Classic Tune of the Week 2

Long as I remember, the rain’s been comin’ down,
Clouds of mystery pouring confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, trying to find the sun
And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?

From: "Who'll Stop The Rain" by John Fogerty

The classic tune of the week is John Fogerty’s “Who’ll Stop The Rain”. The song originally appeared on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1970 album “Cosmo’s Factory”. It achieved a high of #2 on the American charts and, in 2004, Rolling Stone voted the song #188 on its’ “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.

John Fogerty has long been one of my favorite artists. His unique style and distinctive voice make him unlike anyone who has come before him or since. I actually “discovered” Fogerty during his comeback in the mid 1980s. I liked his songs “The Old Man Is Down The Road” and “Centerfield” from the album of the same name. I got even more into Fogerty and his old CCR work after seeing “An American Werewolf In London” which featured the song “Bad Moon Rising”.

“Who’ll Stop The Rain” seems to break neatly into three parts. The first verse seems to be a thinly veiled lament over the ongoing Vietnam War. The second verse, with its’ line about "five-year plans and new deals wrapped in golden chains" seems to express a sense of resignation and frustration regarding politicians in general. The third verse is clearly a reference to what Fogerty saw and experienced at Woodstock in 1969.

Hit the clip to the right showing Fogerty on stage with his guitar to hear this classic song. This video is taken from a concert filmed in front of a live audience at Warner Bros. Studios on December 12th, 1997 for what became a PBS special. Several other classic Fogerty/CCR song performances from the same concert can be seen as well.

The lyrics of “Who’ll Stop The Rain” seem as relevant today as they did in 1970. Who will stop the rain? It is a shame the question still must be asked 38 years after the song was written.

My best…

P.S. - I don't know what the deal is with the "digital piano" videos that tagged along with these others. One of these days I'll figure out how to pull just the one video I want. In the meantime, just hold your cursor over the pictures and after a second or two the name of the video will pop up. If "Who'll Stop The Rain" doesn't appear at first just hang on and let the videos cycle through. It will pop up shortly.