Thursday October 1, 2020 “Bad Moon Rising” Creedence Clearwater Revival
This is one of the most frequently misheard lyrics.
Creedence Clearwater Revival is a band with a sound straight out of the Louisiana swamps but was actually formed by the Fogerty brothers, Tom and John in their hometown of Oakland CA. Originally Tom and the Blue Velvets then the Golliwogs, Creedence was signed to a record contract by Saul Zaentz the owner of Fantasy Records, a relationship that would become contentious like so many similar ones in the music business.
Tom, the oldest of the Fogerty brothers was the original singer and frontman but that role as well as the groups creative leadership would fall to John who became the primary songwriter and lead singer. They had five number two records but never a number one record, something of an odd record in the Billboard music charts.
“Bad Moon Rising”, according to John Fogerty was inspired by the movie The Devil and Daniel Webster and contrary to its poppy sound is a fairly apocalyptic song. Fogerty also openly admits to ‘borrowing’ the guitar lick from legendary guitarist Scotty Moore who used it in Elvis Presley’s “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone”. Fogerty claims it was to honor Moore’s work.
This lyric was so often misheard that Fogerty himself, in jest of course, has used it in performances.
The misheard lyric: “There’s a bathroom on the right”. Lyrics below for the correct version.
Stay safe and well...and do distinguish between the bad moon and the bathroom.
