Jump to content

Not Fade Away (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ianucci (talk | contribs) at 16:42, 21 March 2016. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Not Fade Away"
Song

"Not Fade Away" is a song credited to Buddy Holly (originally under his first and middle names, Charles Hardin) and Norman Petty (although Petty's co-writing credit is most likely a formality[3]) and first recorded by Holly's band The Crickets.[2]

Crickets' version

They recorded the song in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957, the same day the song "Everyday" was recorded.[1] The song's rhythm pattern is a variant of the Bo Diddley beat (with the second stress occurring on the second, rather than third beat of the first measure) which itself was an update of the so-called "hambone" rhythm, or "patted juba" from Western Africa; Crickets drummer Jerry Allison pounded out the beat on a cardboard box.[3] Allison, Holly's best friend, also claims to have written part of the lyrics, though his name never appeared in the songwriting credits. The other performer on the song was Joe Mauldin on double bass. The backing vocalists on the recording are most likely Holly, Allison, and Niki Sullivan, although this is not known for certain.[1]

Along with the familiar Take 2 of "Not Fade Away", there exists a Take 1 whose first verse is missing; it has been released with the first part of Take 1 spliced onto it.[citation needed] Originally released as the B-side to the hit "Oh, Boy!", "Not Fade Away" was also included on the album The "Chirping" Crickets (1958).

Contrary to the depiction in the film The Buddy Holly Story (1978), this was not the last song Holly ever performed before his fatal plane crash. In a 50th anniversary symposium held in Clear Lake,[citation needed] discussion panel members Tommy Allsup, Carl Bunch, and Bob Hale (the master of ceremonies at that final show of February 2, 1959) all agreed that the final song of the night was Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", performed by all of the acts together.

In 2004, this song was ranked number 107 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". However, The Crickets' recording never charted as a single.

Cover versions

"Not Fade Away"
Song
B-side"Little by Little" (UK)
"I Wanna Be Your Man" (US)
"Not Fade Away"
Song
"Not Fade Away"
Song
B-side"You Can't Fight It"

Rolling Stones

In 1964, The Rolling Stones' cover of "Not Fade Away", with its strong emphasis on the Bo Diddley beat, became a major hit in Britain and served as the A-side of the band's first US single.[4]

The Rolling Stones' version of "Not Fade Away" was one of their first classic hits. Recorded in January 1964 and released by Decca on February 21, 1964 with "Little by Little" as the B-side, it was their first Top 5 hit in Great Britain, reaching #3.[5] In March 1964, it was also the Rolling Stones' first single release in the United States, on the London Records label, with "I Wanna Be Your Man" as the B-side (briefly preceded by "Stoned", which had immediately been withdrawn). The single reached #48 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[6] The single also reached #44 on the Cashbox pop singles chart in the U.S. and #33 in Australia based on the Kent Music Report. "Not Fade Away" was not on the UK version of their debut album, The Rolling Stones, but was the opening track of the US version released a month later as England's Newest Hitmakers. It was a mainstay at Rolling Stones concerts in their early years, usually opening the shows. It was revived in that capacity for their 1994-95 Voodoo Lounge Tour.

Personnel

Sheryl Crow

Crow released her rendition of the song in 2007 as a charity single along with a national advertising campaign for Revlon Colorist. The single was made available on iTunes, racking up over 19,000 paid downloads and spawning a six-week US tour in support of the campaign.[7]

Chart (2007)[8] Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 78
US Billboard Hot Digital Songs 63
US Billboard Pop 100 63

Rush

The Rush version of "Not Fade Away" was their debut single, released in 1973 and peaking at No. 88 in Canada. The B-side of this single, "You Can't Fight It", was the first original song Rush released. The single is rare and highly sought-after by collectors. Neither one of these songs was ever officially released on CD.

