There are so many classic rockmusicactsstill worth putting under the microscope for the purpose of analysis, even decades later. John Lennon’ssolo career outside the Beatlesremains a profoundly poetic excursion of a journey to take, while Irish rockers U2 have astounded and amazed with many highlightsfrom throughout their spacious catalog.
Groups like Pink Floyd have so many signature albumsthat they’re worth ranking, while Fleetwood Mac has songs with plenty ofstorylines in need of thorough digestion. Another band in crucial need of this magnifying glass treatmentis California’s own Creedence Clearwater Revival(also known as CCR), a quartet fronted by singer-songwriter John Fogerty.
Beginning in 1959 as the Blue Velvets, the band was also known as Vision and then the Golliwogsbefore becoming CCR in 1967. The group (which also included Fogerty’s brother Tom on guitar, bassist Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford) only existed for five years before a contentious split, but they shot to the moon in just a short time.
10Susie Q (Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1968)
A Rockabilly Rambler Reinvented
“Suzie Q” was originally written and conceived as a rockabilly track by musician Dale Hawkins in 1957, and was picked up by Creedence Clearwater Revival to cover for their debut album in 1968. The resulting track became CCR’s first major hit, the only one of their career to chartthat wasn’t written by Fogerty.
Instead of utilizing the rockabilly base of “Suzie Q,” the CCR version transformed the songinto a Southern-jamming swamp rockerthat stretched the song from just over two minutes to over eight minutes in length. Buoyed by Fogerty’s razor-sharp growl, this California band feels full Louisiana on their first significant breakout track.
9Born On The Bayou (Bayou Country, 1969)
An Imagined Southern Living
While “Born on the Bayou” was overshadowed in 1969 by being the B-side track to the renowned CCR single “Proud Mary,” the ripping rocker isa muscled bit of glorious Southern-fried amplification. Despite Fogerty having never lived or had travel experience in the South, the lyrics of “Born on the Bayou” are set there as well.
CCR again shows an insightful knack for describing the feel and flavor of an area that didn’t rear the band, as the sound and words feel like they lay out every bit of scalded heat and stone in the region. Every snap of percussion and guitar string twang takes you right into the “hoodoo,” andthe result is mystically spiritual.
8Proud Mary (Bayou Country, 1969)
A Multi-Artist Chart Topper
“Proud Mary"was a major hit for Creedence Clearwater Revival, charting at number two in 1969 fromBayou Country(the first of a string of five singles CCR would chart at this position). Fogerty reportedly wrote parts of “Proud Mary” both before and after he was discharged from the National Guard, with references to a real ship based in Tennessee.
The roots-rock sound of “Proud Mary” was an energetic staple hit for both CCR and the legendary Tina Turner, who performed the trackwith husband Ike Turner and in her later solo career. In either rendition, the song has such a real-life flavor based on fiction, but with a character ready to find rebirth “by going out on the river”.
7Green River (Green River, 1969)
Reality Wrapped Into Storytelling
The chugging, sludgy snap of “Green River” set the table as the title track and first song of CCR’s 1969 album (their second LP released that year). “Green River” was another single for the band that charted at number two, and was written in reference toa favorite childhood vacation spot from Fogerty’s childhood.
Despite being about a location in California, “Green River” was another song from the CCR catalog that got the Bayou-flavored treatment, and feels like authentic wrapping around a gift of true events from Fogerty’s youth. The singer-songwriter said that “Green River” itself was a reference to a soda pop-syrup label, another unexpected factor in a song of Southern sound.
The Looming Lurk Of The Eerie
The catchy, thunking, rock pulse of “Bad Moon Rising” flies in an interesting contrast to the heartbeat of the song’s lyrics, which are filled with the eerie feeling that ominous weather is hiding something worse;that evil spirits or mojo aren’t far behind. Fogerty wrote the song after watching a film in which a man’s farm is spared from cataclysm.
Unfortunately, the man makes a deal with the Devil for wealth and to be saved; hence the ominous backdrop of “Bad Moon Rising.” Despite all the charm wrapped up in the sound of this song, much like the movie’s Devil character, there’s something much scarierhiding just beneath the supposed positivity.
5Fortunate Son (Willy And The Poor Boys, 1969)
An Anti-War Statement Of Sentiment
A critically beloved track from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s third album in 1969, “Fortunate Son” is a single that may not have charted as high as some of CCR’s other work, but has stayed relevant due to its wartime commentary. This was largely because “Fortunate Son” was released during the height ofthe United States' involvement in the Vietnam War.
Fogerty intended “Fortunate Son"as a statement on the unfairness of class relating to warand children of the wealthy being able to avoid the draft due to their status, while the poor have to go fight. While the meaning has eluded some beneath a blazing rock exterior, “Fortunate Son” continues to offer critically relevant insight on this subject.
4Lookin' Out My Back Door (Cosmo’s Factory, 1970)
A Psychedelic Dance Trip
The fifth and final number two-charting hit that Creedence Clearwater Revival would have in their tenure, “Lookin' out My Back Door,” is a back porch bit of country-rock stroll that feels slightly hallucinatory in its psychedelic knack for description. Some have speculated “Lookin' out My Back Door"is about drug usage, though Fogerty has painted a different picture.
According to the singer, the trackwas written at the time for Fogerty’s young son, with one particular bit of scenery inspired by a Dr. Seuss book. All in all, “Lookin' out My Back Door” almost feels chaotic in its scope of lyrical overview, which is perhaps why the narrator of the song feels the need to lock the door behind them.
3Long As I Can See The Light (Cosmo’s Factory, 1970)
A Bit Of Uplifting Gospel-Blues
The closing song from 1970’sCosmo’s Factory, Creedence Clearwater Revival strikes a poignant balance between blues and gospel hymn on “Long As I Can See The Light,” with Fogerty acting as the pained preacher mid-sermon. The track is a lovelorn piecedescribing homesickness while in the midst of a journey.
Whether the character within the song is someone biblical or simply just a traveler, the feeling within “Long As I Can See The Light” resonates in the same way. Fogerty outlined the trackas being about the loner in him wanting to be understood, and the longing that he bleeds into the song makes that emotion so profound here.
2Have You Ever Seen The Rain (Pendulum, 1970)
The Foreboding Flavor Of Incoming Breakup
It seems accurate that “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” originated from an album calledPendulum, as the song was reportedly about the fracture that was forming within CCR by this point. The pendulum was swinging the wrong way for the group, with tension in CCR and Fogerty’s older brother Tomon the cusp of departing the band.
“Have You Ever Seen The Rain” was about the idea of seeing a dark weather shower even in the midst of a sunny day, equating to the worries that were coming for Creedence Clearwater Revival even in the midst of their success. Sadly, the country ballad would prove prophetic,with the band breaking up by 1972.
1Sweet Hitch-Hiker (Mardi Gras, 1972)
One More Rocker For The Road
By 1972 and the release of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s final album (entitledMardi Gras), the shine had begun to fade from within the band. Tom Fogerty had departed a year before over a dispute related tothe amount of creative control his brother John had in the group, and that wouldn’t improve when it came toMardi Gras.
While Fogerty would allow bandmates Cook and Clifford to have more input, the results would be highly uneven and make for a disappointing end to CCR. At least some of the select Fogerty contributions, like “Sweet Hitch-Hiker,” would still shine, largely because of what made CCR go at full speed, namelySouthern rock at maximum horsepower.
