Not Fade Away

Written by Norman Petty, Charles Hardin and Buddy Holly
Performed by Bob Dylan regularly in 1999-2000 and a few times before and after that
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

Buddy Holly played this song with the basic rhythm:

E           A         E   E
:   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
    ba      ba        ba  ba

When The Rolling Stones covered the song, they changed the rhythm into the “Bo Diddley Beat” and moved the chord changes:

E                     A   E
v     v     v         v   v
:   .   .   .     :   .   .   .

This has become the standard version of the song, which Dylan follows. Early on he played it rather straightforwardly in the “Stones Tradition” (see 1997 version below), but since 1999 he and the band have worked out their own distinctive version, to which they have remained faithful.
The transcription below follows the version from Oslo, May 19, 2000, with a side-glance at Vienna, April 30, 1999.

Capo 1st fret (sounding key G major)
(this may seem awkward, but it is necessary to get the 0h2 hammer-on on the sixth string)

Intro:

  F#                                                        B   F#
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|------(3-----3---|---------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------4-----4---|---2---------4---|-------4-----2---|---4---------4---|
|-------4-----4---|-----4-----------|-------4-------4-|-2---0-----------|
|-0h2-------------|-----------------|-0h2-------------|---------2-------|

  F#                                  F#7                   B   F#
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-5---5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5---------------|
|-----------------|---------2-------|-4h6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-6-4-2-----------|
|-------4-----4---|---2---------4---|-----------------|---------4-------|
|-------4-----4---|-----4-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0h2-------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

   F#      B            B11  F#        F#      B
   :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .  x3 :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|--2-------2-------|--(2)2---2-------|-2-------2-------|-----------------|
|*-2-------4-------|--(4)2---2------*|-2-------4-------|-----------------|
|--3-------4-------|--(4)2---3-------|-3-------4-------|-----------------|
|--4-------4-------|--(4)2---4-------|-4-------4-------|-----------------|
|*-4-------2-------|---------4------*|-4-------2-------|-----------------|
|--2---------------|---------2-------|-2---------------|-----------------|

  F#                                                        B   F#
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|------(3-----3---|---------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------4-----4---|---2---------4---|-------4-----2---|---4-------------|
|-------4-----4---|-----4-----------|-------4-------4-|-2---0-----------|
|-0h2-------------|-----------------|-0h2-------------|---------2-------|

  F#                                  F#7                   B   F#
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|/5-5-5-5-5-5-5---|-----------------|
|-------------2---|---2-----2-------|-4h6-6-6-6-6-6---|---4-2-----------|
|-------4---------|-------------4---|-----------------|---------4-------|
|-------4---------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0h2------(2)----|(2)---(2)--------|-----------------|-----------------|

                                                v   v  v     v v
F#                                    B   1)= | B  . . . | . E B  . |
I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be         
F#                         (B  F#)              v   v  v     v v
You're gonna give your love to me         2)= | F# . . . | . B F# . |
F#                                B      
I'm gonna love you night and day          1)
    F#                      B F#          
you know my love not fade away            2)
F#                                        
Love and love and not fade away           2)

[Interlude:]

   v   v  v              v   v  v     v v
|: B  . . . | E . B .  | B  . . . | . E B  . |

  v   v  v              v   v  v     v v
| F# . . . | B . F# . | F# . . . | . B F# . :|

  v   v  v              v   v  v     v v
| F# . . . | . . .  . | F# . . . | . B F# . | (= first line of intro)

My love's bigger than a Cadillac
I try to show you but you drive me back
My love for you has gotta be real
Want you to know just how I feel
Love and love and not fade away
Love to love and not fade away

[interlude]

I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me
I'm gonna love you night and day
you know my love not fade away
Love and love and not fade away

[got] my love and not fade away
Love and love and not fade away

An alternative way of playing the intro:

