View source for Not Fade Away (song)

{{Short description|1957 single by The Crickets}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Not Fade Away
| cover      = Buddy holly crickets not fade away brunswick.jpg
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Crickets]]
| album      = [[The "Chirping" Crickets]]
| A-side     = [[Oh, Boy! (The Crickets song)|Oh, Boy!]]
| released   = {{Start date|1957|10|27}}
| recorded   = August 1957<ref name="linernotes">''Buddy Holly: Greatest Hits''. [[Liner notes]]. 1995. [[MCA Records]].</ref>
| studio     = [[Norman Petty Recording Studios]] ([[Clovis, New Mexico]])<ref name="VnukPSep2025">{{cite magazine|last=Vnuk|first=Paul|title=Norman Petty Recording Studios|magazine=Recording|date=September 2025|pages=22-31}}</ref>
| genre      =
*[[Rock and roll]]
*[[rockabilly]]
| length     = {{Duration|m=2|s=21}}
| writer     = *Charles Hardin {{a.k.a.}} [[Buddy Holly]]
*[[Norman Petty]] (credited)
| label      = [[Brunswick Records|Brunswick]]<ref name="linernotes"/>
| producer   = Norman Petty<ref name="linernotes"/><ref name=pc12/>
| chronology = The Crickets singles
| prev_title = [[That'll Be the Day]]
| prev_year  = 1957
| next_title = [[Maybe Baby (song)|Maybe Baby]]
| next_year  = 1958
}}
"'''Not Fade Away'''" is a 1957 song credited to [[Buddy Holly]] (originally under his first and middle names, Charles Hardin) and [[Norman Petty]] (although Petty's co-writing credit is likely to have been a formality<ref name="buddyhollystory">{{cite video | title=The Real Buddy Holly Story | type=DVD | year=1987 | publisher=White Star Studios }}</ref>) and first recorded by Holly and his band, [[the Crickets]].<ref name=pc12>{{Pop Chronicles |12| 4|Norman Petty}}</ref>

==Original song==
Holly and the Crickets recorded the song at the [[Norman Petty Recording Studios]] in [[Clovis, New Mexico]], on May 27, 1957, the same day the song "[[Everyday (Buddy Holly song)|Everyday]]" was recorded.<ref name="linernotes"/> The rhythmic pattern of "Not Fade Away" is a variant of the [[Bo-Diddley beat|Bo Diddley beat]], with the second stress occurring on the second rather than third beat of the first measure, which was an update of the "hambone" rhythm, or patted juba from [[West Africa]].  [[Jerry Allison]], the drummer for the Crickets, pounded out the beat on a cardboard box.<ref name="buddyhollystory"/> Allison, Holly's best friend, wrote some of the lyrics, though his name never appeared in the songwriting credits. [[Joe B. Mauldin|Joe Mauldin]] played the double bass on this recording. It is likely that the [[backing vocalist]]s were Holly, Allison, and [[Niki Sullivan]], but this is not known for certain.<ref name="linernotes"/>

"Not Fade Away" was originally released as the B-side of the hit single "[[Oh, Boy! (The Crickets song)|Oh, Boy!]]" and was included on the album ''[[The "Chirping" Crickets]]'' (1957). The Crickets' recording never charted as a single. {{RS500S|107}}

== Personnel ==
'''Buddy Holly and the Crickets'''
* [[Buddy Holly]]&nbsp;– lead vocals, lead guitar, backing vocals
* [[Jerry Allison]]&nbsp;– drums, card-box percussion
* [[Joe B. Mauldin]]&nbsp;– [[contrabass]]
* [[Niki Sullivan]]&nbsp;– rhythm guitar, backing vocals

