I believe few bands had a more impressive string of celebrated songs in such a short time than Creedence Clearwater Revival. The band – led by none other than John Fogerty – released an impressive 14 top-10 singles between 1968 and 1972. Those are Beatles-esque numbers! For this article, I have picked CCR’s 10 best songs, based on personal preference and cultural importance.
10. Suzie Q
I start this list with where it all began for Creedence Clearwater Revival: “Suzie Q”. CCR released the Dale Hawkins cover on their self-titled debut album in 1968. John Fogerty decided to record the song in an attempt to receive airplay on KMPX (a progressive-rock radio station in San Francisco). Fogerty’s attempt succeeded, as “Suzie Q” became CCR’s first hit single. I don’t know if covers belong on a top 10 list, but if they do, “Suzie Q” certainly deserves to rank on this list.
9. Run Through the Jungle
“Run Through the Jungle” is an incredibly groovy song released on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s fifth studio album Cosmo’s Factory. The album produced an incredible 6 top-5 singles, some of which you will find later on this list. Tom Fogerty – CCR’s rhythm guitarist and John’s brother – considered the song his favorite: “My all-time favorite Creedence tune was ‘Run Through the Jungle’. It’s like a little movie in itself with all the sound effects. It never changes key, but it holds your interest the whole time.”
8. Down on the Corner
Where The Beatles created the fictional Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival created the fictional Willy and the Poor Boys. They’re a jug band playing “Down on the Corner” trying to cheer people up and earn some pennies. The concept of the fictional band never extended beyond “Down on the Corner” musically, but nevertheless gave us one of CCR’s finest tunes.
7. I Put A Spell On You
During their short spell as a band, CCR released several famous covers. “Suzie Q” appeared earlier on this list, and the band’s 11-minute cover of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” is worthy of a mention too. But my absolute favorite cover by CCR is Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You”. John Fogerty’s vocal performance is simply outstanding and his lead guitar work is one of the finest in Creedence’s repertoire.
6. Proud Mary
From now on only Creedence Clearwater Revival originals, starting on number 7 with “Proud Mary”. John Fogerty wrote the song after being discharged from the army. “I was so happy, I ran out into my little patch of lawn and turned cartwheels,” Fogerty reflected. “Then I went into my house, picked up my guitar and started strumming. ‘Left a good job in the city’ and then several good lines came out of me immediately.”
“By the time I hit ‘Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river,’ I knew I had written my best song. It vibrated inside me.” The song was released as a single in January 1969 and reached number 2 on the US Charts.
5. Up Around the Bend
For number 5 I picked “Up Around the Bend”. John Fogerty’s stirring song invites the listener to leave the sinking ship behind and join the rising wind. “Up Around the Bend” was released as the second single of Cosmo’s Factory (together with “Run Through the Jungle”) and was a worldwide top-10 hit.
4. Who’ll Stop The Rain
“Who’ll Stop The Rain” is the last song from Cosmo’s Factory on this list. The first two verses of the protest song are politically loaded, while the third and final verses address John Fogerty’s experience of playing at Woodstock. Overall, “Who’ll Stop The Rain” is a great song, I just believe Creedence Clearwater Revival has 3 songs that are better.
3. Bad Moon Rising
“Bad Moon Rising” is a true Creedence Clearwater Revival standard. The song was inspired by a hurricane scene in the 1941 movie The Devil and Daniel Webster. “So I started writing about a natural disaster,” John Fogerty reflected in his biography. “Pretty unusual thing to write a song about, and what was more unusual was the snappy melody I gave it … I thought the song was foreboding and dark, and it was only much later that people pointed out how happy it sounded.”
The song was released as the lead single of Green River in April 1969. “Bad Moon Rising” reached number 2 on the US charts and topped the UK charts.
2. Fortunate Son
I admit, number 1 on 2 on this list are pretty much interchangeable, but I’ve decided to rank “Fortunate Son” number 2. The song is arguably Creedence Clearwater Revival’s most famous song and grew out to be a stand-alone anthem. The anti-war and anti-establishment song addresses the privilege in the drafting system.
“You’d hear about the son of this senator or that congressman who was given a deferment from the military or a choice position in the military,” Fogerty said about the song. “They seemed privileged and whether they liked it or not, these people were symbolic in the sense that they weren’t being touched by what their parents were doing. They weren’t being affected like the rest of us.”
Fogerty claims he wrote the song in about 20 minutes, giving us one of the greatest anthems of the 1960s.
1. Have You Ever Seen the Rain
My number 1 on the list of best Creedence Clearwater Revival songs is “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”. The song was written near the end of CCR’s short stint and addresses the issues within the band. member Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford, and Stu Cook felt John Fogerty was too controlling over the band’s artistic decisions. John Fogerty, in his turn, felt he was solely responsible for CCR’s success. The friction inspired him to write “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”.
“Man, we achieved all our dreams. And you guys are only talking about negative stuff,” Fogerty reflected. “By your own volition, you bring in a huge rain cloud and cause it to rain. On your own perfect dream. That’s the way I saw it.”
The song discussed the rain (friction within CCR) coming down on a sunny day (success of CCR). Sadly enough, Creedence Clearwater Revival fell apart shortly after releasing the song. Tom Fogerty left the band in early 1971, and CCR continued as a trio. But the friction lasted nevertheless, and Creedence Clearwater Revival disbanded permanently in late 1972. At least the breakup gave us “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”, which I consider CCR’s very best song!
Read more: The Story Behind “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by CCR
So, that wraps up my list of the 10 best Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. I left out songs that could have easily ranked on this list, such as “Born on the Bayou”, “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”, “Travelin’ Band”, and “Green River”, among others. What do you think of my list? What songs would you include or exclude? And what does your personal top 10 look like? Please let me know in the comments below!
Interested in more top 10 lists? Click here
