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John Fogerty’s Emotional Journey in ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’


John Fogerty wrote “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” about his brother, Tom Fogerty, who left Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1971 at the apex of the band’s popularity. The departure of his brother was a sad time for John.

Eventually, the hurt healed, and the meaning of the song changed. In Fogerty’s own words, “This song was originally written about a very sad thing that was going on in my life. But I refuse to be sad now. These days, this song reminds me of my little girl, Kelsy, and every time I sing it, I think about Kelsy and rainbows.

“Have You Ever Seen the Rain” is another song that emerged unexpectedly from my subconscious. The song bounced around in my head until I played it. Here’s my cover. 

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artists Arts & Entertainment music songwriting

Acoustic Guitar Cover: Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”


John Fogerty

John Fogerty wrote this song, in part, for his son, Josh. Josh was three years old at the time, and John could barely wait for his son to hear him sing the song on the radio, especially the part that goes: “Doot doot doo lookin’ out my back door.”

In the song’s chorus, a passing parade is mentioned. Fogerty says the lyric is inspired by a Dr. Seuss book he read as a child, “To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street.”

Some people say the lyric “Won’t you take a ride on the flying spoon” is a reference to cocaine or heroin. Fogrety vehemently denies this. He discouraged drug use by any of his band members, saying drugs interfered with their music and their jobs.

Credence Clearwater Revival gained prominence in the late 1960’s. The band split up acrimoniously in 1972. John Fogerty is still performing as of this writing.

Here’s my cover of this fun song.