==The Rolling Stones version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Not Fade Away
| cover      = Not fade away.jpg
| caption    = US picture sleeve
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Rolling Stones]]
| B-side     = *"[[Little by Little (Rolling Stones song)|Little by Little]]" (UK)
*"[[I Wanna Be Your Man]]" (US)
| released   = *{{Start date|1964|2|21}} (UK)
*{{Start date|1964|3|6}} (US)
| recorded   = January 10, 1964
| studio     = [[Olympic Studios|Olympic]], London
| genre      =
*[[Rock and roll]]
*[[blues rock]]
| length     = {{Duration|m=1|s=50}}
| label      = *[[Decca Records|Decca]] (UK)
*[[London Records|London]] (US)
| writer     = *Charles Hardin a.k.a. [[Buddy Holly]]
*[[Norman Petty]]
| producer   = [[Andrew Loog Oldham]]
| chronology = Rolling Stones UK singles
| prev_title = [[I Wanna Be Your Man]]
| prev_year  = 1963
| next_title = [[It's All Over Now]]
| next_year  = 1964
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = Rolling Stones US
 | type       = single
 | prev_title =
 | prev_year  =
 | title      = Not Fade Away
 | year       = 1964
 | next_title = [[Tell Me (Rolling Stones song)|Tell Me]]
 | next_year  = 1964
}}
}}
In 1964, [[the Rolling Stones]]' cover of "Not Fade Away" was a major hit in the United Kingdom. It was the [[A-side and B-side|A-side]] of the band's first US single.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tsort.info/music/r3kx6r.htm |title=Song artist 5 - The Rolling Stones |website=Tsort.info |date=2007-10-08 |access-date=2016-08-29}}</ref>

The Rolling Stones' version of "Not Fade Away" was one of their first hits. Recorded in January 1964 and released by [[Decca Records]] on February 21, 1964, with "[[Little by Little (The Rolling Stones song)|Little by Little]]" as the B-side, it was their first Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number three.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2006/07/20/brian_jones_feature.shtml |title=Gloucestershire - People - Brian Jones (1942-1969) |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=2016-08-29}}</ref> [[London Records]] released the song in the US on March 6, 1964, as the band's first single there, with "[[I Wanna Be Your Man]]" as the B-side.{{sfn|Babiuk|Prevost|2013|p=101}} The single reached number 48 on the US ''Billboard'' [[Hot 100]] singles chart.<ref name=carr>[[Roy Carr|Carr, Roy]] (1976). ''The Rolling Stones, an Illustrated Record''. London: [[New English Library]].</ref> It also reached number 44 on the ''[[Cash Box]]'' pop singles chart in the US and number 33 in Australia based on the [[Kent Music Report]].<ref name=":1" /> "Not Fade Away" was not on the UK version of their debut album, ''[[The Rolling Stones (album)|The Rolling Stones]]'', but was the opening track of the US version, released a month later as ''England's Newest Hit Makers''. It can also be found on the UK version of their 1966 compilation album ''[[Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)]]''. ''[[Cash Box]]'' described it as "a wild, freewheeling full-sounding pounder that can take off in no time flat".<ref name=cb>{{cite magazine |title=CashBox Record Reviews |date=April 4, 1964 |page=16 |access-date=2022-01-12 |url=https://worldradiohstory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1964/CB-1964-04-04.pdf |magazine=Cash Box}}{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> It was a mainstay of the band's concerts in their early years, usually opening the shows. It was revived as the opening song in the band's [[Voodoo Lounge Tour]], in 1994 and 1995.

=== Personnel ===

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon,{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2016|pp=50–51}} except where noted:

* [[Mick Jagger]]{{snd}} [[double tracking|double tracked]] lead vocal, hand claps, [[tambourine]], [[maraca]]s{{refn|group=note|In a July 1964 issue of ''Rolling Stones Monthly'', the Stones' manager and producer [[Andrew Loog Oldham]] stated that American producer [[Phil Spector]] played maracas on the track.{{sfn|Babiuk|Prevost|2013|pp=96, 652}} Wyman later disputed this account, suggesting Oldham created the story to increase the song's publicity.<ref>{{harvnb|Wyman|Havers|2002|p=99}}, quoted in {{harvnb|Babiuk|Prevost|2013|p=96}}.</ref> While Spector was present at some of the band's sessions, including on 28 January and 4 February 1964,{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2016|p=51}} they recorded "Not Fade Away" on 10 January 1964.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2016|p=51}}{{sfn|Babiuk|Prevost|2013|p=96}} Both Margotin & Guesdon and authors [[Andy Babiuk]] & Greg Prevost write Jagger contributed maracas.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2016|p=51}}{{sfn|Babiuk|Prevost|2013|p=96}}}}
* [[Keith Richards]]{{snd}} [[Twelve-string guitar|twelve-string acoustic guitar]], lead guitar
* [[Brian Jones]]{{snd}} [[harmonica]]
* [[Bill Wyman]]{{snd}} bass
* [[Charlie Watts]]{{snd}} drums

