The Story Behind the Song: ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain?’ (2024)

“’Have you Ever Seen the Rain?’ is about the breakup of Creedence Clearwater Revival. ‘Have you ever seen the rain coming down, sunny day?’ Creedence was supposed to be sunny days, the golden times, yet look at the rain falling down on us […] I don’t think the band realised ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain?’ was about our breakup.”
John Fogerty, quoted in Bad Moon Rising (Bordowitz, 1998: 108)

Autumn 1970, San Francisco, California.John Fogerty sits beside his Creedence Clearwater Revival bandmates, guitarist John Fogerty, bassist Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford, as they express their discontent at the domineering role that John has taken in the band. Feeling he has no other choice, John agrees to relinquish some of the blinding spotlight that up until now has been thrust solely upon him, allowing a more democratic song-writing and management process to take shape. As the band come near to putting the finishing touches on their6^thalbum,Pendulum, John pens one more song that would become synonymous with the name Creedence Clearwater Revival, but also act as a premonition of the imminent dissolution of the group: ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain?’

.

Creedence Clearwater Revival formed in the early 1960’s as a high-school covers band ledby John’s brother, Tom. Following several name changes and the promotion of John to lead vocals, the band would sign a record deal with theJazz label, Fantasy Records, in 1968, becoming the top earner for the label and producing more revenue for Fantasy in the four years the group were active than in the 20 years prior.The band solidified their place in the rock pantheon throughout the late 60’s and early 70’s through constant touring and a string of top selling singles, including ‘Bad Moon Rising’, ‘Looking Out My Back Door’, ‘Who’ll Stop the Rain’, and ‘Fortunate Son’, briefly outselling the Beatles. For a short while CCR were the biggest rock band in America, producing five albums in just three years, but on their sixth album, 1970’s Pendulum, the band began to unravel.

Throughout the recording of Pendulum John worked the band hard, dismissing ideas and performances that he felt weren’t worthy of the group’s name, resulting in an album entirely written and produced by Fogerty. The decision to transform the group into a democracy came at the end of the recording process and didn’t really affect the finished product, the majority of which had already been recorded, but inspired one further song. Written on the spot, ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’ was to be one of the bands biggest hits, their eighth millionth seller in a row, but it would also be one of their last demonstrations of brilliance.

Pendulum album cover.

The song acts as a summation of the despair Fogerty felt around the impending dissolution of the group. The reference to “rain comin’ down on a sunny day” in the chorus’ identifies his exasperation surrounding the break-up, particularly when they were at the height of their fame[i]. The screeching, gravelly scream that had by now become a trademark of CCR punctuates the beginning of the last chorus, fusing together all the frustration and despair Fogerty felt at the time into one gut-wrenching howl, while the band plays on underneath, almost oblivious to the coming storm. The bass and rhythm guitars provide a ‘business-as-usual’ foundation for Fogerty’s exasperation, while the drums seem to be the only instrument playing into the ascending storm, with cymbal crashes and snare rimshots acting as sonic lightning bolts, while the rain continues to drown the band[ii].

Pendulum was released in December 1970 quickly becoming the group’s fifth and final platinum album but with the departure of guitarist Tom Fogerty the following January the band went into a state of hiatus for several months. Returning as a three piece in 1972 with a new album, Mardi Gras, the disastrous effects of a musical democracy would prove to be the final nail in the coffin for CCR. Described by music critic, John Landau, as “the worst album I have ever heard from a major rock band”, the group called it a day six months after its release. In the years following, Stu and Doug would perform in various groups before forming Creedence Clearwater Revisited in 1995, remaining a staple of the North-American touring circuit to this day, Tom would go on to release several solo albums before succumbing to AIDS in 1990, and John would release two solo albums before legal disputes with Fantasy Records and a rejected third album (for Asylum Records) forced John to leave the music industry for several years before returning in 1985 with Centerfield.

L-R: John Fogerty, Doug Clifford, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook.

‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain?’ remains one of the best Creedence Clearwater Revival songs and a highpoint at both John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revisited shows alike. Although open to different interpretations, the song takes on a certain potency when the true message is revealed. With no guitar solo or rhythmic changes of note, the emotions of loss and mourning are portrayed almost entirely through the vocals, giving us an insight into Fogerty’s mind during this period. The song’s ‘staying power’ comes from the universal emotions experienced during the song, allowing almost anyone to relate to the sentiments therein: loss, fear and mourning the inability to change the inevitable.