Green River (song)

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"Green River"
Green River label.jpeg
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Green River
B-side "Commotion"
ReleasedJuly 1969 (1969-07) [1]
RecordedBetween March and June 1969 [2]
Studio Wally Heider, San Francisco [3]
Genre
Length2:36
Label Fantasy
Songwriter(s) John Fogerty
Producer(s) John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology
"Bad Moon Rising"
(1969)		"Green River"
(1969)		"Down on the Corner"
(1969)
Music video
"Green River" (lyric video) on YouTube

"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. [1] "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.

Contents

Background

The song was based on a childhood vacation spot of John Fogerty's. [6] [7] In an interview Fogerty gave to Rolling Stone in 2012, Fogerty stated:

What really happened is that I used a setting like New Orleans, but I would actually be talking about thing from my own life. Certainly a song like "Green River" – which you may think would fit seamlessly into the Bayou vibe, but it's actually about the Green River, as I named it – it was actually called Putah Creek by Winters, California. It wasn't called Green River, but in my mind I always sort of called it Green River. All those little anecdotes are part of my childhood, those are things that happened to me actually, I just wrote about them and the audience shifted at the time and place. [8]

Fogerty added that the "actual specific reference, 'Green River,' I got from a soda pop-syrup label... My flavor was called Green River." [7]

Although the song seems to be mostly about idyllic memories, in the last verse a character named Old Cody Junior warns the singer that he's going to find the world smoldering but can always come back to Green River. [9] The name Old Cody Junior was a reference to the fact that Buffalo Bill Cody had owned the cabin by the creek that inspired the song. [10]

As to the music, Fogerty said that:

"Green River" is obviously a tip of the hat to the Sun Records sound, but I can't think of any real specific song. Actually, with the loping beat of the acoustic guitar and then the bass kind of doing that rocking beat on the one and the four, I tend to think of something like "Dream Baby" by Roy Orbison. Yet "Green River" was much more rocking than that song, but the rhythm treatment fit." [10]

Reception

Billboard described the single as "a driving rocker in the same vein as" Creedence Clearwater Revival's previous single "Bad Moon Rising." [11] Cash Box described it as developing "the bayou-rock style of the CCR in a slower than 'Bad Moon Rising' track that could steal the spotlight." [12] Cash Box ranked it as the No. 19 single of 1969. [13] Record World said it was "great." [14] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Cliff M. Junior rated "Green River" as Creedence Clearwater Revival's 7th greatest song. [9]

Sales and airplay

"Green River" was certified gold (500,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 13, 1990. [15]

Chart (1969)Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [16] 5
Canada ( RPM ) [17] 5
West Germany (Official German Charts) [18] 8
UK Singles (OCC) [19] 19
US Billboard Hot 100 [20] 2

Cover versions

Mary Wilson of The Supremes worked with UK record producer Gus Dudgeon on a cover version in the early 1980s. It was released in 2021 on Mary Wilson: The Motown Anthology . Country band Alabama recorded a cover version of the song that appears on their 1982 album Mountain Music. The Minutemen included a live performance cover of the song on their 1984 EP Tour-Spiel. Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings covered it on their first album, Struttin' Our Stuff . The Hollies based their swamp rock pastiche "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" off the basic structure of "Green River"; The similarities between the two songs prompted John Fogerty to file suit against the band, alleging plagiarism. The case was settled out of court with Fogerty receiving half of the revenue from the song. Eilen Jewell released a version of the song on a single in 2020.

Appearances in other media

See also

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.

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

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

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

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<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 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.

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<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">Travelin' Band</span> Original song written and composed by John Fogerty

"Travelin' Band" is a song written by John Fogerty and originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was included on their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory. Backed with "Who'll Stop the Rain", it was one of three double sided singles from that album to reach the top five on the U.S. Pop Singles Chart and the first of two to reach the number 2 spot on the American charts, alongside "Lookin' Out My Back Door", in which they were unable to interrupt the six-week run of the successful number one, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel. "Travelin' Band" was also a hit in the UK, reaching number eight on the UK Singles Chart.

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

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

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"Long As I Can See the Light" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, from the album Cosmo's Factory. Released as the flip side of the single "Lookin' Out My Back Door" in 1970, it reached number 57 on the Cash Box singles chart in the US, number 20 in the UK and number one in Norway.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commotion (song)</span> 1969 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Commotion" is a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival from the album Green River, and was also the B-side of the single release of the album's title track. In 1980, "Tombstone Shadow" b/w "Commotion'" was released as a single in the United States. While released as a B-side, "Commotion" reached #30 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 in Germany. It was written by John Fogerty and recorded at Wally Heider's Studios in San Francisco in June 1969. The 45rpm was the debut session of the band at Wally Heider's and the first collaboration with engineer Russ Gary.

References

  1. 1 2 Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits (CD liner). Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fantasy Records. 1991. FCD-CCR2-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Overview: Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival". AllMusic . Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  3. ↑ Green River (Expanded Reissue) (PDF) (CD liner). Creedence Clearwater Revival. United States: Concord Music Group. 2008. FAN-30877-02. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 14, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ↑ Valdez, Steve (2014). "Folk rock". In Henderson, Lol; Stacey, Lee (eds.). Encyclopedia of Music in the 20th Century. London: Routledge. p. 223. ISBN   978-1-135-92946-6.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Art. "John Fogerty Summons His Creedence-Era Spirit on Revival". Guitar Player.
  7. 1 2 Goldberg, Michael (1993). "Fortunate Son: John Fogerty – The 1993 Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone . Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  8. ↑ Greene, Andy. Q&A: John Fogerty on All-Star Duets LP, Unlikely Creedence Reunion, Rolling Stone , May 4, 2012
  9. 1 2 Junior, Cliff M. (September 9, 2012). "Top 10 Creedence Clearwater Revival Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Werner, Craig (1998). Up Around the Bend. Avon Books. pp. 145–146. ISBN   0-380-80153-1.
  11. ↑ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. July 26, 1969. p. 64. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 26, 1969. p. 30. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1969" (PDF). Cash Box. December 27, 1969. p. 22. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. July 26, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  17. ↑ "RPM – Item Display: Top Singles – Volume 12, No. 5, September 20, 1969". Library and Archives Canada . March 31, 2004. Archived from the original (PHP) on October 21, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Creedence Clearwater Revival"
  19. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Billboard Singles". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
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