=== Charts ===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="width:20em;"|Chart (1964)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Kent, David.|title=Australian chart book (1940-1969)|date=2005|publisher=Australian Chart Book|isbn=0-646-44439-5|location=Turramurra, N.S.W.|oclc=62561852}}</ref>
|align="center"|33
|-
|Canada ([[CHUM Chart]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/64-06-29-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - June 29, 1964}}</ref>
|align="center"|22
|-
|{{single chart|Ireland2|5|artist=The Rolling Stones|song=Not Fade Away|access-date=18 June 2016}}
|-
|Sweden ([[Kvällstoppen]])<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hallberg|first=Eric|title=Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975|publisher=Drift Musik|year=193|isbn=9163021404}}</ref>
|align="center"|17
|-
|{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|3|artist=Rolling Stones|song=Not Fade Away|access-date=18 June 2016}}
|-
|{{single chart|Billboardhot100|48|artist=The Rolling Stones|song=Not Fade Away|access-date=18 June 2016}}
|-
|US [[Cash Box (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/19640704.html|title=Cash Box Top 100 7/04/64|website=Tropicalglen.com|access-date=27 April 2021}}</ref>
|align="center"|44
|-
|US ''[[Record World]]'' Top 100<ref>{{Cite journal|date=July 11, 1964|title=100 Top Pops - Record World|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Record-World/60s/64/RW-1964-07-11.pdf|journal=Record World|pages=5}}</ref>
|align="center"|58
|}

