Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall (2022) Movie Script
...for HD music
Seven thirty seven
Comin' out of the sky
Won't you take me down
To Memphis on a midnight ride
I want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah
Well I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in
A travelin' band
1969 had been
a magical year for Creedence.
In only 12 months, the band
had achieved five top ten singles
and three top ten albums
on the American charts,
outselling The Beatles.
They had appeared
on the legendary Ed Sullivan Show
and played over a million people
across America,
including the hundreds
of thousands
gathered at Woodstock.
John, Tom, Stu, and Doug
may not have had
the familiar ring to it
of John, Paul,
George, and Ringo,
but Creedence
were challenging The Beatles
for the title
of the biggest group in the world.
This is Doug Clifford,
who plays drums
for Creedence Clearwater
who's been there
since the start,
which was how long ago?
Eleven years.
Stu,
have you ever run into a situation
where you didn't like
one another
or you had a very,
very bad argument?
Yeah. We checked our equipment
quite frequently.
John Fogerty,
you write
most of the material for the group.
What was the first
gold record you had?
"Proud Mary."
Tom, uh, how would
you characterize this music?
Rock and roll music.
In April 1970,
Creedence arrived
at Heathrow Airport
to begin their first ever
European tour.
The tour would include
concerts in Berlin,
Stockholm, Rotterdam,
Paris, and London.
The band's British debut
was to take place
at the most prestigious
music venue in the UK,
London's Royal Albert Hall,
which had previously
hosted concerts
by The Beatles,
The Rolling Stones,
Led Zeppelin,
Cream, and Jimi Hendrix.
For Creedence
Clearwater Revival,
the Royal Albert Hall concert
would be a high point
of their tour of Europe.
The concert was filmed,
but never fully released
until now.
This is also the story
of how they got there.
My impressions of Europe?
Well, I like it.
It's, uh-- it's my first time.
And, uh, we're going through
so damn fast.
Each country is definitely
each country, man.
Like there's no, like,
you know, Sweden and Denmark
as close as they are
in all their respects,
there's really two
different worlds.
And I can see that
just having been here
just a day and a half.
The excitement,
it's just-- it's like a dream.
I don't wanna sleep.
Uh, because number one,
I can't, I'm so excited
and it's just like
living a dream
because I've lived in America
all my life,
and now coming over here,
things are, you know,
physically different
and the people are, you know,
mentally different.
It's a whole
fantastic experience.
It's total excitement
when you walk out on the stage,
you're thinking that
these people don't understand English.
They don't understand the words,
but they are communicating
with you
because they feel the music,
you know?
You're gonna give
some people something
that, uh, they've never
heard before, you know?
Hurryin' to get there
So you save some time
Run, run, run, run, run
Rushin' to the treadmill
Rushin' to get home
Worry 'bout the time
You save, save
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
We take great pride
in the fact that
we brought our own sound system.
It's like, uh, starting
all over again, you know?
Well, don't go around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
Don't come around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
What I did learn on this trip
more than any other
was to go out into the city
and give it a chance
to just be itself, you know?
Not put on a show for me,
you know,
the people we always see.
Europe is like shades of gray
compared to America
where things are really
getting polar, you know,
uh, black and white,
uh, to use an example.
Uh, people don't--
people don't get all pissed off
about what you look like.
You can get a job
and you can like advance,
you know, with long hair.
In the States, man,
you could-- to get a job,
you have to cut your hair.
You can't even have sideburns,
you know?
Like it doesn't make a difference
how many degrees you have
or what your trip
is or any of that.
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
shine an ever-lovin'
Light on me
Yonder come Miss Rosie
How in the world
Did you know?
By the way
She wears her apron
And the clothes she wore
To the berlin wall?
No, I would like to, though.
It'd be great to--
is the wall-- is it, uh,
is it barbed wire
or is it thick?
Not a wall.
I was thinking
about setting up there.
You know, we could set up
the equipment up
on top of the wall--
Well, at certain
places they have a wall.
And aim it that direction,
you know?
We could aim
it both directions.
How about that?
We'll bring everybody up on it
and dance and maybe
the wall will come down.
Maybe they'll object,
they might object.
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine an ever-lovin'
Wow. Paris, France. Okay.
We're off to Paris, then.
Three days.
And Germany was pretty nice.
Lead me on. Lead me on.
-Have a good trip.
-Thank you.
Well, number one,
I'm spending my birthday there,
so it better be good.
Better be good.
Here's to your birthday.
Uh, thank you. Right, right.
I just expect, um, uh
the American dream, I suppose.
Have you ever eaten one?
- Dandelion?
- No.
Pick one up, eat it.
I'm serious. I'm not kidding.
Really?
Today is the most impressed
I've ever been
in my life with, you know,
just what I've seen, you know?
It's pretty much
of a mindblower.
My 25th birthday has been
the most insignificant thing
of the whole day.
I've been to the Louvre.
I've been to, uh,
Louis XIV's, uh,
playground as it were.
Probably most fantastic
collection of art
I've ever seen,
between that and the Louvre.
Huh?
Uh, I've only been
in my room so far.
It's just like
the room in Berlin
and the room in Stockholm
and the room in
the water is good though.
Love to kick my feet
Way down the shallow water
Shoo fly, dragon fly,
Get back to your mother
Pick up a flat rock,
Skip it across Green River
Well
Now the whole time
we're in Rotterdam,
it was like a blizzard,
only it was just raining.
What do you mean
about the friendly Europeans?
Well, like in New York,
they would've run us down,
you know?
Me too.
You know, I woke up
around 2:00 one afternoon
and just that's the--
when I saw you on the balcony.
Oh, that was fantastic.
And just, uh, you know,
I was happy. Wow.
Cleaned a lot of plates
In Memphis
Pumped a lot of 'pane
Down in New Orleans
But I never saw
The good side of the city
'Til I hitched a ride
On a river boat queen
I think that to me,
this tour proves that, uh,
that rock and roll music, uh,
after 15 years
should be somebody--
somebody's taking it serious somewhere.
I mean, it's the same--
you get the same reaction in Rotterdam
that you get in Oakland,
that you get in LA,
that you get in Omaha,
like there's something happening.
The real test
as to the success
of their European tour
would be measured
by the reception
they would receive
at London's Royal Albert Hall.
The journey that led
to this landmark concert
began 13 years earlier
in El Cerrito, California
near San Francisco.
It all happened one day.
The first day
in junior high school,
there was this guy sitting
in the back of the class,
just screwing around.
And, uh, all the seats
were taken
except the ones next to him.
So I just fell down
and sat next to him,
it turned out to be Doug.
Hello there.
Like we were good friends
for a couple years
before we even, you know,
got into a music thing at all.
Then John
John was tinkling on the piano,
then in the music room
to like audition people
who are interested.
Yeah. We started out
as a-- like a--
as a trio with piano,
drums, and guitar.
You have to understand,
like we were the only band
in the school.
It wasn't like
how it was after The Beatles
when it seemed like
every school had 50 bands,
we were the band of the school.
The instrumental trio,
John Fogerty, Stu Cook,
and Doug Clifford
initially went under the name,
The Blue Velvets.
They became a four piece
when John's older brother,
Tom joined on vocals
under the name,
Tommy Fogerty
and The Blue Velvets,
they released a handful of singles
that helped build their reputation
around the Bay Area.
Then during February of 1964,
their world was shaken
by a hurricane
that had blown in
from across the Atlantic.
Well, shake it up, baby
Now, shake it up, baby
Twist and shout
Twist and shout
So in '64, we'd already
been together five years.
And our listening experience,
the kind of stuff we were into
was pretty much similar
to The Beatles.
And when The Beatles hit,
we said, wow, you know,
the door is wide open again,
'cause The Beatles really just changed
the whole thing for all musicians.
The month
after The Beatles heralded
the start of the so-called
British invasion,
San Francisco's Channel 9
broadcast Anatomy of a Hit,
a television program
that told the story
of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind"
by jazz artist, Vince Guaraldi.
This single had been a hit
for Fantasy,
the San Francisco
based record label.
Having watched the documentary,
John and Tom Fogerty
crossed the Bay Bridge
and played their songs
to Max Weiss,
Fantasy's co-founder
and resident hipster.
I have perfect pitch
and natural rhythm.
