3 Creedence Clearwater Revival Songs We Can’t Stop Singing

There was a time in the 1970s when Creedence Clearwater Revival was the biggest band on the planet. The Beatles had just broken up, and suddenly the world was looking around at each other, like, who would take up the mantle? But it was one John Fogerty-led rock group that stepped up. And for good reason, the group has hits for days and a frontman with a voice for the ages.

Videos by American Songwriter

Here, we wanted to dig a little deeper into the sounds and styles of the California-born swamp rock group. To highlight three Creedence Clearwater Revival songs that we both love and simply can’t stop singing. Indeed, these are three tracks from the group we love to belt out at the top of our lungs.

“Fortunate Son” from ‘Willy And The Poor Boys’ (1969)

A song about being born an average person, this track is fun to sing, both for the pure aesthetics and sonic qualities created by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and it’s also fun to sing as a rebellious anti-war and anti-capitalism track. Sometimes you simply have to speak truth to power, and that is exactly what lead vocalist John Fogerty is doing here. He ain’t no rich man’s son, he ain’t no silver spoon boy. It’s a bit of a precursor to a recent country hit, “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony. Indeed, protest never dies, it just finds new songs to inhabit.

“Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” from ‘Pendulum’ (1970)

While the band was starting to run its course (indeed, they would only put out one more album after Pendulum), they were still hitting high-water marks as the 1960s turned into the 1970s. And evidence of that is this sing-along-worthy song “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” Some even say that the track is about the end of the idealistic 1960s. But Fogerty himself has said the song is about the end of his band, its dissolution, and the final stages. In that way, this catchy song is really a lament from Fogerty. After every warm stretch, the rain will come.

“Lookin’ Out My Back Door” from ‘Cosmo’s Factory’ (1970)

A hard-hitting rock track about sitting down and lazily looking out your kitchen door—this song has led many to believe it’s Fogerty talking about being high. He’s seeing dream-like images as he gawks at nature from the comfort of his home. But Fogerty has disputed these claims, saying it was written for his then-young son. He even said it was inspired by children’s author Dr. Seuss. Either way, it’s a fun one to sing aloud, stoned or otherwise!

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images