Rave On

Buddy Holly gave "Rave On" a unique twist with that elongated, stuttering "Well…" that sounds like an echo of his voice. The track kicks off with that detail that makes it unmistakable: a sigh that unravels into syllables, as if Holly himself were whispering a secret before unleashing the melody. The song doesn’t even reach a minute and a half, yet in that brief time it achieves something few tracks of its era did: conveying an energy that bounces between playfulness and urgency.

It was recorded in New York, at Bell Sound Studios, with the Crickets backing him up. The producer was Milton DeLugg, though Norman Petty —who usually handled most of Holly’s sessions— was not involved in this track. The lyrics, written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, and Petty, borrowed the chorus from "Dixie Fried" by Carl Perkins, but Holly made it his own. The single was released in April 1958 and climbed into Canada’s Top 20 that same year. Later, Rolling Stone magazine included it in its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, at position 154.