And just by one listening
of just a, maybe four or five bars,
usually five bars, uh,
I can spot whether a record's
gonna make it or not.
Impressed by what he heard
and no doubt aware
of the tremendous success of The Beatles
in the growing
beat group phenomenon,
Weiss signed the group
to Fantasy.
Wanting the band's name
to sound more British,
the label opted for a new one
unaware of its offensive
racial connotations.
Thought it sounded British,
Beatle-ly and all the rest,
and that was the reason
trying to emulate
the English thing.
As their sound evolved,
Stu Cook switched
from piano to bass,
Tommy Fogerty to rhythm guitar,
and John Fogerty assumed
the role of lead vocalist.
And by late 1966,
it was beginning
to look like the group
was on the verge
of a breakthrough.
I got me
A brown eyed girl
Yeah
-Brown eyed girl
-Yeah
But with the escalation
of the Vietnam War
and the shadow of the draft
hanging over young men
across the States,
the group's progress
was brought to a halt.
John Fogerty enlisted
in the army reserve
and Doug Clifford
served in the coast guard.
During this period,
the musical spotlight
had shifted to San Francisco,
in what would soon explode
into the Summer of Love.
It exploded
while I was gone,
San Francisco
just broke wide open
and everybody was talking
about it and I was away.
I like Country Joe
and the Fish.
And the Jefferson Airplane,
Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Well, like, uh, the local groups
that have been playing
around here,
I've been seeing 'em
for a long time
and, uh, they're really making it,
they're doing
a real good thing, man.
I got out of the army
in, uh, '67
and we sort of resolved
to really go for it.
To either we were-- we were
really gonna commit ourselves
and everything we had
or else we weren't gonna make it.
A major turning point
was the release
of their single Porterville.
It didn't just sound like
the work of a different group,
it pointed the way forward.
It's been an awful long time
Since I been home
But you won't catch me
Goin' back down there alone
Things they said
When I was young
Are quite enough
To get me hung
"Porterville" showed
John Fogerty's determination
and growing confidence
as a songwriter.
And it was around this time
that they were able
to rid themselves of the name
that had been originally suggested
by the record label.
They became Creedence
Clearwater Revival.
We've been together
all this time
and nothing was happening
with the group.
So we decided we wanted
to have a little revival
among ourselves.
That's what that part meant.
It's just let's get back
to the basics, you know.
Let's get back
to where we were 10 years ago.
When "Porterville"
failed to make an impact on the charts,
Creedence resorted to a formula
that had provided many groups
with breakthrough hits.
They've recorded
a cover version.
The band decided on "Susie Q,"
a song that had been a hit
for Dale Hawkins back in 1958.
Oh, Susie Q
At first,
it was just a demo tape
that we took
to a local FM station,
and they started
playing it a lot
like four, five times a day,
in exactly the same form
that it appears on the record.
The excitement of actually
really hearing
your song on KYA, uh,
after years and years,
some nine and a half years, of trying,
it took-- it took us pretty much
by surprise when it happened,
because it just took off.
And wisely,
the man at the record company
finally saw, "Oh, well,
these guys are getting popular.
Maybe they should
make an album."
So, um, we got to go in
and with, um,
something like seven
or eight hours of studio time,
uh, we made the first album.
The budget was like
less than $2,000.
First album was released
and we came to San Francisco
and we started playing there
and it's like it just fell
together real fast,
but we've been working on it
for about nine years,
you know,
getting ourselves together
so that when we--
when we had it together,
like, all we needed
was an audience.
Having broken on
to the San Francisco ballroom circuit
and with their album hovering
just outside the top 50,
they were hoping to take things
to the next level
with another cover
of an R&B classic.
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
You better stop the thing
That you're doin'
I said watch out, I ain't lyin'
Screamin' Jay Hawkins did
"I Put a Spell on You."
And that's another great old
R&B song that I loved.
It happened to fit
my vocal style.
I could-- I could sing that well
and that was the reason, uh,
we decided to do that
particular song.
It's kind of hard for me
to talk about John
and be unbiased, you know,
because, uh,
we're in the same band together,
but I think that he had
one of the most unique voices.
I think it's right up there
with Ray Charles and Van Morrison,
you know, it's a voice that's distinct.
Despite showcasing
his development
into one of the era's
most recognizable voices
with a style rooted deep
in the blues and R&B,
the record failed
to reach the top 50.
John Fogerty had said that
he wanted Creedence
to make something for the ages,
to be great like The Beatles.
On the day that he received
his honorable discharge papers
from the army,
he wrote his first
genuine classic.
Left a good job In the city
Workin' for the man
Ev'ry night and day
And I never lost
One minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way
Things might have been
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
"Proud Mary" reached
number two on the US charts,
and five years
after watching The Beatles
make their debut on American TV,
they too appeared
on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Rollin' on the river
Cleaned a lot of plates
In Memphis
Pumped a lot of 'pane
Down in New Orleans
But I never saw
The good side of the city
'Til I hitched a ride
On a river boat queen
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', rollin'
Rollin' on the river
You know, like "Proud Mary"
I'm really happy about that,
that it came off
as well as it did.
The way I write
is a very loose thing.
All I'm trying to do really
is put down what I see,
you know, the way I see it.
Get something out of just
hearing the notes and the rhythm.
But if the words
can convey the same meaning,
it's like icing on the cake
then, you know,
because I try and match
the music with the words.
It was during that time
that I completed, uh,
all the stuff on Bayou Country
and, uh, some
of other songs, too.
In other words,
that didn't really reflect--
the songs didn't reflect
my mood at the time, you know,
I just switched off
and went into something else.
If "Proud Mary"
was about a riverboat
rolling up the Mississippi,
"Born on the Bayou"
took you on a journey
through the swamplands
that stretched
from New Orleans
into rural Louisiana.
When I was just a little boy
Standin' to
My daddy's knee
At the time
of the release
of their second album,
Bayou Country,
none of the band members
had yet set foot
in the part of
the American South
that was so vividly captured
in their songs,
a great achievement
for a songwriter
whose roots lay 2000 miles away
in Northern California.
And I can remember
The Fourth of July
Runnin' through
The backwood bay
I can still hear
My old hound dog barkin'
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
I, like,
haven't lived there, uh,
you know, in the south,
it was purely that was all
in my head really,
like, that was where
I wanted to go.
And all the things
I had heard before
that I dug were from there.
And it was like, I wanted
to be like that, you know?
Creedence
never bought into the idea
of turning on, tuning in,
and dropping out.
For them, it was always
about the work.
And to reflect
their identification
with the working man,
they called
their rehearsal place
The Factory.
Now, we come down here
every day,
we rehearse, talk about music
or what's happening,
you know, with other groups
or other records.
As well as writing the songs,
John Fogerty was also producing
the records.
The Factory was where
the songs took shape.
As they saw it,
simplicity was best
and less was usually more.
Like, when we make a record,
I don't--
I don't maybe listen to the--
really listen
and get into the words,
until maybe a month
after we're finished, you know.
Like, I don't sit down
and take it all apart,
you know, I just, uh,
you know, one line
or one word does it for me.
I see the bad moon a-risin'
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes
And lightnin'
Three months
after releasing "Proud Mary,"
Creedence were back
on the charts
with "Bad Moon Rising."
This song would also give them
their first UK number one.
There's a bad moon
On the rise
Yes, but just not fast enough.
Um
Yeah. There's really no other way
to say it, you know.
I would dig it if we all woke up
tomorrow morning
and we're just superb musicians,
you know, who could play anything,
but it never works out that way.
By mid-1969,
Creedence was arguably
the second biggest band
in the world behind The Beatles.
And that summer featured
among the headlining acts
at the Denver, Newport,
and Atlanta music festivals.
I went down to the station
Just to take a ride
They were also approached
to perform
at the upcoming
Woodstock Festival.
Creedence was one of the first,
if not the first major act
to sign.
You know, they used us
to entice other artists
of our generation
to get onboard.
We were signed
to headline Saturday night.
The day before
their scheduled appearance at Woodstock,
they were in a Los Angeles
television studio
recording a performance
of "Green River"
on The Andy Williams Show,
a showbiz institution,
a world away
from outdoor festivals
and the counterculture.