==Other cover versions==
*The song is closely associated with the [[Grateful Dead]] as one of their signature tunes—one which the band transformed from Holly's 1950s boy/girl romanticism to one reflecting the 1960s' more spiritual universal love. Their 1971 recording of the song is included on their eponymous [[Grateful Dead (album)|second live album]]. Another version of the song is included on ''[[Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966]]'' (2005). The Dead first performed it live on February 19, 1969, at the [[Fillmore West|Carousel Ballroom]], San Francisco, California, and subsequently performed it more than 600 more times before the group disbanded in 1995, following the death of lead guitarist [[Jerry Garcia]]. The surviving members (except [[Tom Constanten]] and [[Donna Jean Godchaux]]) reunited and played the song for the last time all together as the last song of the second set (VC before the encores) on the last night of [[Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jul/06/grateful-dead-fare-thee-well-final-concert | title='Grateful Dead: final concerts unite fans and band as legends fade away  | newspaper=The Guardian | date=6 July 2015 | access-date=September 23, 2019 | last1=Guarino | first1=Mark }}</ref> The song continued to be played by later iterations of the band, including [[the Other Ones]], [[The Dead (band)|the Dead]], and most recently [[Dead & Company]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.setlist.fm/stats/dead-and-company-2bc42076.html | title=Dead & Company > Tour Statistics | website=setlist.fm | access-date=September 23, 2019}}</ref>
*[[Bobby Fuller]] released a recording in 1962 as a 45 single on Eastwood Records.<ref>[https://www.discogs.com/release/7422367-Bobby-Fuller-Nervous-Breakdown/image/SW1hZ2U6MTIyMjUyOTIy?srsltid=AfmBOoqQJEtnmh13P9n7z4pn1SEUU6yQM0rY7y85TtpvjMYsTJS-qd-A Not Fade Away. Bobby Fuller. Discogs. Retrieved 30 June 2025.]</ref>
*[[The Everly Brothers]] recorded the song on their 1972 album ''[[Pass the Chicken & Listen]]''.
*[[Black Oak Arkansas]] as Black Oak released the song on their 1977 album ''Race With the Devil''.<ref>[https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/18065/versions Not Fade Away. Black Oak. 1977. Discogs. Retrieved 30 June 2025.]</ref>
*[[Rush (band)|Rush]]<span id="rush-not_fade_away">&nbsp;</span>recorded a version of "Not Fade Away" as their debut single in 1973, which peaked at number 88 in Canada.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}} The single was released on the band's own [[Moon Records (Canada)|Moon Records]] label, and is considered a rare collector's item. "Not Fade Away" and the B-side "You Can't Fight It" were reissued on the 2025 compilation album ''Rush 50''.
*[[Stephen Stills]] released a version on his 1978 album ''[[Thoroughfare Gap]]''.
*[[Tanya Tucker]] included a funky, rock-and-roll version of "Not Fade Away" on her album, ''[[TNT (Tanya Tucker album)|TNT]]'' (1978). Tucker's cover of this song peaked at number 70 on the US ''Billboard'' pop singles chart in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/mca40976|title=Tanya Tucker - Not Fade Away|access-date=27 April 2021|website=45cat.com}}</ref>
*[[Florence and the Machine]] recorded a version of the song in 2010.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.ft.com/content/10abf368-b8b5-11e6-961e-a1acd97f622d | title=The Life of a Song: 'Not Fade Away' | newspaper=Financial Times | date=5 December 2016 }}</ref>
*Former [[Beatles]] drummer [[Pete Best]] released a version on the 1999 album ''Casbah Coffee Club''.<ref>[https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/22317/versions "Not Fade Away" by The Pete Best Band. Second Hand Songs. Retrieved 8 August 2025.]</ref>
*[[Stevie Nicks]] contributed a cover of "Not Fade Away" for the tribute album ''[[Listen to Me: Buddy Holly]]'' released in September 2011.
*[[John Scofield]] covered the song on his [[John Scofield (2022 album)|eponymous 2022 solo album]].<ref name="AM">{{cite web |last1=Jurek |first1=Thom |title=John Scofield: John Scofield |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/john-scofield-mw0003696148 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=6 July 2022 |date=2022}}</ref>
*[[The Byrds]] also performed this cover during their act on the show ''[[Shindig!]]'' in 1965.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pG8iZyo1iXA |title=The Byrds - "Not Fade Away" - Shindig! 1965 |date=20 February 2016 |website=YouTube.com}}</ref>

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Babiuk |first1=Andy |last2=Prevost |first2=Greg |author1-link=Andy Babiuk |title=Rolling Stones Gear: All the Stones' Instruments from Stage to Studio |date=2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=Milwaukee |isbn=978-1-61713-092-2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Margotin |first1=Philippe |last2=Guesdon |first2=Jean-Michel |title=The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track |date=2016 |publisher=[[Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-316-31774-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g5eTCwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last1=Wyman |first1=Bill |last2=Havers |first2=Richard |author1-link=Bill Wyman |author2-link=Richard Havers |title=Rolling with the Stones |date=2002 |publisher=[[DK (publisher)|DK]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7894-9998-1}}
{{refend}}

{{Buddy Holly}}
{{The Crickets}}
{{The Rolling Stones singles}}
{{Dick and Dee Dee}}
{{Tanya Tucker singles}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1957 songs]]
[[Category:1957 singles]]
[[Category:1964 singles]]
[[Category:1973 singles]]
[[Category:2007 singles]]
[[Category:Buddy Holly songs]]
[[Category:The Rolling Stones songs]]
[[Category:Dick and Dee Dee songs]]
[[Category:Decca Records singles]]
[[Category:London Records singles]]
[[Category:Grateful Dead songs]]
[[Category:Sheryl Crow songs]]
[[Category:Rush (band) songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Buddy Holly]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Andrew Loog Oldham]]
[[Category:Songs written by Norman Petty]]
[[Category:Brunswick Records singles]]
[[Category:The Crickets songs]]