Born on the Bayou

Last updated

"Born on the Bayou"
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Bayou Country
A-side "Proud Mary"
ReleasedJanuary 5, 1969
RecordedLate 1968, RCA Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre Swamp rock, [1] [2] Southern rock, [3] rock and roll [4]
Length5:10 (Album Version)
3:50 (Single Edit)
Label Fantasy
Songwriter(s) John Fogerty
Producer(s) John Fogerty

"Born on the Bayou" (1969) is the first track on Creedence Clearwater Revival's second album, Bayou Country , released in 1969. It was released as the B-side of the single "Proud Mary" that reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts.

Contents

Background

Songwriter John Fogerty set the song in the South, despite neither having lived nor widely traveled there. [5] He commented:

"Born on the Bayou" was vaguely like "Porterville," about a mythical childhood and a heat-filled time, the Fourth of July. I put it in the swamp where, of course, I had never lived. It was late as I was writing. I was trying to be a pure writer, no guitar in hand, visualizing and looking at the bare walls of my apartment. Tiny apartments have wonderful bare walls, especially when you can't afford to put anything on them. "Chasing down a hoodoo." Hoodoo is a magical, mystical, spiritual, non-defined apparition, like a ghost or a shadow, not necessarily evil, but certainly other-worldly. I was getting some of that imagery from Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. [6]

"Born on the Bayou" is an example of "swamp rock", [7] a genre associated with Fogerty, Little Feat/Lowell George, the Band, J.J. Cale and Tony Joe White. The guitar setting for the intro is over-driven with amp tremolo on a slow setting; Fogerty uses a Gibson ES-175 (which was stolen from his car soon after recording this track). [8] The song has also been described as Southern rock [3] and rock and roll. [4]

Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug Clifford has said of the song in 1998:

My favorite record of ours is "Born on the Bayou." It's just an ass-kicker and a rolling track and, basically, where that song started was at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The boys got all their new toys. The Kuston amps were supposed to show up that night and, by God, they did. They're out there playing with them and getting sounds, and here I am with the same set. John's out there working with feedback, sorting that out, and I was tapping here and there and they're telling me, "Be quiet," and I got tired of it and I just started out with that quarter note beat that I played on "Suzie Q" but I changed the foot pattern, and that was sort of the beginning of it. That's how it started, that feedback beginning and that quarter note beat. [9]

According to Clifford, "Born on the Bayou" was originally supposed to be released as the A-side of the single with "Proud Mary." [10] Clifford said of the song "I didn’t think 'Proud Mary' was that good, if you want to know the truth about it. I just didn’t like it. I liked 'Born on the Bayou' — to this day, it’s still my favorite Creedence song. It’s nasty, and I was disappointed when [the single] got flipped." [10] Clifford added that “I must say I’ve had a change of heart over 40 years, and I love ‘Proud Mary.” [10]

Creedence Clearwater Revival performed the song at Woodstock. [11] [12]

Reception

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Cliff M. Junior rated "Born on the Bayou" as Creedence Clearwater Revival's 2nd greatest song, saying that "John Fogerty doesn’t just sing this ominous ode to the New Orleans area — he howls it." [12]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [13] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

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

Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band 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 Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. The band's most prolific and successful period between 1969 and 1971 produced fourteen consecutive Top 10 singles and five consecutive Top 10 albums in the United States – two of which, Green River (1969) and Cosmo's Factory (1970), reached number one. 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 singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter. CCR 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 on July 8, 1970. Six of the album's eleven tracks were released as singles in 1970, and all of them charted 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 Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1990. Rolling Stone ranked it number 413 on its 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

<i>Creedence Clearwater Revival</i> (album) 1968 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival is the debut studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in July 1968, by Fantasy Records in the US. Featuring the band's first hit single, "Susie Q", which reached number 11 in the US charts, it was recorded shortly after the band changed its name from the Golliwogs and began developing a signature swamp rock sound.

<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 on January 15, 1969, and was the first of three albums CCR released in that year. Bayou Country reached number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart and produced the band's first No. 2 hit single, "Proud Mary".

<i>Green River</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Green River is the third studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on August 7, 1969 by Fantasy Records. It was the second of three albums they released in that year, preceded by Bayou Country in January and followed by Willy and the Poor Boys in November.