Well, take me back down
Where cool water flows, y'all
Oh, let me remember
Things I love
Stoppin' at the log
Where catfish bite
Walkin' along
The river road at night
Barefoot girls
Dancin' in the moonlight
The song is, uh, like, uh,
just a little segment
of John's child--
John and Tom's childhood,
uh, when their father
used to take 'em up
to the, uh, Cody's camp.
I mean, it's, uh, part of the lyric.
The place isn't there anymore.
Like progress, they built a dam,
flooded the-- you know,
backed the river up
and flooded out the whole place.
I think that, you know,
the camp,
everything's gone
except the song.
I like the place that that song
is supposed to be coming from.
"Green River,"
I always thought, was like
the heart and soul
of what Creedence is.
Uh, musically and also just kind of what
it's talking about.
Having honored
their television commitments,
they then traveled
to Upstate New York
to take part
in what would turn out to be
the most historic
music festival of all time,
Woodstock.
We're just overwhelmed
by, uh,
the enormity of--
but we had no idea
of what to expect.
And the weather
and technical problems
pushed the show later and later.
We finally got on
about 3:00 in the morning.
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
You better stop the thing
That you're doin'
I said, watch out, I ain't lyin'
We didn't consciously
go out of our way
to try to sound
like a Black band.
You know, there was parts
of country
and it's just that
that was really
that we liked Black music
better than the kind
of white music
that was being presented
to us at the time,
but, um, our early heroes
were definitely Black,
so I think it kind of maybe just
unconsciously came together.
-You know, the night-time
-Night and day
-Oh, is the right time
-Night and day
-To be
-Night and day
With the one you love,
Oh, oh
Night and day
-I said the night-time
-Night and day
"Night Time Is the Right Time"
was originally recorded
by Ray Charles
and would feature on Creedence's
first number one album in America,
Green River.
I've heard it
and I've experienced it,
and it's real.
And in fact, it's played
on the Black station.
It's being played
on the Black station,
and like the deejay there
was really pushing the record
and the people were digging.
My old lady and myself,
we were thinking of coming
to work the other morning
and I said,
"Hey, wait a minute, you know,
like those cats are for real."
So, like, it doesn't matter,
you know,
whether they're a white group
or not, like,
they're really coming
from within.
You dig it.
And when you come from within,
you got to be for real
no matter what you are.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Green River occupied
the top spot
for three weeks
before being replaced
by The Beatles' Abbey Road.
While the record
was still on the charts,
Creedence were back
in the studio
recording
what would be their third album
in less than a year,
Willy and the Poor Boys.
Down on the corner, out in the street
Willy and the Poor Boys
Are playin'
Bring a nickel, tap your feet
Rooster hits the washboard
And people just got to smile
What set Creedence apart
from many
of their contemporaries,
was their ability to produce
the sound of their records,
on stage
and the primal excitement
and joy of their concerts,
which came from their love
of live performance.
Down on the corner, out in the street
Willy and the Poor Boys
Are playin'
Bring a nickel, tap your feet
It has an elating effect on you.
It makes you feel good.
Therefore, you--
like, "I love music.
I consider it a good thing.
I don't love it
because I think it's good.
I just-- I just love it."
Like it's the fear
of, like, blowing it
and the excitement of being able
to do it at the same time.
If we're all working together, boom.
You know, it's just fabulous
and everybody's turned on.
If you do turn them on,
you really feel rewarded.
And that's really the reward.
That's the only reward
that counts, I think.
Just to hang around
But if you've got a nickel
Besides people
looking for your music,
they also-- well,
they wanna know what you think,
they wanna know what you wear,
and, you know,
what movies you like,
and do you eat spaghetti
for breakfast
and junk like that.
And they also wanna know
how you accept
the world you live in.
Do you accept it, really?
John, he's got an expression
that you can-- you can--
You can tell how a person is
by, you know,
looking in his eyes
and just how far behind
his eyes his brain is,
is where he's at.
You know,
if his brain is right up there,
you know, if his head's right up there
behind his eyes
and he's-- you know,
John will talk to him.
We go around talking about
how we're communicating
but no one ever does.
It's like you look right into a guy's
eyeballs and you're staring.
You say, you know, "Are you in there,
you know? Hello? Hello?"
And most of the time,
you don't get anything back.
He really cuts through
the bullshit.
Good men through the ages
Tryin' to find the sun
And I wonder, still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
I want people to know
when I'm really saying
something seriously
and when I'm
just being an entertainer,
you know?
But it's also important
that I don't appeal
the basic motivations
and I don't start,
you know, "Hey, all you hippies,
join together
and let's smoke dope," you know?
I mean, people are gonna dig that.
A certain element of society.
But I don't want them
digging it for that.
I want them to look a little
further than just, "Hey.
Okay. We're all together,
brother,"
you know, and that crap.
"Who'll Stop the Rain,"
and some of the others too,
especially that one,
I tried to stay away from,
"Hey, he's a left-wing
radical crazy
or he's a super Bircher,"
you know,
because both sides can take it,
you know,
and use it
as their own rallying cry.
Same as "Fortunate Son," really.
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, no
As 1969
was drawing to a close,
John Fogerty was considered
one of America's
most politically significant songwriters.
And in this year alone,
Creedence had accomplished
more than most groups managed
during a whole career,
including four top ten singles
and three top ten albums.
To emphasize this success,
Rolling Stone magazine declared
them best American band.
The outsiders from El Cerrito,
had come a long way.
And 1970 began
with a celebratory concert
on home turf,
in front of 15,000 ecstatic fans
at California's
Oakland Coliseum.
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Maybe you don't understand
In America,
Creedence were flying high,
and three months
after their victorious Oakland concert,
they took their show to Europe.
Their European campaign
began on April 7th
when they touched down
at London's Heathrow Airport.
There's a place
Up ahead and I'm going
Just as fast
As my feet can fly
When we got to London,
we were just destroyed.
Eleven-hour flight
and a nine-hour time difference.
It was like when it was night,
it was morning.
You know, you get so tired
that you just can't sleep.
And then,
just immediately went out
and got on a double-decker bus
and just started cruising
through London.
Creedence's
highly anticipated
sold-out concerts
at London's Royal Albert Hall
would take on
even greater significance
when just days before news broke
that shook the world.
The event is so momentous
that historians
may one day view it
as a landmark
in the decline
of the British Empire.
The Beatles are breaking up.
With the London audience
reeling from the news
of The Beatles' breakup,
Creedence was now poised
to take on the mantle
of the biggest group
in the world.
My biggest fear, man,
if these people
are gonna boo us off.
You know, you're not sacred.
If you ain't making it, you--
the first cat's gonna-- you know,
everyone else think it's like
The Emperor Wears No Clothes.
Finally some cat'll go, "Boo,"
and pretty soon the whole place
will just tear you to pieces,
you know?
There's a lot of pressure on John
and there's a lot of pressure,
I guess, on all of us,
because I wanna live up
to what John expects of me.
And hopefully
because we've practiced a lot
and we have improved anyway,
you know, just
evolving as musicians,
we want that to happen.
You know, it's four parts
that make up a whole.
Every once in a while,
you really--
you really know together,
you know?
It's like four people are one.
In other words, if something--
if something goes wrong,
hopefully,
instead of getting uptight,
we'll just remember
that time in Omaha
or that time in Lodi.
You just remember
all the little funny things
that have happened in 11 years.
Seven thirty seven
Comin' out of the sky
Oh, won't you take me down
To Memphis on a midnight ride
I want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah, and I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Get me to the hotel
Baggage gone, oh well
Come on, come on
Won't you get me to my room
I want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah
Well, I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Listen to the radio
Talkin' 'bout the last show
Someone got excited
Had to call the state militia
Want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah
And I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Here we come again
On a Saturday night
With your fussin'
And your fightin'
Won't you get me to the rhyme
I want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah
Well, I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Woo!
Playin' in a travelin' band
Playin' in a travelin' band
Won't you give myself
A hand?
