The popular song “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival is a favorite of many people. The words in it help to cheer up after a bad day, and its peppy melody energizes.
The song first appears on the 1970 album Pendulum. The following year, in January, it is released as a single and goes gold. Canada received the song very well, earning a respectable number one spot on the RPM100 national singles chart.
In the USA, she also managed to distinguish herself, she visited the “hot hundred” of Billboard magazine, where she was given 8th place. In the UK, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” held a strong position at number 36.
Later, the song was used in the TV show “Tour of Duty” which told about the Vietnam War years. She can be heard in such series and films as: “Evan Almighty”, “Detective Rush”, “Sister Jackie”, “All or Nothing”, “Enzo’s Incredible World”, “Business Trip” and in the series “Stargate” .
Many people grew up on the work of CCR. This is not surprising, given the beauty of their music, which combines rock, country, soul and blues. Although the band disbanded in 1972, in the short time that they were together, each of its members had a huge impact on music. Due to their efforts and success, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
But what lies behind the success and fame? Was everything achieved by long practice for the good sound of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” or talent always rescued? Only history can answer these questions.
History of creation
What is the mystery behind the creation of this music? Well, there were many reasons for its appearance.
It all started with public opinion. Some respected critics began to consider CCR a pop group, thus insulting its members. John Fogerty was determined to get them to change their minds.
The next album Pendulum began to add keyboards and brass, female backing vocals. A real rock album was planned, which in no way and will never be able to resemble other genres. For the first time, Fogerty was meticulous about putting together a record. More effort and time was devoted to the high-quality sound of the instruments. This greatly pleased the head of the group. However, the work dragged on for a month, studio hours grew. The participants liked the idea less and less. Attitude towards John, as a leader, deteriorated every day. And it is not surprising, because he did not take into account the opinion of his comrades.
The band’s bassist Stu Cook said that “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” and “Pagan Baby” were rehearsed in less than two hours. “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” was played in one session, and “Pagan Baby” was also recorded in one take.
Despite all the difficulties in creating, the work came out well. For Fogerty, it became one of his favorite songs of all time, even though he wrote it himself. When listening to it, there was a feeling of calmness and peace of mind.
The inspiration came from Booker T. & MG’s, who created the very famous song “Green Onions”. Before the release of the album, the band performed at Creedence Clearwater Revival. The head of the band liked the sound of the organ in the music of Booker T Jones, so it is included in the work for the album, including “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”.
The song has been covered many times. To date, there is a large selection of artists: The Jeevas, Joan Jett, Smokie, Belinda Carlisle, Boney M, Ramones, Spin Doctors, Willie Nelson. Don’t forget Bonnie Tyler. In 1983, she recorded a cover for her hit album Faster Than The Speed of Night. Her version reached number 47 in the UK charts.
There are also covers in Russian, from Gennady Bayakov, Igor Ivanov, Garik Sukachev and Alexander Kutikov, who received a place in the Time Machine group for his incredible performance.
Interestingly, even in the USSR “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” was released. In 1974, it was performed by the Melodiya ensemble, having previously added it to the Walls mini-album. The title of the song was shortened and changed to “Rain”. The arrangement was made by Boris Frumkin, and Georgy Garanyan managed the ensemble.
Even years later, a great work is remembered and its significance is proved. In 2016, Rod Stewart included a cover of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” on the album Still the Same… Great Rock Classics of Our Time. The album was very highly acclaimed in the States, which undoubtedly helped this song.
Meaning of the song «Have You Ever Seen The Rain?» by Creedence Clearwater Revival
There have been many theories and conjectures about the meaning. This was facilitated by the release date of the song. Due to the fact that it was fired in the middle of the Vietnam War, for a long time people believed that by “rain” they meant shells. There was another suggestion, in which critics argued that the point was to reduce the idealism of the 60s. People in the 1970s no longer reacted so sharply to manifestations of violence, executions. Human values were forgotten, there was more indifference to social issues.
However, all theories turned out to be fiction.
John Fogerty, as the author of the song himself, stated that the reason for writing was the discord in the group. The group was in a great position, had fame and recognition. However, apathy befell its members. The team left John’s brother – Tom. The song just speaks of the tense relationship between the members of Creedence Clearwater Revival and the premonition of the inevitable end of their joint activities. It is this situation that the work is devoted to.
There is also a wise message, which is that even on a good day, bad things can happen. This gives the music an even deeper tone.
Meaning of words
“I want to know – have you ever seen the rain comin’ down on a sunny day?”
The line refers to the moment when Tom leaves the band at the dawn of his fame. An example is rain in the middle of a sunny day.
It is important to note that Tom left Creedence Clearwater Revival a couple of times, but returned. He irrevocably left the group in February 1971.
The “Rain on a sunny day” referred to in the piece is “sun shower”. In Russian, this should be understood as “mushroom rain”.
