"Bad Moon Rising"
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Green River
B-side"Lodi"
ReleasedApril 16, 1969 (1969-04-16)
RecordedMarch 1969
StudioWally Heider Studios, San Francisco, California
Genre
Length2:21
LabelFantasy
Songwriter(s)John Fogerty
Producer(s)John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology
"Proud Mary"
(1969)		 "Bad Moon Rising"
(1969)		 "Green River"
(1969)
Music video
"Bad Moon Rising" (lyric video) on YouTube

"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released on 16 April 1969, four months before the album. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 28 June 1969 and reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in September

1sic). It was CCR's second gold single.[4]

The song has been recorded by at least 20 different artists, in styles ranging from folk to reggae to psychedelic rock.

In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 364 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.

It is one of five songs by the band that peaked at the No. 2 spot on the U.S. Billboard chart and did not get to No. 1. It was blocked by "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" by Henry Mancini.

On the 2013 John Fogerty album, Wrote a Song for Everyone, the song is included featuring the Zac Brown Band.[5]

Composition

"Bad Moon Rising" uses weather imagery to make the point that something bad is lurking "out there."[6]

Fogerty reportedly wrote the song after watching the 1941 film The Devil and Daniel Webster. It was inspired by a scene in the film in which a hurricane destroys the crops of several farms, but spares those of Jabez Stone (James Craig), the character in the film who makes a deal with the devil in exchange for wealth. Fogerty claims the song is about "the apocalypse that was going to be visited upon us".[7][8] He also said that when the band was learning the song he recognized the dichotomy between the apocalyptic words and the happy melody.[7] He said "It wasn't until the band was learning the song that I realized the dichotomy. Here you've got this song with all these hurricanes and blowing and raging ruin and all that, but it's 'I see a bad moon rising.' It's a happy-sounding tune, right? It didn't bother me at the time."[7]

Reception

Billboard described the single as being "loaded with rhythm and drive" and predicted that it "[couldn't] miss going right to the top."[9] Cash Box described it as a "blazing bayou-rock outing" that is "louder and bolder" than the group's previous single "Proud Mary."[10] Cash Box ranked it as the No. 51 single of 1969.[11]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Cliff M. Junior rated "Bad Moon Rising" as Creedence Clearwater Revival's 5th greatest song, saying that "in a little more than two minutes, [Fogerty] unloads his mind and prompts you to think about what’s troubling you in your life."[6]

The song has been referenced numerous times by the Plants vs. Zombies franchise, including a use in an advertisement for Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 and an aptly-named Trick card in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes. The song also appears in a 2023 TV commercial for Toyota.

Chart history

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[32] Platinum 90,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[34] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival - Track Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ Valdez, Steve (2014). "Folk rock". In Henderson, Lol; Stacey, Lee (eds.). Encyclopedia of Music in the 20th Century. London: Routledge. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-135-92946-6.
  3. ↑ Breihan, Tom (November 27, 2018). "The Number Ones: Henry Mancini's "Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 15, 2023. Creedence Clearwater Revival's apocalyptic blues-rock rambler "Bad Moon Rising" peaked at #2...
  4. ↑ Chronicle, Vol. 1 Liner Notes
  5. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/wrote-a-song-for-everyone-mw0002349081
  6. 1 2 Junior, Cliff M. (September 9, 2012). "Top 10 Creedence Clearwater Revival Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Werner, Craig (1998). Up Around the Bend. Avon Books. pp. 144–145. ISBN 0380801531.
  8. ↑ Goldberg, Michael (February 4, 1993). "John Fogerty Looks Back on the Glory Days of Creedence Clearwater Revival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. April 26, 1969. p. 82. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 26, 1969. p. 22. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1969" (PDF). Cash Box. December 27, 1969. p. 22. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  13. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising" (in French). Ultratip.
  15. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6026." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  16. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  17. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bad Moon Rising". Irish Singles Chart.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Creedence Clearwater Revival" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  19. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising". VG-lista.
  20. ↑ "SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Songs A–B". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising". Swiss Singles Chart.
  22. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  24. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 14, 1969". Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Go-Set Magazine Charts". www.poparchives.com.au. Barry McKay. January 2007. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  30. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1969/Top 100 Songs of 1969". www.musicoutfitters.com.
  31. ↑ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1969". Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  33. ↑ "British single certifications – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  34. ↑ "American single certifications – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising". Recording Industry Association of America.
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