I'm playin'
In a travelin' band
Well, I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Oh, now
When I was just a little boy
Standin' to my daddy's knee
My papa said, son,
Don't let the man get you
And do what he done to me
'Cause he'll get you, Lord
Get right now, now
Well, I can remember
The Fourth of July
Runnin' through
The backwood bay
And I can still hear
My old hound dog
Barkin' chasin' down
A hoodoo there
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
All right, yeah
Born on the bayou, do it, do it
I wish I were back
On the bayou
Rollin' with some
Cajun Queen
Wish I were
A fast freight train
A-just a-choogling on
Down to New Orleans
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
All right, yeah
Born on the bayou
Do it, do it
I can remember
The Fourth of July
Runnin' through
The backwood bay
And I can still hear
My old hound dog barkin'
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
All right, yeah
Born on the bayou
Do it, do it, do it, do it
Thank you.
Yeah. All right.
Well
Take me back down
Where cool water flows, y'all
Oh, let me remember
The things I love
Stoppin' at the log
Where catfish bite
Walkin' along
The river road at night
Barefoot girls dancin'
In the moonlight
I can hear
The bullfrog callin' me
Wonder if my rope's
Still hangin' to the tree
Love to kick my feet
Way down the shallow water
Shoo fly, dragon fly
Get back to your mother
Pick up a flat rock,
Skip it across Green River
Well
Up at Cody's camp
I spent my days, Lord
With flat car riders
And cross-tie walkers
Old Cody Junior took me over
Said you're gonna find
The world is smoldering
And if you get lost,
Come on home to Green River
Well
Thank you.
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Ev'ry time I get
Some good news
Ooh, there's a shadow
On my back
Saw the gypsy man
'Way down in San Berdoo
Said, I saw the gypsy man
'Way down in San Berdoo
Five dollars on the table
Ooh, keep me 'way
From my tomb
Said I got thirteen months of bad luck
Bound to be some pain
Don't you do no trav'lin'
Fly in no machines
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Ev'ry time I get
Some good news
Ooh, here come shadow
On my back
The man gave me a luck charm
Cost five dollars more, Lord
Said, put some
On your pillow
And put some on your door
He said, take a long vacation
Ooh, for 13 months or more
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Ev'ry time I get
Some good news
Ooh, here come a shadow
On my back
Thank you.
Thank you.
Some folks are born
Made to wave the flag
Hoo, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays
Hail to the chief
Ooh they point
The cannon at you, Lord
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Some folks are born
Silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't
They help themselves?
But when the taxman
Come to the door
Lord the house lookin'
Like a rummage sale
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no millionaire's son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Yeah, some folks
Inherit star-spangled eyes
Hoo, they send you down
To war
And when you ask 'em,
How much should we give?
Hoo, they only answer,
More, more, more
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no
Fortunate one, one
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, one, one, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no
Fortunate son, son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Traffic in the city
Turns my head around
No, no, no, no, no
Backed up on the freeway,
Backed up in the church
Ev'rywhere you look
There's a frown, frown
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
People keep a-talkin'
They don't say a word
Jaw, jaw, jaw, jaw, jaw
Talk up in the White House
Talk up to your door
So much goin' on
I just can't hear
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Hurryin' to get there
So you save some time
Run, run, run, run, run
Rushin' to the treadmill
Rushin' to get home
Worry 'bout the time
You save, save
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Well, you wake up
In the mornin'
You hear the work bell ring
And they march you
To the table
You see the same old thing
Ain't no food upon the table
And no pork up in the pan
But you better
Not complain, boy
You get in trouble
With the man
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
All right.
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine an ever-lovin'
Light on me
Yonder come Miss Rosie
How in the world
Did you know?
By the way she wears
Her apron
And the clothes she wore, no
Umbrella on her shoulder
Piece of paper in her hand
She come to see the gov'nor
She want to free her man, oh
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine an ever-lovin'
Light on me
If you're ever in Houston
Well, you better do it right
You better not gamble
And you better
Not fight, Lord
Or the sheriff will grab ya
And the boys
Will bring you down
The next thing you know, boy
Whoa, you're prison bound
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
All right, Lord!
Let the Midnight Special
Shine an ever-lovin' light
On me
I see the bad moon a-risin'
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes
And lightnin'
I see bad times today
Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
I hear hurricanes a-blowin'
I know the end
Is comin' soon
I fear rivers over flowin'
I hear the voice
Of rage and ruin
Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
Hope you got
Your things together
Hope you are
Quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye
Well don't go around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
Don't come around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
Left a good job in the city
Workin' for the man
Ev'ry night and day
And I never lost
One minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way
Things might have been
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', rollin'
Rollin' on the river
Cleaned a lot of plates
In Memphis
Pumped a lot of 'pane
Down in New Orleans
But I never saw
The good side of the city
'Til I hitched a ride
On a river boat queen
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', yeah
Rollin', all right
Rollin' on the river
Rollin'
Rollin', yeah
Rollin' on the river
If you come down
To the river
Bet you gonna find
Some people who live
You don't have to worry
'Cause you have no money
People on the river
Are happy to give
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', yeah
Rollin', oh
Rollin' on the river
Rollin'
Rollin', yeah
Rollin' on the river
Rollin', oh
Rollin', yeah
Rollin' on the river
You know the night time
Oh, is the right time
To be
With the one you love
I said the night time
Ooh, is the right time
To be
With the one you love
I said the night time, baby
Yeah, is the right time
To be with the one you love
Baby
I said a baby
Baby
Come on
And drive me crazy, Lord
You know I love you
Always thinkin' of you
Hey, baby
Oh, I said a baby, oh
I said the night time
Is the right time
To be with the one you love
All I can say
I said the night time
Oh, is the right time
To be
With the one you love
I said the night time
Ooh, is the right time
To be
With the one you love
I said the night time, baby
Oh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
Good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
Good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
From the early Early mornin'
'Til the early, early night
You can see
Miss Molly rockin'
At the house of blue lights
Ah, good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
Say, momma, poppa told me
Son, you better
Watch your step
If I knew my momma, poppa
Have to watch my pop myself
Ah, good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
I am goin' to the corner
Gonna buy a diamond ring
Would you pardon me
A kissin'
'N' a ting-a-ling-a-ling?
Oh, good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
Aaaah
Good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
Good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
Thank you.
This will be our last song,
but we hope you all join in
and listen.
Help us keep something going.
In advance, we wanna say
thank you very much
for having us here in London.
Here's a song called
"Keep On--" just "Keep On--"
"Keep On Chooglin'."
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin'
Maybe you don't
Understand it
But if you're a natural man
You got to ball
And have a good time
And that's
What I call chooglin'
Here comes Mary
Lookin' for Harry
She gonna choogle tonight
Here comes Louie
Works in the sewer, Lord
He gonna choogle tonight
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
If you can choose it
Who can refuse it
Y'all be chooglin' tonight
Go on, take your pick
Right from the git go
You gotta choogle tonight
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Good night, y'all. We love you.
Creedence received
a 15-minute standing ovation,
clearly winning over
the London audience
and solidifying this performance
is a major highlight
of their career.
Later that year, their fifth album,
Cosmo's Factory,
topped the charts
around the world,
including the US and UK.
Creedence could then
rightfully lay claim to being
the biggest band in the world.
Just got home from Illinois
Lock the front door, oh boy!
Got to sit down
Take a rest on the porch
Imagination sets in
Pretty soon I'm singin'
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
There's a giant
Doin' cartwheels
A statue wearin' high heels
Look at all the happy
Creatures dancin' on the lawn
Dinosaur Victrola
Listenin' to Buck Owens
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
Tambourines and elephants
Are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride
On the flyin' spoon?
Dood-n-doo-doo
Wondrous apparition
Provided by magician
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
Tambourines and elephants
Are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride
On the flyin' spoon?
Dood-n-doo-doo
Bother me tomorrow
Today I'll buy no sorrows
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
Forward troubles Illinois
Lock the front door, oh boy!
Look at all the happy
Creatures dancin' on the lawn
Bother me tomorrow
Today I'll buy no sorrows
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
Long as I remember
The rain been comin' down
Clouds of mystery pourin'
Confusion on the ground
Good men through the ages
Tryin' to find the sun
And I wonder
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
I went down Virginia
Seekin' shelter
From the storm
Caught up in the fable
I watched the tower grow
Seven thirty seven
Comin' out of the sky
Won't you take me down
To Memphis on a midnight ride
I want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah
Well I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in
A travelin' band
1969 had been
a magical year for Creedence.
In only 12 months, the band
had achieved five top ten singles
and three top ten albums
on the American charts,
outselling The Beatles.
