Sweet Hitch-Hiker

Last updated
"Sweet Hitch-Hiker"
Sweet Hitch-Hiker - Creedence Clearwater Revival.jpg
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Mardi Gras
B-side "Door to Door"
ReleasedJuly 1971
Genre
Length2:59
Label Fantasy
Songwriter(s) John Fogerty
Producer(s)
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"
(1971)
"Sweet Hitch-Hiker"
(1971)
"Someday Never Comes"
(1972)

"Sweet Hitch-Hiker" is a song by the American roots/swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival from their 1972 album Mardi Gras. It was first released as a single in 1971 and reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their 9th and last top 10 hit. [3] On the Record Retailer UK Singles Chart, it peaked at #36. [4]

Contents

The song was written by CCR singer John Fogerty, and it has been described as a "classic John Fogerty stomper" by author Hank Bordowitz. [5] It was a departure from previous CCR songs in that it dealt explicitly with sexual themes.

The song mentions the Greasy King, a restaurant in El Cerrito, the California city where the band members were raised.

The B-side of the single was the song "Door to Door" written and sung by Stu Cook.

Chart performance

Certifications

CountryCertification
United StatesGold [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creedence Clearwater Revival</span> American rock band

Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty; bassist Stu Cook; and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs, before settling on the Creedence Clearwater Revival name in 1967. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, and was the first major act signed to appear there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Fogerty</span> American musician (born 1945)

John Cameron Fogerty is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter. The group had nine top-10 singles and eight gold albums between 1968 and 1972, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

<i>Cosmos Factory</i> 1970 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in July 1970. Six of the album's eleven tracks were released as singles in 1970, with five of them charting in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album spent nine consecutive weeks in the number one position on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified 4x platinum by the RIAA in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Fogerty</span> American musician (1941–1990)

Thomas Richard Fogerty was an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

<i>Bayou Country</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Bayou Country is the second studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in January 1969, and was the first of three albums CCR released in that year.

<i>Willy and the Poor Boys</i> 1969 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Willy and the Poor Boys is the fourth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in November 1969. It was the last of three studio albums the band released that year, arriving just three months after Green River.

<i>Pendulum</i> (Creedence Clearwater Revival album) 1970 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Pendulum is the sixth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records on December 9, 1970. It was the second studio album the band released that year, arriving five months after Cosmo's Factory.

<i>Mardi Gras</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Mardi Gras is the seventh and final studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on April 11, 1972. Recorded after the departure of guitarist Tom Fogerty, it was the band's only studio album as a trio, and featured songs written, sung, and produced by each of the remaining members, rather than just John Fogerty. The recording sessions were marred by personal and creative tensions, and the group disbanded after a short U.S. tour to support the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Moon Rising</span> Creedence Clearwater Revival song

"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released in April 16, 1969 four months before the album. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 28 June 1969 and reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in September of that year. It was CCR's second gold single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proud Mary</span> 1969 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Proud Mary" is a song written by John Fogerty and first recorded by his band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released by Fantasy Records as a single from the band's second studio album, Bayou Country, which was issued by the same record company and is generally considered to have been released in early January 1969, although one source states that it came out just before Christmas 1968. The song became a major hit in the United States, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1969, the first of five singles to peak at No. 2 for the group.

<i>Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits</i> 1976 greatest hits album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Chronicle, or fully Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits, is a greatest hits album by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released in January 1976 by Fantasy Records. The edited version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" featured on the album was simultaneously released as a single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down on the Corner</span> 1969 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Down on the Corner" is a song by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It appeared on their fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys (1969). The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 20 December 1969. The flip side, "Fortunate Son", reached No. 14 on the United States charts on 22 November 1969, the week before Billboard changed its methodology on double-sided hits.

"Susie Q" is a song by musician Dale Hawkins recorded late in the rockabilly era in 1957. He wrote it with bandmate Robert Chaisson, but when released, Stan Lewis, the owner of Jewel/Paula Records and whose daughter Susan was the inspiration for the song, and Eleanor Broadwater, the wife of Nashville DJ Gene Nobles, were credited as co-writers to give them shares of the royalties.

<i>Revival</i> (John Fogerty album) 2007 studio album by John Fogerty

Revival is the seventh solo studio album by American roots rock singer-songwriter/guitarist John Fogerty. Released in 2007, it was his first new album in three years, and also his third album since rejoining Fantasy Records. The album was released on October 2, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lookin' out My Back Door</span> 1970 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Lookin' out My Back Door" is a song recorded by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival. Written by the band's lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter, John Fogerty, it is included on their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory; this was the group's fifth album, and was also their fifth and final number-two Billboard hit, held off the top by Diana Ross's version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Up Around the Bend</span> 1970 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Up Around the Bend" is a song recorded by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, and written by the band's lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter John Fogerty. The song was composed and recorded only a few days prior to the band's April 1970 European tour and was included on the album Cosmo's Factory. Released as a single, with "Run Through the Jungle" on the flipside, the double-sided single climbed to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Have You Ever Seen the Rain?</span> 1971 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" is a song written by John Fogerty and released as a single in 1971 from the album Pendulum (1970) by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song charted highest in Canada, reaching number 1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart in March 1971. In the U.S., in the same year it peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. On Cash Box pop chart, it peaked at number 3. In the UK, it reached number 36. It was the group's eighth gold-selling single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creedence Clearwater Revival discography</span>

The discography of American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, who released their first album and singles in July 1968, includes 7 studio albums, 3 live albums, 41 compilation albums, and 29 singles. The group, although only active for 4 years, has sold more than 30 million albums and singles in the United States alone, and has charted in multiple countries throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green River (song)</span> Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Green River" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was written by John Fogerty and released as a single in July 1969, one month before the album of the same name was released. "Green River" peaked at number two for one week, behind "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies, and was ranked by Billboard as the No. 31 song of 1969.

<i>Live at Woodstock</i> (Creedence Clearwater Revival album) 2019 live album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Live at Woodstock is a live album released on August 2, 2019 via Fantasy Records. The set documents swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival's set at the Woodstock music festival on August 17, 1969. The release has received positive reviews and mild chart success.

References

  1. Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (15 October 1996). Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s. St. Martin's Press. p. 12. ISBN   978-0-312-14704-4.
  2. Kitts, Thomas M. (27 August 2015). John Fogerty: An American Son. Routledge. p. 179. ISBN   978-1-317-96126-0.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 152. ISBN   978-0-8230-7499-0 . Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  4. Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums. London: Omnibus Press. p. 275. ISBN   1-84449-058-0 . Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  5. Bordowitz, Hank (2007). Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 126. ISBN   978-1-55652-661-9 . Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  6. "Go-Set Australian chart". Go-Set. 1971. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  7. "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  8. "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  9. "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  10. "Library and archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  11. "– Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  12. "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker". VG-lista.
  13. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  14. "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker". Swiss Singles Chart.
  15. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 28, 1971". Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  16. "Creedence Clearwater Revival Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  18. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  19. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  20. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971". Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  21. RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database