A funny song by Creedence and the Apocalypse

Hello ATS!

You can have different attitudes towards Creedence Clearwater Revival. Consider them primitive, playing music on 3 chords, and consider yourself aesthetes, listening to Procol Harum, Jethro Tull, Yes, well, at worst Pink Floyd or Chicago. But Creedence really took first place in various charts, and they are catchy. And what lyrics they wrote...

The end of the 1960s was a turning point not only for the whole of America, but also for Creedence Clearwater Revival. John Fogerty recalled: "In early 1969, we were walking a tightrope. In two weeks we turned from a one-hit wonder into a group on the road to success. I was worried that we were about to fail. In those days, singles had to be released every few weeks, so as long as "Proud Mary" was on the radio, I knew we had to write another one."



John came up with the chords and melody first. He took the phrase "Bad Moon Rising" from a notebook where he had been writing down potential song titles since 1967. The lyrics sounded cool!

"I see a bad moon rising, I see trouble coming, I see earthquakes and lightning, Hard times are coming!"

Plus, the lyrics were reminiscent of one of John's favorite films, the 1941 black-and-white noir "The Devil and Daniel Webster." The title character meets the Devil and sells his soul. But the most memorable scene was the devastating hurricane that blows away furniture, trees, houses...



"Bad Moon Rising" hit the mark. The song reflected a turbulent era of anti-war unrest, political assassinations, and racial unrest: “I don’t think I was actually saying the world was ending, but the song was a metaphor. I wasn’t just writing about the weather.”




This hit sounds cheerful and life-affirming! But its theme is bad feelings, natural disasters, and the coming troubles of humanity.

The late 1960s were a turning point not only for America as a whole, but also for Creedence Clearwater Revival. John Fogerty recalled: “We were walking a tightrope in early 1969. We had gone from a one-hit wonder to a band on the road to success in two weeks. I was worried we were going to fail. In those days, singles had to be released every few weeks, so as long as "Proud Mary" was on the radio, I knew we had to write another one."

John came up with the chords and melody first. He took the phrase "Bad Moon Rising" from a notebook where he had been writing down potential song titles since 1967. The lyrics sounded cool!

"I see a bad moon rising, I see trouble coming, I see earthquakes and lightning: Hard times are coming!"

Plus, the lyrics were reminiscent of one of John's favorite films, the 1941 black-and-white noir "The Devil and Daniel Webster." The main character meets the Devil and sells his soul. But the most memorable scene was the devastating hurricane that blows away furniture, trees, houses...

"Bad Moon Rising" hit the right note. The song reflected the turbulent times of anti-war unrest, political assassinations, and racial unrest: “I don’t think I was actually saying the world was ending, but the song was a metaphor. I wasn’t just writing about the weather.”

Foggerty himself was not thrilled with his composition: “It’s funny, but I was worried that I was writing worse.” However, guitarist Tom Fogerty, bassist Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford did not share his concerns. Everyone was on the same page, and the recording of “Bad Moon Rising” went perfectly.

Having reached #1 in the UK and #2 in the US in the summer of 1969, the single took Creedence Clearwater Revival to new heights of success. However, popularity led to more disagreements. Each felt that he could be a star on his own... As a result, the creative tug-of-war between the four members of CCR reached its limit in 1972.



According to John Fogerty, the old hit's message hasn't lost its relevance over time: "I could have written that song yesterday. It still represents who I am and how I create. I'm very proud of 'Bad Moon Rising.' And I'm grateful that 40 years later people still like it and I'm still here to sing it."

"I hope you've got your affairs in order. I hope you're ready to die. It looks like the weather's going to be so-so. An eye for an eye is still taken!"



Thank you.

a reply to: RussianTroll

One of my favourite songs RT.
Thank you for posting, the backstory is interesting and I didn't know.
Rainbows
Jane

a reply to: angelchemuel
Jane, I am an old rocker. This is my favorite topic - the history of rock music. I will try to write more about it. As an investigative journalist, I try to analyze all the facts in this topic too.

Thank you for your rating)))))

a reply to: RussianTroll
It is a strange thing, looking back so many decades of life...feeling that so very much has changed, and yet...one's inner self, one's perspective of 'me', remains the same.
I was born in 1964 and my brother in 1969, though he died in 2017 - this song brings back memories of our childhood in rural Florida...my parents were so young when they married - my mother only 18 years old, my dad 21, and today they are married still and so far, still healthy at 79 and 82 years of age!

Thank you, Sir RussianT, for a brief 'tour' through my memories - it is nice to take a stroll through years gone by, now and then!
And it is enjoyable to learn how certain songs, which evoke one's own memories, have touched the life histories of others in far away lands!

God Bless you, good sir!

a reply to: lostgirl

Lady, please convey my regards and admiration to your parents. They are an example to follow for all generations. Unfortunately, we, my generation, did not follow their example. Health and happiness to them)))))

Good thread, RT. CCR will always be among my top 5-6 favorite bands.

Here's one of their lesser known songs. It has a supernatural or a 'paranormal' theme.

I saw a man walking on the water
Coming right at me from the other side.
Calling out my name, "Do not be afraid."




If this one doesn't get you up and moving, you're probably dead.

When one looks at sales from the time period, CCR was actually on the road to being bigger than the Beatles.

Watch the crowds, also. CCR crowds were insane compared to the Beatles. Real rock and roll....not boy band crap. Let's face it, the Beatles were the first boy band...like N'Sync style.

CCR was great!

And boy, my mind was blown when I found out they weren't from Louisiana!

a reply to: ColeYounger2

Hi! Unfortunately I can't watch the first video, it's blocked by the author for viewing in Russia.
The second song is one of my favorites by Creedence!
Thank you)))

a reply to: theatreboy

Comparing Creedence and the Beatles, my friend, is like comparing something soft with something warm. They are completely different.
I remember how in my Saratov, in the 90s, I was racing along the Volga along the Embankment on a boat with my brother and two young girls, and a powerful Japanese cassette player was simply screaming Creedence))) The Beatles were out of place in this situation.
Oh, youth...

CCR was one of my favorite bands back when I was a teenager. The music back in the late sixties and early seventies seemed to be really good. Never did care for Ted Nugent though, but there were a lot of songs that were good for society back then. Liked the dark side of the moon and Stairway to heaven a lot

Thank you for the time you spent on this OP. It was a good read.

If you don't mind, I'd like to correct you on some lyrics. Same meaning, but the actual words are a little different and it keeps the poetry together.

You wrote...

"I hope you've got your affairs in order.
I hope you're ready to die.
It looks like the weather's going to be so-so.
An eye for an eye is still taken!"

However the actual lyrics are...

Hope you got your things together
Hope you are quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye


.

originally posted by: RussianTroll
a reply to: theatreboy

Comparing Creedence and the Beatles, my friend, is like comparing something soft with something warm. They are completely different.
I remember how in my Saratov, in the 90s, I was racing along the Volga along the Embankment on a boat with my brother and two young girls, and a powerful Japanese cassette player was simply screaming Creedence))) The Beatles were out of place in this situation.
Oh, youth...

With the lens of history, they are different.

But comparing them as they came out at the time, CCR hnds down.

But I also think the Beatles are over rated.