They had appeared
on the legendary Ed Sullivan Show
and played over a million people
across America,
including the hundreds
of thousands
gathered at Woodstock.
John, Tom, Stu, and Doug
may not have had
the familiar ring to it
of John, Paul,
George, and Ringo,
but Creedence
were challenging The Beatles
for the title
of the biggest group in the world.
This is Doug Clifford,
who plays drums
for Creedence Clearwater
who's been there
since the start,
which was how long ago?
Eleven years.
Stu,
have you ever run into a situation
where you didn't like
one another
or you had a very,
very bad argument?
Yeah. We checked our equipment
quite frequently.
John Fogerty,
you write
most of the material for the group.
What was the first
gold record you had?
"Proud Mary."
Tom, uh, how would
you characterize this music?
Rock and roll music.
In April 1970,
Creedence arrived
at Heathrow Airport
to begin their first ever
European tour.
The tour would include
concerts in Berlin,
Stockholm, Rotterdam,
Paris, and London.
The band's British debut
was to take place
at the most prestigious
music venue in the UK,
London's Royal Albert Hall,
which had previously
hosted concerts
by The Beatles,
The Rolling Stones,
Led Zeppelin,
Cream, and Jimi Hendrix.
For Creedence
Clearwater Revival,
the Royal Albert Hall concert
would be a high point
of their tour of Europe.
The concert was filmed,
but never fully released
until now.
This is also the story
of how they got there.
My impressions of Europe?
Well, I like it.
It's, uh-- it's my first time.
And, uh, we're going through
so damn fast.
Each country is definitely
each country, man.
Like there's no, like,
you know, Sweden and Denmark
as close as they are
in all their respects,
there's really two
different worlds.
And I can see that
just having been here
just a day and a half.
The excitement,
it's just-- it's like a dream.
I don't wanna sleep.
Uh, because number one,
I can't, I'm so excited
and it's just like
living a dream
because I've lived in America
all my life,
and now coming over here,
things are, you know,
physically different
and the people are, you know,
mentally different.
It's a whole
fantastic experience.
It's total excitement
when you walk out on the stage,
you're thinking that
these people don't understand English.
They don't understand the words,
but they are communicating
with you
because they feel the music,
you know?
You're gonna give
some people something
that, uh, they've never
heard before, you know?
Hurryin' to get there
So you save some time
Run, run, run, run, run
Rushin' to the treadmill
Rushin' to get home
Worry 'bout the time
You save, save
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
We take great pride
in the fact that
we brought our own sound system.
It's like, uh, starting
all over again, you know?
Well, don't go around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
Don't come around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
What I did learn on this trip
more than any other
was to go out into the city
and give it a chance
to just be itself, you know?
Not put on a show for me,
you know,
the people we always see.
Europe is like shades of gray
compared to America
where things are really
getting polar, you know,
uh, black and white,
uh, to use an example.
Uh, people don't--
people don't get all pissed off
about what you look like.
You can get a job
and you can like advance,
you know, with long hair.
In the States, man,
you could-- to get a job,
you have to cut your hair.
You can't even have sideburns,
you know?
Like it doesn't make a difference
how many degrees you have
or what your trip
is or any of that.
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
shine an ever-lovin'
Light on me
Yonder come Miss Rosie
How in the world
Did you know?
By the way
She wears her apron
And the clothes she wore
To the berlin wall?
No, I would like to, though.
It'd be great to--
is the wall-- is it, uh,
is it barbed wire
or is it thick?
Not a wall.
I was thinking
about setting up there.
You know, we could set up
the equipment up
on top of the wall--
Well, at certain
places they have a wall.
And aim it that direction,
you know?
We could aim
it both directions.
How about that?
We'll bring everybody up on it
and dance and maybe
the wall will come down.
Maybe they'll object,
they might object.
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine an ever-lovin'
Wow. Paris, France. Okay.
We're off to Paris, then.
Three days.
And Germany was pretty nice.
Lead me on. Lead me on.
-Have a good trip.
-Thank you.
Well, number one,
I'm spending my birthday there,
so it better be good.
Better be good.
Here's to your birthday.
Uh, thank you. Right, right.
I just expect, um, uh
the American dream, I suppose.
Have you ever eaten one?
- Dandelion?
- No.
Pick one up, eat it.
I'm serious. I'm not kidding.
Really?
Today is the most impressed
I've ever been
in my life with, you know,
just what I've seen, you know?
It's pretty much
of a mindblower.
My 25th birthday has been
the most insignificant thing
of the whole day.
I've been to the Louvre.
I've been to, uh,
Louis XIV's, uh,
playground as it were.
Probably most fantastic
collection of art
I've ever seen,
between that and the Louvre.
Huh?
Uh, I've only been
in my room so far.
It's just like
the room in Berlin
and the room in Stockholm
and the room in
the water is good though.
Love to kick my feet
Way down the shallow water
Shoo fly, dragon fly,
Get back to your mother
Pick up a flat rock,
Skip it across Green River
Well
Now the whole time
we're in Rotterdam,
it was like a blizzard,
only it was just raining.
What do you mean
about the friendly Europeans?
Well, like in New York,
they would've run us down,
you know?
Me too.
You know, I woke up
around 2:00 one afternoon
and just that's the--
when I saw you on the balcony.
Oh, that was fantastic.
And just, uh, you know,
I was happy. Wow.
Cleaned a lot of plates
In Memphis
Pumped a lot of 'pane
Down in New Orleans
But I never saw
The good side of the city
'Til I hitched a ride
On a river boat queen
I think that to me,
this tour proves that, uh,
that rock and roll music, uh,
after 15 years
should be somebody--
somebody's taking it serious somewhere.
I mean, it's the same--
you get the same reaction in Rotterdam
that you get in Oakland,
that you get in LA,
that you get in Omaha,
like there's something happening.
The real test
as to the success
of their European tour
would be measured
by the reception
they would receive
at London's Royal Albert Hall.
The journey that led
to this landmark concert
began 13 years earlier
in El Cerrito, California
near San Francisco.
It all happened one day.
The first day
in junior high school,
there was this guy sitting
in the back of the class,
just screwing around.
And, uh, all the seats
were taken
except the ones next to him.
So I just fell down
and sat next to him,
it turned out to be Doug.
Hello there.
Like we were good friends
for a couple years
before we even, you know,
got into a music thing at all.
Then John
John was tinkling on the piano,
then in the music room
to like audition people
who are interested.
Yeah. We started out
as a-- like a--
as a trio with piano,
drums, and guitar.
You have to understand,
like we were the only band
in the school.
It wasn't like
how it was after The Beatles
when it seemed like
every school had 50 bands,
we were the band of the school.
The instrumental trio,
John Fogerty, Stu Cook,
and Doug Clifford
initially went under the name,
The Blue Velvets.
They became a four piece
when John's older brother,
Tom joined on vocals
under the name,
Tommy Fogerty
and The Blue Velvets,
they released a handful of singles
that helped build their reputation
around the Bay Area.
Then during February of 1964,
their world was shaken
by a hurricane
that had blown in
from across the Atlantic.
Well, shake it up, baby
Now, shake it up, baby
Twist and shout
Twist and shout
So in '64, we'd already
been together five years.
And our listening experience,
the kind of stuff we were into
was pretty much similar
to The Beatles.
And when The Beatles hit,
we said, wow, you know,
the door is wide open again,
'cause The Beatles really just changed
the whole thing for all musicians.
The month
after The Beatles heralded
the start of the so-called
British invasion,
San Francisco's Channel 9
broadcast Anatomy of a Hit,
a television program
that told the story
of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind"
by jazz artist, Vince Guaraldi.
This single had been a hit
for Fantasy,
the San Francisco
based record label.
Having watched the documentary,
John and Tom Fogerty
crossed the Bay Bridge
and played their songs
to Max Weiss,
Fantasy's co-founder
and resident hipster.
I have perfect pitch
and natural rhythm.
And just by one listening
of just a, maybe four or five bars,
usually five bars, uh,
I can spot whether a record's
gonna make it or not.
Impressed by what he heard
and no doubt aware
of the tremendous success of The Beatles
in the growing
beat group phenomenon,
Weiss signed the group
to Fantasy.
