Buddy Holly – Rave On

This song is always played when I’m in a Buddy Holly mood and even when I’m not. This song is so Buddy Holly. What I mean is he doesn’t complicate it; he just infuses this simple song with energy, and the result tells it all. This is the kind of song that makes you remember why rock ’n’ roll mattered in the first place. It’s not about overthinking, it’s about fun.

The title was inspired by the 1956 Sun Records recording “Dixie Fried” by Carl Perkins, which uses the refrain “rave on.” The B-side was Holly’s composition “Take Your Time“. Petty’s production gave the song just enough polish without sanding down all the grit. I think Holly understood that a song could be a bolt of lightning, two minutes of pure adrenaline.

This was written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, and Norman Petty and recorded in January 1958 at Petty’s New Mexico studio, where Holly laid down most of his hits. Petty wanted to give it to another act, but Holly protested and persuaded the songwriters to let him record it. Holly and the Crickets transformed it into the definitive version.

Every time I hear Rave On, I picture a small garage with a beat-up amp, drums, a cheap guitar, and a group of kids who believe they can play rock music. And thanks to Buddy, they can.

The song peaked at #5 in the UK, #12 in Canada, and #37 on the Billboard 100 in 1958. 

Rave On

A we-a-e-a-ell
The little things you say and do
Make me want to be with you-a-hoo
Rave on, it’s a crazy feelin’ and
I know it’s got me reelin’
When you say, I love you, rave on

The way you dance and hold me tight
The way you kiss and say goodni-hi-hight
Rave on, it’s a crazy feelin’ and-a
I know it’s got me reelin’
When you say, I love you, rave on

A-well rave on, it’s a crazy feelin’ and
I know, it’s got me reelin’
I’m so glad, that you’re revealin’
Your love for me
Rave on, rave on and tell me
Tell me, not to be lonely
Tell me, you love me only
Rave on to me

A-well rave on, it’s a crazy feelin’ and
I know, it’s got me reelin’
I’m so glad, that you’re revealin’
Your love for me
Rave on, rave on and tell me
Tell me, not to be lonely
Tell me, you love me only
Rave on to me

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

44 thoughts on “Buddy Holly – Rave On”

  1. Pingback: Buddy Holly – Rave On – MobsterTiger

  2. How did I let this classic slip by? Thanks for reuniting me with it Max.

    I like your description here – ‘he just infuses this simple song with energy, and the result tells it all’. You could say the same for almost all his stuff. Like the writer’s KISS principle – ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’. He excelled at it as a performer.

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    2. I take umbrage (?) with your forgiving Springsteen and Mellencamp. And not for the reason(s) you might think.

      I am a Steeleye Span fan. They did not only English folk songs, but other songs that when I thought about it, fit the form. They did Rave On, and I immediately recognized it as paying tribute to not only the Great Buddy Holly, but the idea that songs like Rave On have come into the general consensus as something more than what we think of them. They aren’t just great songs. They are moments in our individual memories or consciousness that, if we allow them, connect with all sorts of things.

      I remember going to the Troubadour one Wednesday night to see Jesse Colin Young. It was a week long engagement (as was the norm for the Troub back then) that usually opened Tuesday might was delayed this week because Tricky Dick Nixon won re-election the night before. Young opened the set with “I’ve Just Seen A Face” and doing so took command of the show, the audience and the night and never let go. It wasn’t just a show, it was a statement against the previous evening.

      I guess I’m rambling. So be it. Music can be so much more than just chords and lyrics with a backbeat. Play on.

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      1. I appreciate you taking the time to read and share your thoughts. Only in my wildest dreams have I visited the Troubadour. I don’t think you’ll find many that love cover songs more than I, so you’re passion is duly noted.

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  9. Rave on means to speak enthusiastically and expressively to someone, asking them to continue speaking in this way. In this context, it’s a plea for the loved one to continue telling the speaker how much they are loved, essentially asking them to “go on” with their enthusiastic declarations.

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      1. I was pleasantly surprised. I just heard that cut a while ago. Like how you still mix in these great songs from people you have already featured. Cant forget about them Max. It’s not recycling it’s reminding.

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  15. My band of old guys, The American Classics used to play this song, and of course, our lead guitarist, John Payne, deceased, had to sing it since he was a Lubbock boy. All the folks in the audience used to say, “oh that song from the Stones”, no you effing morons, it’s Buddy Holly from Texas. John never got to meet Buddy but did meet his parents. I’ll write about it one day, it’s so ridiculous, no one would believe it anyway.

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      1. Dude!!! One of your regular blog companions is the son of an Light Crust Doughboy. That is really cool, too!!!

        (I try not to be star struck. Impressed? Oh very much so.)

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      1. CB, if you are a musician in Texas and don’t do at least one Buddy tune, you might be playing for guitar case money on some corner. Sort of like the 60s when every band better know the song “Gloria.” Ely is one of the greats as is Robert Earl. Little Joe and Familia are playing in Corpus Chrisiti in a few days and my son and his wife are going.

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