Not Fade Away
Rush Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm gonna show you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me
Give me love'n every night and day
Love is real not fade away
Love is real not fade away
Love is real not fade away

I buy you a diamond and a cadillac
Show it to you baby when I get back
Well your love for me better be real
Then I'll know just how you feel
Said love is real not fade away
Love is real not fade away
Well a-hand me

I'm gonna show you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me




Give me love'n every night and day
Love is real not fade away (18x)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rush's song "Not Fade Away" convey a sense of insistent, almost demanding, desire for reciprocated love. The singer asserts that they will show their potential partner "how it's gonna be" and expects them to "give [their] love" every day and night. The repeated refrain, "love is real not fade away," emphasizes the importance of genuine, lasting emotion rather than fleeting, temporary attraction.


The singer uses material possessions like a diamond and a Cadillac to demonstrate their devotion, but they also emphasize the need for love to be genuine and real. The line "your love for me better be real, then I'll know just how you feel" suggests that the singer requires reciprocated love in order to feel secure and confident in the relationship.


Overall, the song reflects the intensity of emotion and desire that can come with falling in love, but it also underscores the importance of that love being genuine and lasting.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna show you how it's gonna be
The singer will demonstrate their expectations for the relationship


You're gonna give your love to me
The singer expects their partner to give them love and attention


Give me love'n every night and day
The singer expects consistent affection and attention from their partner


Love is real not fade away
The artist values genuine love that does not diminish over time


I buy you a diamond and a cadillac
The artist is willing to spend money and give lavish gifts to their partner


Show it to you baby when I get back
The singer wants to demonstrate their affection and provides a visual representation of it


Well your love for me better be real
The singer requires authentic love from their partner


Then I'll know just how you feel
The artist will gauge their partner's feelings based on how they express their love


Said love is real not fade away
The artist repeats the importance of genuine, long-lasting love


Well a-hand me
Expression of excitement or anticipation


Love is real not fade away (18x)
Reiteration of the importance of authentic, lasting love




Contributed by Peyton W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

rattyeely

I'm constantly amazed to find out that all of my favorite bands growing up covered Buddy Holly songs

B L

@edson Lourenco Lemmy was the king!!

Mr22thou

Yep! Buddy Holly & that good ol' Bo Diddley beat are timeless.

Logan Skelton

@raceyboy No I still stand by Elvis being King of Rock and Roll. Buddy was more of an inovator!

Lisa Fybush

This is the ultimate rock song. Self evident by how many people covered it.

raceyboy

Buddy was the king!

2 More Replies...

AudiophileTubes

Awesome! Thank you for posting this! And to think that as a lifelong RUSH fan since the mid 70's, I thought I heard everything they did!

Chris Huber

Yeah! I never knew they covered this.

Mr. C.C.

This was one of two non-album singles they released in 1973 before they released their self-titled debut album in 1974. If you were fortunate enough to see in concert between 1970 and 1973, you'd have heard 11 unreleased singles.

eden portelli

Good Version But The Rolling Stones Version I Listen To Before Rush

More Comments

More Versions