<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 by Fantasy Records. 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.

<i>Live in Europe</i> (Creedence Clearwater Revival album) 1973 live album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Live in Europe is the first live album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. Although released in 1973, it was recorded in 1971 during the Pendulum tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Moon Rising</span> 1969 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 on 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 by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by vocalist and lead guitarist John Fogerty. It was released as a single in January 1969 by Fantasy Records and on the band's second studio album, Bayou Country. 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.

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

Creedence Clearwater Revisited is an American rock band formed in 1995 by bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, former members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, to play live versions of that band's music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run Through the Jungle</span> 1970 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Run Through the Jungle" is a 1970 song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released as a double A-side single with "Up Around The Bend" and on the album Cosmo's Factory.

<i>Creedence Country</i> 1981 compilation album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Country is a compilation album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR). It was released by Fantasy Records in October 1981 with the purpose of infiltrating the country market.

"Who'll Stop the Rain" is a song written by John Fogerty and originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival for their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory. Backed with "Travelin' Band", it was one of three double-sided singles from that album to reach the top five on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and the first of two to reach the No. 2 spot on the American charts, alongside "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long As I Can See the Light". In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 188 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green River (song)</span> 1969 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 moderate chart success.

"Keep On Chooglin'" is a song written by John Fogerty that was first released as the final song on Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1969 album Bayou Country. The song was often used to close Creedence Clearwater Revival concerts and was later covered by several other artists including Fogerty as a solo artist. The song popularized the neologism "chooglin'."

<i>At the Royal Albert Hall</i> 2022 live album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

At the Royal Albert Hall is a 2022 live album recorded in 1970 with American swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The performance was released as an album to coincide with the documentary film Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall, directed by Bob Smeaton. The recordings document the band's first European tour and feature footage that has never been released; the album includes the entire set recorded on April 14, 1970. An earlier live album, The Concert, released in 1980, was initially erroneously titled The Royal Albert Hall Concert, but actually documented a completely different CCR show in Oakland, California, three months before their UK tour.

Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall is a 2022 documentary film directed by Bob Smeaton. The film documents the origins of the American swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and their 1970 European tour, culminating in an April 14, 1970, performance at London's Royal Albert Hall. The movie takes its name from the band's song "Travelin' Band".

<i>Ultimate Creedence Clearwater Revival: Greatest Hits & All-Time Classics</i> 2012 greatest hits album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Ultimate Creedence Clearwater Revival: Greatest Hits & All-Time Classics is a three-disc greatest hits album by the American roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 2012 by Fantasy Records and Concord Music Group.

References

  1. ↑ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Backbeat Books. p. 265. ISBN   978-0-87930-653-3.
  2. ↑ Molanphy, Chris (February 28, 2019). "The Bad Moon on the Rise Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Davey, Ryan (December 29, 2020). "Wrote A Song for Everyone: A Deep Dive Retrospective of Creedence Clearwater Revival". Ceremony Music. Retrieved April 2, 2024. "Born on the Bayou" is one of my favourite CCR songs. Its wonderful, swampy, psychedelic groove kicked off the band's second album and revealed their deeper shift into the southern rock sounds and imagery.
  4. 1 2 Wolgamott, L. Kent (April 8, 2024). "John Fogerty to play Pinewood Bowl in August". Lincoln Journal Star . Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  5. ↑ John Fogerty interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1970)
  6. ↑ Kitts, Thomas M, ed. (2012). Finding Fogerty: Interdisciplinary Readings of John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Lexington Books. ISBN   9780739174845.
  7. ↑ "What Is Swamp Rock?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  8. ↑ Drozdowski, Ted. "How John Fogerty Created Swampy 6-String Magic with Classic Les Pauls". Gibson Guitar Co. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  9. ↑ Werner, Craig (1998). Up Around the Bend. Avon Books. p. 85. ISBN   0380801531.
  10. 1 2 3 Junior, Cliff M. (December 25, 2009). "Creedence Clearwater Revival: Three of a kind". Goldmine. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  11. ↑ Greene, Andy (December 11, 2014). "Creedence Play 'Born on the Bayou' at Woodstock". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Junior, Cliff M. (September 9, 2012). "Top 10 Creedence Clearwater Revival Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  13. ↑ "American single certifications – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Born on the Bayou". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.