The 30 Best CCR Songs, from Suzie Q to Have You Ever Seen the Rain

What is CCR's most famous song?

"Fortunate Son" and "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" are Creedence Clearwater Revival's most famous songs today, and "Proud Mary" and "Bad Moon Rising" were among their biggest hits at the time. Remarkably, CCR never had a number one single: five of their songs stalled at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

CCR's biggest hits

1. "Proud Mary", 1969: a riverboat song and the first of their five number two hits.
2. "Bad Moon Rising", 1969: a cheerful-sounding song with a dark warning, number two.
3. "Fortunate Son", 1969: a furious protest song about who gets sent to war.
4. "Have You Ever Seen the Rain", 1971: a wistful top ten hit and one of their most streamed songs.
5. "Down on the Corner", 1969: a joyful song about a street-corner band, number three.
6. "Green River", 1969: a swampy title track and another number two.
7. "Travelin' Band", 1970: a Little Richard-style rocker that reached number two.
8. "Lookin' Out My Back Door", 1970: a playful, country-flavored number two.
9. "Up Around the Bend", 1970: a road-trip rocker, number four.
10. "Who'll Stop the Rain", 1970: a reflective folk-rock song from Cosmo's Factory.

Songs from Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968) and Bayou Country (1969)

11. "Suzie Q", 1968: their long, hypnotic cover of the Dale Hawkins song and their first hit.
12. "I Put a Spell on You", 1968: a moody cover of the Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic.
13. "Porterville", 1968: one of John Fogerty's earliest originals.
14. "Born on the Bayou", 1969: the swampy opener of Bayou Country and a concert favorite.
15. "Keep On Chooglin'", 1969: a long, groove-heavy jam.

Songs from Green River and Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)

16. "Lodi", 1969: a song about a musician stuck playing in a small town.
17. "Commotion", 1969: a fast, rockabilly-style B-side.
18. "Wrote a Song for Everyone", 1969: a thoughtful song later covered by many artists.
19. "Midnight Special", 1969: their take on the traditional folk song popularized by Lead Belly.
20. "Cotton Fields", 1969: another Lead Belly song, a hit for them in many countries.
21. "It Came Out of the Sky", 1969: a satirical rocker about a UFO landing.

Songs from Cosmo's Factory (1970)

22. "Run Through the Jungle", 1970: a dark, swampy song about guns in America.
23. "Long as I Can See the Light", 1970: a soulful ballad and a favorite B-side.
24. "Ramble Tamble", 1970: the seven-minute opener that shifts tempo halfway through.
25. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", 1970: an eleven-minute jam on the Motown classic.
26. "Ooby Dooby", 1970: a rockabilly cover of the Roy Orbison song.

Songs from Pendulum (1970) and Mardi Gras (1972)

27. "Hey Tonight", 1971: the upbeat B-side of "Have You Ever Seen the Rain".
28. "Molina", 1970: a fast, saxophone-driven rocker.
29. "Sweet Hitch-Hiker", 1971: a top ten hit recorded as a trio.
30. "Someday Never Comes", 1972: a moving song about a father who left, their last single.

Who were Creedence Clearwater Revival?

CCR came from El Cerrito, California, where John Fogerty, his older brother Tom Fogerty, bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford started playing together as teenagers. After years under other names, they became Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. John wrote, sang and produced nearly all of their songs, and between 1968 and 1972 they released seven albums and a string of hits that made them one of the best-selling bands in the world. They played Woodstock in 1969, split in 1972 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

The story behind Fortunate Son

John Fogerty wrote "Fortunate Son" in 1969, angry that the sons of the powerful seemed to avoid the Vietnam War while working-class young men were drafted. Fogerty himself had served in the Army Reserve. Released as a double-sided single with "Down on the Corner", it became an anti-war anthem and later one of the most used songs in films about the Vietnam era.

The story behind Have You Ever Seen the Rain

"Have You Ever Seen the Rain", from Pendulum, sounds like a song about the weather, but Fogerty has said it was about the sadness inside the band at the very height of its success, when tensions were pulling the group apart. Tom Fogerty left soon after. The song reached number eight in 1971 and has since become one of their most streamed songs, covered by artists from Rod Stewart to Bonnie Tyler.

The story behind Proud Mary and Bad Moon Rising

Fogerty wrote "Proud Mary" just after his discharge from the Army Reserve, imagining life on a Mississippi riverboat, a place he had never been. Ike and Tina Turner's 1971 version made it a hit all over again. "Bad Moon Rising" pairs one of the band's happiest-sounding melodies with a warning of coming disaster, a contrast Fogerty said was inspired in part by a scene in an old film about a deal with the devil.

Five number twos and no number one

"Proud Mary", "Bad Moon Rising", "Green River", "Travelin' Band" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door" all reached number two on the Hot 100, giving CCR the most number two hits of any act without a number one. Several were kept from the top by songs from very different worlds, from Sly and the Family Stone to the Carpenters.

CCR albums to start with

• Bayou Country (1969): with "Born on the Bayou" and "Proud Mary".
• Green River (1969): tight and swampy, with "Bad Moon Rising" and "Lodi".
• Willy and the Poor Boys (1969): with "Down on the Corner" and "Fortunate Son".
• Cosmo's Factory (1970): their biggest album, packed with hits.
• Chronicle (1976): the greatest hits collection, one of the longest-charting albums in Billboard history and the easiest way to hear every hit in one place.

John Fogerty after CCR

After the band split, a long legal fight with their former label, Fantasy Records, kept John Fogerty from performing CCR songs for years. He returned with the 1985 solo album Centerfield, whose title track became a baseball anthem, and he was even sued for sounding too much like himself, a case he won. Decades later, in 2023, he regained ownership of his share of the CCR song catalog. For more on the baseball song, see our songs about baseball.

CCR band songs for a road trip or a barbecue

Few bands sound better on the open road. For a drive, play "Up Around the Bend", "Travelin' Band", "Born on the Bayou", "Green River" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door". For a backyard barbecue, add "Down on the Corner", "Proud Mary" and "Bad Moon Rising". For more, see our road trip songs and songs about rain.

CCR songs for veterans and a memorial

"Fortunate Son" and "Who'll Stop the Rain" are favorites among Vietnam veterans and at Veterans Day gatherings, and "Long as I Can See the Light" and "Someday Never Comes" are moving choices for a memorial. For more, see our Veterans Day songs.

A classic rock song about them

CCR's songs are simple, honest and built to last. A personalized song can tell the story of someone you love the same way: their name, their hometown and the memories only you two share. It makes a great birthday, retirement or Father's Day gift for a classic rock fan.

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