Come On, Let’s Go by Ritchie Valens is a high energy and bouncy rock ‘n’ roll classic that emerged during a period when the genre was still in its relative infancy. The song perfectly captures the carefree spirit of teenage love and the thrill of youth. Valens’ vocal performance and the guitar riff is exuberant, radiating a sense of urgency and fun, which makes it instantly engaging. Just over a year ago I presented his romantic ballad Donna which he had dedicated to a high-school sweetheart at school named Donna Ludwig. I became familiar with the title track, today’s featured song and Donna in the 1987 biopic – La Bamba.
Ritchie Valens, born Richard Steven Valenzuela, was discovered by producer Bob Keane of Del-Fi Records in Los Angeles. Valens’ musical journey began in the suburbs of California, where his Mexican-American heritage heavily influenced his sound. Keane saw immense potential in Valens, and they began working together in the studio. Come On, Let’s Go was one of the first tracks recorded during these early sessions in May 1958. Valens was one of the pioneers of Chicano rock typically performed by Mexican – American groups combining traditional Mexican music with latin rhythms and American rock ‘n’ roll. Released in 1958, Come On, Let’s Go set the stage for his brief yet impactful career.
[Verse 1]
Well, come on let’s go
Let’s go, let’s go, little darlin’
And tell me that you’ll never leave me
Come on, come on, let’s go, ah
Again, again and again
[Verse 2]
Well, now
Swing me, swing me
All the way down there
Come on let’s go, little darlin’
Let’s go, let’s go again once more
[Bridge]
Well
I love you so, dear
And I’ll never let you go
Come on, baby, so
Oh pretty baby, I-I love you so
[Verse 3]
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go
Little sweetheart
Then we can always be together
Come on, come on
Let’s go again
[Guitar Solo]
[Bridge]
I love you so, dear
And I’ll never let you go
Come on, baby, so
Oh pretty baby, I-I love you so
[Verse 4]
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go
Little darlin’
They’re dancin’, and we belong here
Come on, come on, let’s go, ah
Again, again and again and again
[Outro]
Upon its release, Come On, Let’s Go became a modest hit, peaking at No 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. While it wasn’t as commercially successful as Valens’ later hit “La Bamba,” it played a crucial role in building his reputation as a rising rock ‘n’ roll star. The song received significant airplay and was lauded for its infectious energy, making it a dance floor favourite in both English- and Spanish-speaking communities.
Ritchie Valens’ career was tragically cut short at just 17 years old, when he died in a plane crash in 1959 along with Buddy Holly and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson; an event famously known as “The Day the Music Died.” Despite his brief time in the limelight, Valens left behind a legacy that has influenced countless musicians. One notable cover of Come On, Let’s Go was recorded by the rockabilly band The Ramones, who gave it somewhat of a punk twist.
References:
1. Come On, Let’s Go – Ritchie Valens
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
When people predict what they would have done if they lived…Valens is question mark more than Holly. Personally I think he would have done great things…I really do.
I had that perception as well just from the little we heard from Richie.
Big game tonight!
I don’t have much hope because of the pitching situation but we will see.
Dodgers were immense last night especially Buehler and Ohtanni. Freeman doing it hard with that injury. Mets were sh&t from the get go, too many errors and poor pitching. You have to play your best against LAD and NYY to have a chance.
Having Buehler pitch those 4 scoreless innings really helped. He is coming back from TJ surgery and has been just awful lately…last night he pitched more like the way he used to…he was a little wild but effective.
Congratulations are in order again after another stellar performance from you guys.
I was flicking between the Cleveland game and your’s. I was left gobsmacked and felt privileged to see the ‘comeback’ of ‘comebacks’ from Cleveland. Also so many CLE fans had already left before going into extras. It was very funny, but stupendous baseball ebbs lol
Yea I was happy to see The Indians come back…yea they will always be the Indians to me lol.
I’ve read something about the Phillies and Mets. Little things mean a lot. The Phillies were among the top teams in swinging at balls out of the strike zone…well the Mets did that and pitched to them out of the strike zone and they were swinging. With the Dodgers…they are the top team at swinging at balls in the strike zone….so what has happened? The Mets are walking the hell out of the Dodgers because they are not taking the bait. They are only swinging at strikes.
You wrote a very astute observation regarding the difference between pitching against Phillies and the Dodgers. I will point you to another interesting stat which you may have heard last night, that the Mets had walked more batters in 4 games (31) against the Dodgers than any other team PS history!!!!!
That is amazing Matt. As great as the Phillies were this past year…The Mets found their weakness…but it doesn’t work against the Dodgers.
If they would have got any pitching last night…6 runs was enough to win.
“Come On, Let’s Go” is a true classic, as far as I’m concerned – can’t go wrong with that song! Ritchie Valens’ untimely death is one of the many accident-related tragedies in music. Fortunately, air travel has become safer.
It’s a great song. Yes, what a tragedy and being just 17. Geez.