Wanting the band's name
to sound more British,
the label opted for a new one
unaware of its offensive
racial connotations.
Thought it sounded British,
Beatle-ly and all the rest,
and that was the reason
trying to emulate
the English thing.
As their sound evolved,
Stu Cook switched
from piano to bass,
Tommy Fogerty to rhythm guitar,
and John Fogerty assumed
the role of lead vocalist.
And by late 1966,
it was beginning
to look like the group
was on the verge
of a breakthrough.
I got me
A brown eyed girl
Yeah
-Brown eyed girl
-Yeah
But with the escalation
of the Vietnam War
and the shadow of the draft
hanging over young men
across the States,
the group's progress
was brought to a halt.
John Fogerty enlisted
in the army reserve
and Doug Clifford
served in the coast guard.
During this period,
the musical spotlight
had shifted to San Francisco,
in what would soon explode
into the Summer of Love.
It exploded
while I was gone,
San Francisco
just broke wide open
and everybody was talking
about it and I was away.
I like Country Joe
and the Fish.
And the Jefferson Airplane,
Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Well, like, uh, the local groups
that have been playing
around here,
I've been seeing 'em
for a long time
and, uh, they're really making it,
they're doing
a real good thing, man.
I got out of the army
in, uh, '67
and we sort of resolved
to really go for it.
To either we were-- we were
really gonna commit ourselves
and everything we had
or else we weren't gonna make it.
A major turning point
was the release
of their single Porterville.
It didn't just sound like
the work of a different group,
it pointed the way forward.
It's been an awful long time
Since I been home
But you won't catch me
Goin' back down there alone
Things they said
When I was young
Are quite enough
To get me hung
"Porterville" showed
John Fogerty's determination
and growing confidence
as a songwriter.
And it was around this time
that they were able
to rid themselves of the name
that had been originally suggested
by the record label.
They became Creedence
Clearwater Revival.
We've been together
all this time
and nothing was happening
with the group.
So we decided we wanted
to have a little revival
among ourselves.
That's what that part meant.
It's just let's get back
to the basics, you know.
Let's get back
to where we were 10 years ago.
When "Porterville"
failed to make an impact on the charts,
Creedence resorted to a formula
that had provided many groups
with breakthrough hits.
They've recorded
a cover version.
The band decided on "Susie Q,"
a song that had been a hit
for Dale Hawkins back in 1958.
Oh, Susie Q
At first,
it was just a demo tape
that we took
to a local FM station,
and they started
playing it a lot
like four, five times a day,
in exactly the same form
that it appears on the record.
The excitement of actually
really hearing
your song on KYA, uh,
after years and years,
some nine and a half years, of trying,
it took-- it took us pretty much
by surprise when it happened,
because it just took off.
And wisely,
the man at the record company
finally saw, "Oh, well,
these guys are getting popular.
Maybe they should
make an album."
So, um, we got to go in
and with, um,
something like seven
or eight hours of studio time,
uh, we made the first album.
The budget was like
less than $2,000.
First album was released
and we came to San Francisco
and we started playing there
and it's like it just fell
together real fast,
but we've been working on it
for about nine years,
you know,
getting ourselves together
so that when we--
when we had it together,
like, all we needed
was an audience.
Having broken on
to the San Francisco ballroom circuit
and with their album hovering
just outside the top 50,
they were hoping to take things
to the next level
with another cover
of an R&B classic.
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
You better stop the thing
That you're doin'
I said watch out, I ain't lyin'
Screamin' Jay Hawkins did
"I Put a Spell on You."
And that's another great old
R&B song that I loved.
It happened to fit
my vocal style.
I could-- I could sing that well
and that was the reason, uh,
we decided to do that
particular song.
It's kind of hard for me
to talk about John
and be unbiased, you know,
because, uh,
we're in the same band together,
but I think that he had
one of the most unique voices.
I think it's right up there
with Ray Charles and Van Morrison,
you know, it's a voice that's distinct.
Despite showcasing
his development
into one of the era's
most recognizable voices
with a style rooted deep
in the blues and R&B,
the record failed
to reach the top 50.
John Fogerty had said that
he wanted Creedence
to make something for the ages,
to be great like The Beatles.
On the day that he received
his honorable discharge papers
from the army,
he wrote his first
genuine classic.
Left a good job In the city
Workin' for the man
Ev'ry night and day
And I never lost
One minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way
Things might have been
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
"Proud Mary" reached
number two on the US charts,
and five years
after watching The Beatles
make their debut on American TV,
they too appeared
on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Rollin' on the river
Cleaned a lot of plates
In Memphis
Pumped a lot of 'pane
Down in New Orleans
But I never saw
The good side of the city
'Til I hitched a ride
On a river boat queen
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', rollin'
Rollin' on the river
You know, like "Proud Mary"
I'm really happy about that,
that it came off
as well as it did.
The way I write
is a very loose thing.
All I'm trying to do really
is put down what I see,
you know, the way I see it.
Get something out of just
hearing the notes and the rhythm.
But if the words
can convey the same meaning,
it's like icing on the cake
then, you know,
because I try and match
the music with the words.
It was during that time
that I completed, uh,
all the stuff on Bayou Country
and, uh, some
of other songs, too.
In other words,
that didn't really reflect--
the songs didn't reflect
my mood at the time, you know,
I just switched off
and went into something else.
If "Proud Mary"
was about a riverboat
rolling up the Mississippi,
"Born on the Bayou"
took you on a journey
through the swamplands
that stretched
from New Orleans
into rural Louisiana.
When I was just a little boy
Standin' to
My daddy's knee
At the time
of the release
of their second album,
Bayou Country,
none of the band members
had yet set foot
in the part of
the American South
that was so vividly captured
in their songs,
a great achievement
for a songwriter
whose roots lay 2000 miles away
in Northern California.
And I can remember
The Fourth of July
Runnin' through
The backwood bay
I can still hear
My old hound dog barkin'
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
I, like,
haven't lived there, uh,
you know, in the south,
it was purely that was all
in my head really,
like, that was where
I wanted to go.
And all the things
I had heard before
that I dug were from there.
And it was like, I wanted
to be like that, you know?
Creedence
never bought into the idea
of turning on, tuning in,
and dropping out.
For them, it was always
about the work.
And to reflect
their identification
with the working man,
they called
their rehearsal place
The Factory.
Now, we come down here
every day,
we rehearse, talk about music
or what's happening,
you know, with other groups
or other records.
As well as writing the songs,
John Fogerty was also producing
the records.
The Factory was where
the songs took shape.
As they saw it,
simplicity was best
and less was usually more.
Like, when we make a record,
I don't--
I don't maybe listen to the--
really listen
and get into the words,
until maybe a month
after we're finished, you know.
Like, I don't sit down
and take it all apart,
you know, I just, uh,
you know, one line
or one word does it for me.
I see the bad moon a-risin'
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes
And lightnin'
Three months
after releasing "Proud Mary,"
Creedence were back
on the charts
with "Bad Moon Rising."
This song would also give them
their first UK number one.
There's a bad moon
On the rise
Yes, but just not fast enough.
Um
Yeah. There's really no other way
to say it, you know.
I would dig it if we all woke up
tomorrow morning
and we're just superb musicians,
you know, who could play anything,
but it never works out that way.
By mid-1969,
Creedence was arguably
the second biggest band
in the world behind The Beatles.
And that summer featured
among the headlining acts
at the Denver, Newport,
and Atlanta music festivals.
I went down to the station
Just to take a ride
They were also approached
to perform
at the upcoming
Woodstock Festival.
Creedence was one of the first,
if not the first major act
to sign.
You know, they used us
to entice other artists
of our generation
to get onboard.
We were signed
to headline Saturday night.
The day before
their scheduled appearance at Woodstock,
they were in a Los Angeles
television studio
recording a performance
of "Green River"
on The Andy Williams Show,
a showbiz institution,
a world away
from outdoor festivals
and the counterculture.
Well, take me back down
Where cool water flows, y'all
Oh, let me remember
Things I love
Stoppin' at the log
Where catfish bite
Walkin' along
The river road at night
Barefoot girls
Dancin' in the moonlight
The song is, uh, like, uh,
just a little segment
of John's child--
John and Tom's childhood,
uh, when their father
used to take 'em up
to the, uh, Cody's camp.
