A Word About CCR's two "Rain" Songs

Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1968. From left to right: Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford, Stu Cook and John Fogerty.
As explored numerously in this blog, rock took lots of themes in the 60s and 70s from school to politics. However, there was a band from the mid 60s to the early 70s with a varied variety of lyrical themes.

Creedence

 The Bay Area band formed in 1965 with the Fogerty brothers (John and Tom) and their good friends Stu Cook and Doug Clifford. Their heyday was arguably 1968 to 1970 when the band wrote and recorded many of their well-known hits.

What made Creedence interesting is that a listener would hardly believe they were from the Bay Area as their sound featured more a swamp/southern Rock sound.

Two interesting songs in particular:

 Well many of their themes were straightforward, Creedence did have two particular songs, both with "Rain" in the title, that each took different themes.

Who'll Stop The Rain

 From their 1970 album, Cosmo's Factory, this folk rocky track has been long debated. While many saw the song being politically heavy, Mr. Fogerty has begged to differ. He stated at a 2007 concet, and I quote, "Well, this next song has a bit of a fable surrounding it. A lot of folks seem to think I sang this song at Woodstock way back then. No. I was at Woodstock 1969. I think. It was a nice event. I'm a California kid. I went up there and saw a whole bunch of really nice young people. Hairy. Colorful. It started to rain, and got really muddy, and then (yelling) half a million people took their clothes off!!! (Normal voice again) Boomer generation making its presence known I guess. Anyway, then I went home and wrote this song."

The Woodstock reference can especially be seen in the third verse. The single was #1 in Belgium and the Netherlands, and #2 in the US (their first of two, the other being Lookin' Out my Back Door). CCR NEVER had a US #1 hit.

Have You Ever See the Rain?

 From Cosmo's Factory follow-up, Pendullum, this single hit the highest in Canada (#1). Many writers, in the early 70s, speculated that this was another one of CCR's anti-war songs, and that the "rain" is a metaphor for bombs or shells.

John Fogerty, however, clarified that the song is about the tensions in the band at the time over his older brother, Tom Fogerty's, imminent departure. The same is almost true of its follow-up single He Tonight.

Pendullum is the final album featuring rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty. The band released 1972's Mardi Gras as a power trio and even went as far as to have each member write and sing a few of their own songs - something Tom wasn't keen on among the reasons for his quitting. Tom Fogerty died in 1990 and at CCR's induction into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, Tom's wife brought his urn.




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