  F#                                                        B   F#
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|------(3-----3---|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------4-----4---|---------7---4---|-------4---------|---4-------------|
|-------4-----4---|---7-4-----------|-------4-----7-4-|-----------------|
|-0h2-------------|-----------------|-0h2-------------|-7---5---2-------|

  F#                                  F#7                   B   F#
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-5---5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-4h6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-6-4-------------|
|-------4-----4---|-----7-4-7---4---|-----------------|-----7---4-------|
|-------4-----4---|-----7---7-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0h2-------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

Alternatives for the B-E-B riff (lick 1):

In the verses:

  B           E/b     B E   B
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .    
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-4-----4----h5---|---4-5---4-------|
|-4-----4-----4---|---4-4---4-------|
|-4-----4----h6---|---4-6---4-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|

In the interludes:

  B                         E           B               B    E     B   E (acutally 
  :     .     .     .       :     .     .   .                          Bsus4)   
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-------|    ||-11---12-||-2---2--||
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-9-9-9-9-9-9-7-------|    ||-12---12-||-4---5--||
|-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|-9-9-9-9-9-9-8-------|    ||-11---13-||-4---4--||
|-------------------------|---------------------| or ||---------||-4---4--||
|-------------------------|---------------------|    ||---------||-2------||
|-------------------------|---------------------|    ||---------||--------||

Alternatives for the F#-B riff (lick 2):

   F#  B    F#  B     F#6  B
||-6---7-||-2---2--||-11---11--||
||-7---7-||-2---4--||-11---12--||
||-6---8-||-3---4--||-11---11--||
||-------||-4---4--||----------||
||-------||-4---2--||----------||
||-------||-2------||----------||

Version from Hartford CT, Apr 19, 1997 (found on the bootleg [Bathed in a stream of] Pure Heat)

[Intro: repeat ad lib]
   E                     A   E         E                         A        
   :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     
|--0-----0-----0---|---0-0---0-------|-0-----0-----0---|-----0---0-------|
|*-0-----0-----0---|---0-2---0------*|-0-----0-----0---|-----0---2-------|
|--1-----1-----1---|---1-2---1-------|-1-----1-----1---|-----1---2-------|
|--2-----2-----2---|---2-2---2-------|-2-----2-----2---|-----2---2-------|
|*-2-----2-----2---|---2-0---2------*|-2-----2-----2---|-----2---0-------|
|--0-----0-----0---|---0-----0-------|-0-----0-----0---|-----0-----------|
                                      I'm gonna tell you 
                                                  how it's gonna be . . . 

[Lick 1]
  A           D/a     A D   A        A                     D   A
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .    :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----2-----------|
|-2-----2-----3---|---2-3---2------|-2-----2-----2---|-----3---2------*|
|-2-----2-----2---|---2-2---2------|-2-----2-----2---|-----2---2-------| same basic
|-2-----2-----4---|---2-4---2------|-2-----2-----2---|-----0---2-------| rhythm
|-0-----0-----0---|---------0------|-0-----0-----0---|---------0------*| throughout
|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

E                                    A   1)
I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be         
E                           A  E                v  v  v     v v
You're gonna give your love to me        2)= | E . . . | . A E .  | (twice)
E                            A      
I'm gonna love you night and day         1)
    E                     A E         
you know my love not fade away           2) once
    E                     A E                  
you know my love not fade away           2) once


|: Lick 2 :|

My love's bigger than a Cadillac
I try to show you but you drive me back
My love for you has gotta be real
Want you to know the way I feel
Love and love and not fade away
Love and love and not fade away

| Lick 2 |
                      x4
|: lick 1 :| |: lick 2 :| 

I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me
I'm gonna love you night and day
you know my love not fade away
know my love and not fade away

| Lick 2 |                      
| lick 1 | |: lick 2 :|            x4
| lick 1 | |: lick 2 :| |: lick 2 :|

My love's bigger than a Cadillac
I try to show you but you drive me back
Love and and love, and it will pass one day
Know my love and not fade away
Love and love and not fade away
not fade away
not fade away
not fade away
not fade away
You know my love and not fade away