I mean, it's, uh, part of the lyric.
The place isn't there anymore.
Like progress, they built a dam,
flooded the-- you know,
backed the river up
and flooded out the whole place.
I think that, you know,
the camp,
everything's gone
except the song.
I like the place that that song
is supposed to be coming from.
"Green River,"
I always thought, was like
the heart and soul
of what Creedence is.
Uh, musically and also just kind of what
it's talking about.
Having honored
their television commitments,
they then traveled
to Upstate New York
to take part
in what would turn out to be
the most historic
music festival of all time,
Woodstock.
We're just overwhelmed
by, uh,
the enormity of--
but we had no idea
of what to expect.
And the weather
and technical problems
pushed the show later and later.
We finally got on
about 3:00 in the morning.
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
You better stop the thing
That you're doin'
I said, watch out, I ain't lyin'
We didn't consciously
go out of our way
to try to sound
like a Black band.
You know, there was parts
of country
and it's just that
that was really
that we liked Black music
better than the kind
of white music
that was being presented
to us at the time,
but, um, our early heroes
were definitely Black,
so I think it kind of maybe just
unconsciously came together.
-You know, the night-time
-Night and day
-Oh, is the right time
-Night and day
-To be
-Night and day
With the one you love,
Oh, oh
Night and day
-I said the night-time
-Night and day
"Night Time Is the Right Time"
was originally recorded
by Ray Charles
and would feature on Creedence's
first number one album in America,
Green River.
I've heard it
and I've experienced it,
and it's real.
And in fact, it's played
on the Black station.
It's being played
on the Black station,
and like the deejay there
was really pushing the record
and the people were digging.
My old lady and myself,
we were thinking of coming
to work the other morning
and I said,
"Hey, wait a minute, you know,
like those cats are for real."
So, like, it doesn't matter,
you know,
whether they're a white group
or not, like,
they're really coming
from within.
You dig it.
And when you come from within,
you got to be for real
no matter what you are.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Green River occupied
the top spot
for three weeks
before being replaced
by The Beatles' Abbey Road.
While the record
was still on the charts,
Creedence were back
in the studio
recording
what would be their third album
in less than a year,
Willy and the Poor Boys.
Down on the corner, out in the street
Willy and the Poor Boys
Are playin'
Bring a nickel, tap your feet
Rooster hits the washboard
And people just got to smile
What set Creedence apart
from many
of their contemporaries,
was their ability to produce
the sound of their records,
on stage
and the primal excitement
and joy of their concerts,
which came from their love
of live performance.
Down on the corner, out in the street
Willy and the Poor Boys
Are playin'
Bring a nickel, tap your feet
It has an elating effect on you.
It makes you feel good.
Therefore, you--
like, "I love music.
I consider it a good thing.
I don't love it
because I think it's good.
I just-- I just love it."
Like it's the fear
of, like, blowing it
and the excitement of being able
to do it at the same time.
If we're all working together, boom.
You know, it's just fabulous
and everybody's turned on.
If you do turn them on,
you really feel rewarded.
And that's really the reward.
That's the only reward
that counts, I think.
Just to hang around
But if you've got a nickel
Besides people
looking for your music,
they also-- well,
they wanna know what you think,
they wanna know what you wear,
and, you know,
what movies you like,
and do you eat spaghetti
for breakfast
and junk like that.
And they also wanna know
how you accept
the world you live in.
Do you accept it, really?
John, he's got an expression
that you can-- you can--
You can tell how a person is
by, you know,
looking in his eyes
and just how far behind
his eyes his brain is,
is where he's at.
You know,
if his brain is right up there,
you know, if his head's right up there
behind his eyes
and he's-- you know,
John will talk to him.
We go around talking about
how we're communicating
but no one ever does.
It's like you look right into a guy's
eyeballs and you're staring.
You say, you know, "Are you in there,
you know? Hello? Hello?"
And most of the time,
you don't get anything back.
He really cuts through
the bullshit.
Good men through the ages
Tryin' to find the sun
And I wonder, still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
I want people to know
when I'm really saying
something seriously
and when I'm
just being an entertainer,
you know?
But it's also important
that I don't appeal
the basic motivations
and I don't start,
you know, "Hey, all you hippies,
join together
and let's smoke dope," you know?
I mean, people are gonna dig that.
A certain element of society.
But I don't want them
digging it for that.
I want them to look a little
further than just, "Hey.
Okay. We're all together,
brother,"
you know, and that crap.
"Who'll Stop the Rain,"
and some of the others too,
especially that one,
I tried to stay away from,
"Hey, he's a left-wing
radical crazy
or he's a super Bircher,"
you know,
because both sides can take it,
you know,
and use it
as their own rallying cry.
Same as "Fortunate Son," really.
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, no
As 1969
was drawing to a close,
John Fogerty was considered
one of America's
most politically significant songwriters.
And in this year alone,
Creedence had accomplished
more than most groups managed
during a whole career,
including four top ten singles
and three top ten albums.
To emphasize this success,
Rolling Stone magazine declared
them best American band.
The outsiders from El Cerrito,
had come a long way.
And 1970 began
with a celebratory concert
on home turf,
in front of 15,000 ecstatic fans
at California's
Oakland Coliseum.
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Maybe you don't understand
In America,
Creedence were flying high,
and three months
after their victorious Oakland concert,
they took their show to Europe.
Their European campaign
began on April 7th
when they touched down
at London's Heathrow Airport.
There's a place
Up ahead and I'm going
Just as fast
As my feet can fly
When we got to London,
we were just destroyed.
Eleven-hour flight
and a nine-hour time difference.
It was like when it was night,
it was morning.
You know, you get so tired
that you just can't sleep.
And then,
just immediately went out
and got on a double-decker bus
and just started cruising
through London.
Creedence's
highly anticipated
sold-out concerts
at London's Royal Albert Hall
would take on
even greater significance
when just days before news broke
that shook the world.
The event is so momentous
that historians
may one day view it
as a landmark
in the decline
of the British Empire.
The Beatles are breaking up.
With the London audience
reeling from the news
of The Beatles' breakup,
Creedence was now poised
to take on the mantle
of the biggest group
in the world.
My biggest fear, man,
if these people
are gonna boo us off.
You know, you're not sacred.
If you ain't making it, you--
the first cat's gonna-- you know,
everyone else think it's like
The Emperor Wears No Clothes.
Finally some cat'll go, "Boo,"
and pretty soon the whole place
will just tear you to pieces,
you know?
There's a lot of pressure on John
and there's a lot of pressure,
I guess, on all of us,
because I wanna live up
to what John expects of me.
And hopefully
because we've practiced a lot
and we have improved anyway,
you know, just
evolving as musicians,
we want that to happen.
You know, it's four parts
that make up a whole.
Every once in a while,
you really--
you really know together,
you know?
It's like four people are one.
In other words, if something--
if something goes wrong,
hopefully,
instead of getting uptight,
we'll just remember
that time in Omaha
or that time in Lodi.
You just remember
all the little funny things
that have happened in 11 years.
Seven thirty seven
Comin' out of the sky
Oh, won't you take me down
To Memphis on a midnight ride
I want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah, and I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Get me to the hotel
Baggage gone, oh well
Come on, come on
Won't you get me to my room
I want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah
Well, I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Listen to the radio
Talkin' 'bout the last show
Someone got excited
Had to call the state militia
Want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah
And I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Here we come again
On a Saturday night
With your fussin'
And your fightin'
Won't you get me to the rhyme
I want to move
Playin' in a travelin' band
Yeah
Well, I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Woo!
Playin' in a travelin' band
Playin' in a travelin' band
Won't you give myself
A hand?
I'm playin'
In a travelin' band
Well, I'm flyin'
'Cross the land
Tryin' to get a hand
Playin' in a travelin' band
Oh, now
When I was just a little boy
Standin' to my daddy's knee
My papa said, son,
Don't let the man get you
And do what he done to me
'Cause he'll get you, Lord
Get right now, now
Well, I can remember
The Fourth of July
Runnin' through
The backwood bay
And I can still hear
My old hound dog
Barkin' chasin' down
A hoodoo there
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
All right, yeah
Born on the bayou, do it, do it
I wish I were back
On the bayou
Rollin' with some
Cajun Queen
Wish I were
A fast freight train
A-just a-choogling on
Down to New Orleans
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
All right, yeah
Born on the bayou
Do it, do it
I can remember
The Fourth of July
Runnin' through
The backwood bay
And I can still hear
My old hound dog barkin'
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
Chasin' down a hoodoo there
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
All right, yeah
Born on the bayou
Do it, do it, do it, do it
Thank you.
