1957 Rock Flop, Ranked Among 'Greatest Songs of All Time,' Took 7 Years to Become a Hit

If there's one thing rock history has shown to be true, it's that just because a song doesn't climb the charts the first time people hear it certainly doesn't mean it won't be a major hit later on. A perfect example? The iconic rock anthem "Not Fade Away."

Originally written and recorded by Buddy Holly in 1957, "Not Fade Away" was one of the first rock songs to showcase that signature Bo Diddley beat, blending rockabilly, blues and pop to create a sound that would prove incredibly influential in the years to come. But the original version, released by Holly's band the Crickets, never actually charted as a single.

That was far from the end of the story for "Not Fade Away," however...because a few years later, the Rolling Stones got ahold of the tune.

While Mick Jagger and his bandmates of course had a tremendously successful career ahead of them, in 1964, the Stones hadn't really made their mark. That changed when they released a cover of "Not Fade Away" as their third single in the U.K., where it peaked at #3 on the charts. The track wasn't quite as popular in the U.S., but it did land the Stones on the Billboard charts for the first time, reaching #48.

A performance of "Not Fade Away" on TheMike Douglas Show helped to boost the band's profile in the U.S., per Rolling Stone, and by the next year, the Stones hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

Yet another legendary rock band would end up successfully covering "Not Fade Away" - hundreds of times, no less. The Grateful Dead started playing their own version of the song during concerts in 1969, going on to include it on their eponymous live album a couple of years later in 1971. "Not Fade Away" even became a signature tune for the Dead: They played the song 566 times before Jerry Garcia's death in 1995, per Rolling Stone.

Even if the Stones and the Dead technically had more success with "Not Fade Away," it's worth noting that Holly's original version was ranked at #107 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

Related: This 1971 Classic Was Ranked the Top Rolling Stones Song of All Time

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 7:39 PM.