Pagan Baby is a stellar guitar rocker, laden with smokin’ riffs that get you pumping. It’s mostly instrumental interspersed with John Fogerty’s raw and energetic voice that conveys a sense of urgency. Also his unique regional accent contributes to the songs southern and swamp rock feel. The lyrics themselves like “Roll me, baby, Roll your big, brown eyes” and “Don’t be savin’, Spread your love on me,” are delivered in a playful, but insistent tone. All this combined with the song’s driving rhythm and the iconic guitar solo that follows the chorus, transforms the track into a memorable piece of classic American roots rock. I first heard it at my friend Max’s blog – PowerPop where he wrote:
John turned his Kustom K200/A Amp up to 11 with this song. It’s a little harder than their radio hits and they dip into blues rock with this cut. It was never released as a single but has become a fan favorite, especially among those who appreciate CCR’s rock album tracks.
Most of the following was abridged from the Wikipedia reference below:
Pagan Baby opens Creedence Clearwater Revival’s sixth studio album released in December 1970. Another song that will appear here from that album which most readers will be familiar is Have You Ever Seen the Rain. The album was recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, and took a month to complete, which was an unusually long time for the band. On previous albums, they had rehearsed songs before entering the studio, but, for Pendulum, the members learned the songs in the studio.
It is the last album the band recorded while Tom Fogerty was still a member, as he left the group in early 1971 to start a solo career; and the last of the band’s albums to be produced solely by John Fogerty. The album is the only one by Creedence Clearwater Revival to not contain any cover songs, and the last in which all the original songs were written by John. The album peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard. The only single taken from the album, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain“/”Hey Tonight“, was released in January 1971, and reached number eight on the Billboard chart.
[Verse]
Pagan Baby, won’t you walk with me?
Pagan Baby, Come on home with me
Pagan baby, Take me for a ride
Roll me, baby, Roll your big, brown eyes
Yeah! Ooh! Ooh!
Pagan Baby, Let me make your name
Drive it, baby, Drive your big love game
Pagan baby, What you got, I need
Don’t be saving, Spread your love on me
Aah! Mm-mm-mm!
Pagan Baby, Now won’t you rock with me?
Pagan baby, Lay your love on me
Yeah, yeah!
Aah! Hey, hey!
Aah! Hey! Yeah!
Hey! Hey! Haaaaaaay!
References:
1. Pendulum (Creedence Clearwater Revival album) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
My parents were a pretty big fan of Creedance Clearwater, so this band brings me back.
Nice. I think I came to CCL relatively late and intermittently, hearing bits and pieces from them in popular culture inc. The Big Lebowsky movie.
CCR has always been a big favorite of mine. Good rockin tunes, good dance tunes.
Yes indeed. Their music certainly made a huge impact and continues to resonate, although their most prolific and successful period lasted only four years.
Well, because of the (USA, anyway) backlash to disco & punk/new wave music, the powers that be created “Classic Rock” & took over the FM radio with that & CCR was, from the beginning, one of the mainstays of that programming format. I never really liked “Classic Rock” radio stations. Although, like everyone else, there are tunes I like better than others, I don’t want to hear the same shit over & over again. Even tunes I like get really old really fast when they’re played to death.
Classic Rock is the MAGA of music IMHO. Always looking backwards, never forward. Never wanting to try new things, let new people sit in at the jam session, never wanting to learn a new dance step. It’s always about who they were back when.
Again ~ I talk a lot about who I was back in the day but I live TODAY. I miss hearing new tunes on the radio. I miss the radio, period. While platforms like Spotify & Pandora & Youtunes do suggest music to the listener ~ often things that are really good & appreciated ~ it’s not like driving down the road in your car & the newest single from your favorite band or some new group from Canada or Britain or somewhere comes on the dial & you have to turn it ALL THE WAY UP because it fucking rocks.
But everything changes. Amirite?
That’s some cool music history about how classic rock and bands like CCR became mainstays. I agree — I don’t like hearing songs over and over again (especially when they’re mediocre to begin with), and that often happens here, with people lapping it up. But there are some great salsa, Latin rock, and ballads I’m happy to hear repeatedly — many I’ve already shared here. It’s when they play the same frickin’ Western tracks like Sweet Child o’ Mine or Thriller for the squillionth time that I feel like crawling under a rock and dying. I’d much rather hear new music from people whose taste I value or that which comes into my YT feed – than listen to commercial radio. Only on the extremely rare occasion does a great new song come on the radio that makes me go hunting for the artist and track.
I don’t use Spotify or Pandora—in fact, I’m incensed by the way corporate stakeholdership has eroded individual ownership of music and movies. These platforms not only impose their values on us but also profit from exorbitant advertising monopolies while sharing data with governments. Meanwhile, the public drifts along like frogs in a pot, oblivious as the heat slowly rises, unaware of what awaits – spectacularly ignorant.
I’m so glad I was able to d/l lots of tunes during the Napster/etc era. We had a lot of freedom for a while. Not just with music, with all aspects of the internet. There wasn’t a paywall for everything. It’s become a real drag now. I spend more time reading books than I do on the internet.
You could do a lot worse than reading books. They are fantastic company!
I’ve loved CCR from the moment I first head “Have You Ever Seen” and “Hey Tonight” when I was about 8. My sister had these songs as a 45. Both also happen to be on the “Pendulum” album. And while I’ve definitely listened to the other songs on that album, I didn’t recall “Pagan Baby,” which I agree is a great song – thanks for calling it out!
Most kind of you, but I have Max to thank for bringing this song to my attention. Your sister’s collection certainly was the bee’s knees.