Happy 70th birthday to John Fogerty, the vocalist and guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival and his own solo act. Although he's best known for his time as frontman for CCR, Fogerty has been working as a musician for the nearly 40 years since his first band folded. To celebrate his nearly 50 years in the music industry, we went back and chose what we thought his best piece of work from the past five decades. After you're done here, feel free to comment below (we know the picks for the Creedence years will be controversial) and then check out our similar feature on Eric Clapton and Bob Seger.
1960s: "Green River"...1969
Creedence Clearwater Revival didn't have too much recording time during the '60s but what it managed to produce in that span is incredible. We're looking at classic singles such as "Born on The Bayou," "Bad Moon Rising," "Fortunate Son" and more. Looking at that array of classics and picking just one was a daunting task, but ultimately we have to go with "Green River," the title single from the band's 1969 album. Why? Southern rock has always had its appeal—whether in the traditional stylings of The Band or the anthemic nature of Lynyrd Skynyrd—but the biggest innovations came from performers who adopted the style of the South, such as Neil Young and Creedence (actually from California, if you weren't aware). Listen to Fogerty's dissonant guitar and you'll hear something far from the smooth stylings of Clapton...you'll hear the old school blues of Muddy Waters being taken in a new direction. Young may have eventually gotten the nickname "the godfather of grunge," but few songs serve as a better starting place for the grunge guitar sound than the licks on "Green River."
1970s: "Run Through The Jungle"...1970
No event in American history has inspired such a plethora of music as the Vietnam War. Even songs that were created with no intention of commenting on the events overseas were brought into the fold when they ended up on iconic soundtracks such as Apocalypse Now, which offered The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and The Doors' "The End" prominent new advertising, offering even darker context for already gloomy songs. Oddly, one of the most intense and frightening songs to later be affiliated with the Vietnam War in media wasn't actually intended as an anti-war song. "Run Through The Jungle" certainly makes sense...considering its lyrical themes, the topography of Southeast Asia as well as Creedence's political commentary in "Fortunate Son." The song, which was famously used in the film Platoon, was actually a commentary on the proliferation of guns in the United States. Intention aside, the studio effects of looping guitars backwards created an unnatural unease in the track.
1980s: "Old Man Down The Road"...1984
"Run Through The Jungle" makes its return 14 years later for the solo track "Old Man Down The Road." The band had separated rather aggressively, and Fogerty had sold his ownership of a decent amount of the band's songs to Fantasy Records in order to free himself up from his contract. That came back to bite during the mid '80s when he released his first single from the album Centerfield, which Fantasy then sued for, alleging copyright infringement. The lawsuit alleged that "Old Man Down The Road" was simply "Run Through The Jungle" with different lyrics. If this case were to see a court during 2014, Fogerty would be paying a major settlement. If you thought "Blurred Lines" and "Got To Give It Up" sounded similar, then you'll be shocked that Fogerty got off scot-free for this one. That said, stripping away the extra effects from "Jungle" reveals just how great a blues-rocker the song could have been as well.
1990s: "Premonition"...1998
Sometimes sticking to the same old formula can be a good thing—Fogerty will never go hungry as long as he's got the Creedence royalties coming in, after all—but it doesn't hurt to mix things up from time to time. "Premonition," his 1998 single from the album of the same title, heads in a more straightforward Southern rock direction, relying less on blues licks and more on background vocalists to emphasize the hook. Then again, he also revisits a familiar theme for the song's content. Those upset that we didn't include "Bad Moon Rising" as our '60s song will feel better knowing that Fogerty is still hung up on bad vibes nearly 40 years later. This would be his last song to chart (at no. 19 on the mainstream rock list)...until he proves us wrong.
2000s: "When Will I Be Loved"...2009
After nearly 50 years of making music, Fogerty can be forgiven for trying some new things, or opting to work with other people's music. The good news is that in that span he's also made a bunch of big-name friends to help him out with that cause. The lead single for Fogerty's 2009 album The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again was "When Will I Be Loved," a single performed by the Everly Brothers and then popularized further by Linda Ronstadt. Fogerty understood he'd have to one up her version somehow (or at least try) so he brought in Bruce Springsteen to collaborate. Two iconic rockers singing and playing guitar on an iconic rock 'n' roll track? We're sold.
