Did You Know John Fogerty Wrote “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” About Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Tensions?

Every band has its ups and downs; it’s an inevitable facet of the music industry. Frankly, every creative type has a little bit of an ego, and when that ego is met with success, tensions will rise. It is a tale as old as music itself and has transpired hundreds upon hundreds of times in the music business. Consequently, it has amounted to some break-ups, but it has also amounted to some one-of-a-kind songs and albums. Regarding the latter, Creedance Clearwater Revival and their biggest hit is a great example of turning something bad into good.

Videos by American Songwriter

In the ’60s, CCR acquired a load of success thanks to their expansive catalog of hit songs. However, when the ’70s rolled around, the success and lifestyle seemingly caught up with John Fogerty and the rest of the band, as tensions were high and Fogerty feared a break-up. As a result of this conflict, Fogerty wrote the band’s biggest all-time hit, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”

The Tempestuous Inspiration Behind Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Big Hit

While sitting down with Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show, John Fogerty spoke about the inspiration for the song in a very transparent manner. He told Stern, “I perceived all the attention and it just looked like it was breaking up it really did.” “The metaphor of seeing the rain come down from a clear sunshiny day, it seemed to be what we were.”

John Fogerty concluded, “Here we were, we were achieving all of our dreams, everything great” and “Instead of being happy we seemed to be miserable.” Fogerty never disclosed the inspiration and the meaning of the song to the band. Matter of fact, they didn’t even pick up on the meaning of the song. That being so, this song cannot be specifically attributed to saving CCR. Though, the success of the single certainly helped them stay together for just a little bit longer.

Released in 1970, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, in 2021, the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales Chart. To this day, the single remains as Creedance Clearwater Revival’s biggest all-time hit. After the release of the acclaimed single, Creedance Clearwater Revival did remain together. However, two years later, they finally broke up in 1972 after a very illustrious career.

Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images