Yeah. All right.
Well
Take me back down
Where cool water flows, y'all
Oh, let me remember
The things I love
Stoppin' at the log
Where catfish bite
Walkin' along
The river road at night
Barefoot girls dancin'
In the moonlight
I can hear
The bullfrog callin' me
Wonder if my rope's
Still hangin' to the tree
Love to kick my feet
Way down the shallow water
Shoo fly, dragon fly
Get back to your mother
Pick up a flat rock,
Skip it across Green River
Well
Up at Cody's camp
I spent my days, Lord
With flat car riders
And cross-tie walkers
Old Cody Junior took me over
Said you're gonna find
The world is smoldering
And if you get lost,
Come on home to Green River
Well
Thank you.
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Ev'ry time I get
Some good news
Ooh, there's a shadow
On my back
Saw the gypsy man
'Way down in San Berdoo
Said, I saw the gypsy man
'Way down in San Berdoo
Five dollars on the table
Ooh, keep me 'way
From my tomb
Said I got thirteen months of bad luck
Bound to be some pain
Don't you do no trav'lin'
Fly in no machines
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Ev'ry time I get
Some good news
Ooh, here come shadow
On my back
The man gave me a luck charm
Cost five dollars more, Lord
Said, put some
On your pillow
And put some on your door
He said, take a long vacation
Ooh, for 13 months or more
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Tombstone shadow
Stretchin' across my path
Ev'ry time I get
Some good news
Ooh, here come a shadow
On my back
Thank you.
Thank you.
Some folks are born
Made to wave the flag
Hoo, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays
Hail to the chief
Ooh they point
The cannon at you, Lord
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Some folks are born
Silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't
They help themselves?
But when the taxman
Come to the door
Lord the house lookin'
Like a rummage sale
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no millionaire's son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Yeah, some folks
Inherit star-spangled eyes
Hoo, they send you down
To war
And when you ask 'em,
How much should we give?
Hoo, they only answer,
More, more, more
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no
Fortunate one, one
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, one, one, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no
Fortunate son, son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Traffic in the city
Turns my head around
No, no, no, no, no
Backed up on the freeway,
Backed up in the church
Ev'rywhere you look
There's a frown, frown
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
People keep a-talkin'
They don't say a word
Jaw, jaw, jaw, jaw, jaw
Talk up in the White House
Talk up to your door
So much goin' on
I just can't hear
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Hurryin' to get there
So you save some time
Run, run, run, run, run
Rushin' to the treadmill
Rushin' to get home
Worry 'bout the time
You save, save
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Com, commotion
Git, git, git, gone
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Well, you wake up
In the mornin'
You hear the work bell ring
And they march you
To the table
You see the same old thing
Ain't no food upon the table
And no pork up in the pan
But you better
Not complain, boy
You get in trouble
With the man
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
All right.
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine an ever-lovin'
Light on me
Yonder come Miss Rosie
How in the world
Did you know?
By the way she wears
Her apron
And the clothes she wore, no
Umbrella on her shoulder
Piece of paper in her hand
She come to see the gov'nor
She want to free her man, oh
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine an ever-lovin'
Light on me
If you're ever in Houston
Well, you better do it right
You better not gamble
And you better
Not fight, Lord
Or the sheriff will grab ya
And the boys
Will bring you down
The next thing you know, boy
Whoa, you're prison bound
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine a light on me
All right, Lord!
Let the Midnight Special
Shine an ever-lovin' light
On me
I see the bad moon a-risin'
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes
And lightnin'
I see bad times today
Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
I hear hurricanes a-blowin'
I know the end
Is comin' soon
I fear rivers over flowin'
I hear the voice
Of rage and ruin
Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
Hope you got
Your things together
Hope you are
Quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye
Well don't go around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
Don't come around tonight
Well it's bound
To take your life
There's a bad moon
On the rise
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
Left a good job in the city
Workin' for the man
Ev'ry night and day
And I never lost
One minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way
Things might have been
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', rollin'
Rollin' on the river
Cleaned a lot of plates
In Memphis
Pumped a lot of 'pane
Down in New Orleans
But I never saw
The good side of the city
'Til I hitched a ride
On a river boat queen
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', yeah
Rollin', all right
Rollin' on the river
Rollin'
Rollin', yeah
Rollin' on the river
If you come down
To the river
Bet you gonna find
Some people who live
You don't have to worry
'Cause you have no money
People on the river
Are happy to give
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', yeah
Rollin', oh
Rollin' on the river
Rollin'
Rollin', yeah
Rollin' on the river
Rollin', oh
Rollin', yeah
Rollin' on the river
You know the night time
Oh, is the right time
To be
With the one you love
I said the night time
Ooh, is the right time
To be
With the one you love
I said the night time, baby
Yeah, is the right time
To be with the one you love
Baby
I said a baby
Baby
Come on
And drive me crazy, Lord
You know I love you
Always thinkin' of you
Hey, baby
Oh, I said a baby, oh
I said the night time
Is the right time
To be with the one you love
All I can say
I said the night time
Oh, is the right time
To be
With the one you love
I said the night time
Ooh, is the right time
To be
With the one you love
I said the night time, baby
Oh, is the right time
To be with the one you love
Good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
Good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
From the early Early mornin'
'Til the early, early night
You can see
Miss Molly rockin'
At the house of blue lights
Ah, good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
Say, momma, poppa told me
Son, you better
Watch your step
If I knew my momma, poppa
Have to watch my pop myself
Ah, good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
I am goin' to the corner
Gonna buy a diamond ring
Would you pardon me
A kissin'
'N' a ting-a-ling-a-ling?
Oh, good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
Aaaah
Good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
Good golly, Miss Molly
Sure like a ball
When you're
Rockin' 'n' rollin'
Can't hear your momma call
Thank you.
This will be our last song,
but we hope you all join in
and listen.
Help us keep something going.
In advance, we wanna say
thank you very much
for having us here in London.
Here's a song called
"Keep On--" just "Keep On--"
"Keep On Chooglin'."
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin'
Maybe you don't
Understand it
But if you're a natural man
You got to ball
And have a good time
And that's
What I call chooglin'
Here comes Mary
Lookin' for Harry
She gonna choogle tonight
Here comes Louie
Works in the sewer, Lord
He gonna choogle tonight
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
If you can choose it
Who can refuse it
Y'all be chooglin' tonight
Go on, take your pick
Right from the git go
You gotta choogle tonight
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Keep on chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Chooglin', chooglin'
Good night, y'all. We love you.
Creedence received
a 15-minute standing ovation,
clearly winning over
the London audience
and solidifying this performance
is a major highlight
of their career.
Later that year, their fifth album,
Cosmo's Factory,
topped the charts
around the world,
including the US and UK.
Creedence could then
rightfully lay claim to being
the biggest band in the world.
Just got home from Illinois
Lock the front door, oh boy!
Got to sit down
Take a rest on the porch
Imagination sets in
Pretty soon I'm singin'
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
There's a giant
Doin' cartwheels
A statue wearin' high heels
Look at all the happy
Creatures dancin' on the lawn
Dinosaur Victrola
Listenin' to Buck Owens
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
Tambourines and elephants
Are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride
On the flyin' spoon?
Dood-n-doo-doo
Wondrous apparition
Provided by magician
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
Tambourines and elephants
Are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride
On the flyin' spoon?
Dood-n-doo-doo
Bother me tomorrow
Today I'll buy no sorrows
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
Forward troubles Illinois
Lock the front door, oh boy!
Look at all the happy
Creatures dancin' on the lawn
Bother me tomorrow
Today I'll buy no sorrows
Doo, doo, doo
Lookin' out my back door
Long as I remember
The rain been comin' down
Clouds of mystery pourin'
Confusion on the ground
Good men through the ages
Tryin' to find the sun
And I wonder
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
I went down Virginia
Seekin' shelter
From the storm
Caught up in the fable
I watched the tower grow