Buddy Holly Archives

“When it comes to (Buddy) Holly’s ‘Not Fade Away,’ the easiest thing to do is get it started,” said Joe Ely, who plays the song at most of his full-band concerts.

“The hardest thing to do is find a place to stop. It’s infectious. It’s like a freight train you can’t stop.

“It’s like a heartbeat, where you want it to never stop.”

The song is credited to Buddy Holly and producer Norman Petty. It was first recorded by the Crickets, Holly’s band, at Petty’s studio in Clovis, N.M., in May 1957 – and of all the songs recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, only “Peggy Sue” has been recorded (covered) more by other bands or artists.

“Peggy Sue” has been recorded by 83 other recording artists, and “Not Fade Away” by 82 different bands, according to http://home.online.no/~smpeders/ind-bud2.htm.

Peggy Sue Gerron, of Lubbock, was the song’s namesake more than 50 years ago. She said, “I can still remember that Christmas when I was in Lubbock, and Buddy and Jerry were in New York, and they called to tell me that one million copies of ‘Peggy Sue’ had been sold. I was 17. I just thought, ‘Oh my, that’s a lot of records. How does anyone sell a million records?”

“And now, who knows how many more millions of copies of ‘Peggy Sue’ have been sold? I can’t even imagine how many millions.”

Gerron said, “It just goes to show that ‘Peggy Sue’ is one of the most important rock songs of all time. And I’m still humbled to have played a part in all of this.”

“Not Fade Away” originally was the B-side of a single; the A-side was the hit “Oh Boy!”

Ely began playing the song in 1963. He said, “I remember figuring it out with my very first band, which was kind of a living room band.”

The Rolling Stones’ 1964 cover of “Not Fade Away” became the band’s first hit in the United States. After the song fared well in England, the band made it the A-side of its first single in America.

The Stones’ version was recorded for Decca in late January 1964. The single’s B-side in the United States was “I Wanna Be Your Man.”

“Not Fade Away” is known for featuring a series of beats popularized by Bo Diddley (real name Ellas Bates) on his first single, which he titled “Bo Diddley” and recorded in March 1955.

When the Crickets recorded “Not Fade Away” in 1957, drummer Jerry (J.I.) Allison played the percussion beat on a cardboard box.

Ely said, “Around 1977, I did a whole tour with Bo Diddley and Carl Perkins. Every single song that Bo Diddley plays has that ‘Not Fade Away’ beat; all he does is change the chorus and the key for each song.

“It amazes me how Bo Diddley could take that one beat and make a whole life out of it.”

When Rolling Stone magazine listed history’s 500 greatest songs in 2004, “Not Fade Away” was ranked at No. 107.

(There are four more songs on that list: “That’ll Be The Day,” 39; “Rave On,” 154; “Peggy Sue,” 194 and “Everyday,” 236.)

“‘Not Fade Away’ sounds kind of like the rumble of life,” Ely said. “It’s a rhythm that just doesn’t stop. I’m really not sure where that rhythm first came from, but Buddy sure made it his own.

“Even before Bo Diddley, you could hear that basic, intense, nonstop rhythm in songs from back in the early jazz days. But Buddy coupled that rhythm with a great song, in fact the simplest sort that said, ‘A love for real, not fade away.’

“It’s simple, but it’s also universal.”

Buddy’s songs, how often covered

• Peggy Sue – 83

• Not Fade Away – 82

• Rave On – 69

• That’ll Be The Day – 66

• Oh Boy – 59

• True Love Ways – 58

• It Doesn’t Matter Anymore – 55

• Everyday – 45

• That’s My Desire – 45

• Maybe Baby – 38

• Well … All Right – 37

• Heartbeat – 33

• Raining In My Heart – 31

• Love’s Made a Fool Of You – 29

• Peggy Sue Got Married – 25

• Think It Over – 22

• It’s So Easy – 20

• Learning The Game – 19

• Crying, Waiting, Hoping – 17

• Rock Around With Ollie Vee – 16

• Words Of Love – 16

• Tell Me How – 15

• Blue Days, Black Nights – 14

• I’m Gonna Love You Too – 14

• Midnight Shift – 12

• Wishing – 11

• Take Your Time – 10

• Fool’s Paradise – 9

• It’s Too Late – 7

• Listen To Me – 7

• Look At Me – 6

• Looking For Someone To Love – 6

• I’m Changing All Those Channels – 5

• Mailman Bring Me No More Blues – 5

• Ting-A-Ling – 5

• You’ve Got Love – 5

• Dearest – 4

• Reminiscing – 4

• What To Do – 4

• Down The Line – 3

• Rock Me My Baby – 3

• Flower of my Heart – 2

• Lonesome Tears – 2

• Moondreams – 2

• You’re The One – 2

• Holly Hop – 1

• Last Night – 1

• That Makes It Tough – 1

• That’s What They Say – 1

Source: home.online.no/~smpeders/

‘Not Fade Away’ by Buddy Holly

by Buddy Holly

I’m gonna tell you how it’s gonna be

You’re gonna give your love to me

I wanna love you night

and day

You know my love 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 me back

Your love for me has got

to be real

For you to know just how I feel

A love for real not fade away
I’m gonna tell you how its gonna be

You’re gonna give your love to me

A love to last more than

one day

A love that’s love not

fade away

A love that’s love not

fade away

Source: www.lyricsbox.com