original never could have, probably soley due to the production limitations of his time.
Well, I see your point. But I see more in defense of the originator: The Bruce Springsteen and Joe Ely versions you mention were part of live shows, costly, festive occasions. Did you see Buddy Holly live, too? And Buddy Holly didn't have the benefit of hearing their versions first. Also, are there additional existing recordings of perhaps different expressions the originator had in mind? or just this one?