By others

"Not Fade Away" has been covered by many other groups, including Foreigner, John Entwistle's Ox, Status Quo, The Byrds, The Eyes as The Pupils, The Knack, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Pete Best Band, Tony Sheridan, Trout Fishing in America, and Tanya Tucker.[citation needed]

Many artists have played it in concert, including: Black Oak Arkansas, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Burton Cummings, Deep Purple, Jon Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan, Joe Ely, Steve Hillage, Greg Kihn, Los Lobos, Tom Petty, Mitch Ryder, Tony Sheridan, Simon and Garfunkel, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Stills, James Taylor, U2, Paul Weller, Jack White, and Warren Zevon.[citation needed]

The Grateful Dead recorded the song and performed it in concert 532 times, making it their seventh-most performed song.[9] Versions of the song are included on the Skull and Roses (1971) and Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966 albums. "Not Fade Away" was the last song of the second set (before the encores) played on the last night of Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead as the song has come to signify that the fans' love of the band and the band's love of the fans "will not fade away." [10][11]

In addition to those listed below, the following artists have released the song as a 45 single: including Jumpin' Beans & the Moustaches on Ball,[when?][citation needed] Rubberband on American Pla-Boy,[when?][citation needed] and The Why Four on Rampro.[when?][citation needed]

Rights

Paul McCartney controls the publishing rights to the song through MPL Communications.[citation needed]

Advertising

  • The tune has been used (with similar, spoken lyrics) to advertise Scotch video cassettes.[14]
  • As previously mentioned, in 2007, Revlon featured a commercial using the song in a recording by Sheryl Crow for Colorist.

Art and photography

  • Photographer Jim Marshall released a collection of iconic rock and roll photographs from the 1960s using the title of the song: Not Fade Away: The Rock and Roll Photography of Jim Marshall.

Film

  • The film Christine (1983), adapted from the eponymous Stephen King novel, features two versions of the song played back to back: The Buddy Holly and the Crickets version of "Not Fade Away" appeared in the assembly line scene, which faded into the 1978 scene where the Tanya Tucker version is played while the main characters drive towards home after school.
  • A Jerry Garcia biography was titled Not Fade Away, The On-Line World Remember Jerry Garcia (1995). The song had been performed by The Grateful Dead and by the Jerry Garcia Band as a concert staple.
  • The movie, Not Fade Away (2012), based on the song and about the early 1960s rock explosion in the United States was directed by David Chase

Literature

  • Ben Fong-Torres' book, Not Fade Away: A Backstage Pass to 20 Years of Rock & Roll (1999), is a collection of interviews and profiles from Rolling Stone magazine featuring behind-the-scenes accounts from the late 1960s through the 1980s.
  • Ronald Gordon's novel "Not Fade Away (2009) is an elegiac coming-of-age tale set in Texas in the summer of 1959. Andy Lerner, the protagonist, is an ardent Buddy Holly fan, and the late singer's music figures prominently throughout the novel.

Television

  • The last episode of the final season of Angel was titled "Not Fade Away".
  • Season 1, episode 4 of Fear the Walking Dead is titled "Not Fade Away".
  • In the first season of the series Still Life, episode 5 featured a story entitled "Not Fade Away" (February, 2004).

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Buddy Holly - Greatest Hits 1995 MCA Records Liner Notes
  2. ^ a b Norman Petty interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  3. ^ a b The Real Buddy Holly Story. White Star Studios. {{cite AV media}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ Song artist 9 - The Rolling Stones..
  5. ^ Rolling Stones "Not Fade Away" reaches no.3 in UK singles chart. [1] retrieved 08/19/2007
  6. ^ Carr, Roy, The Rolling Stones, an Illustrated Record New English Library, London 1976
  7. ^ http://sherylcrownews.com/news_feb_2007.html
  8. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sheryl-crow-mn0000080780/awards
  9. ^ The SetList Program - Grateful Dead Setlists, Listener Experiences, and Statistics
  10. ^ [2]
  11. ^ [3]
  12. ^ The Beatles Bible.
  13. ^ Not Fade Away. Second Hand Songs.
  14. ^ [4]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Not_Fade_Away_(song)&oldid=711225967"