“We achieved all our dreams… you guys are only talking about negative stuff … On your own perfect dream … you bring in a huge rain cloud…”
– John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Have You Ever Seen the Rain is quietly heartbreaking – a gentle song carrying a simple mix of tension and longing. I remember hearing it often in my youth and being instantly drawn to it. The song conjured images in my mind of the Vietnam War, Agent Orange, acid rain, and the tough road veterans faced in trying to overcome the trauma that haunted them. Whether the song actually had anything to do with that we shall see below. Despite its oversaturation on radio and in broader Western pop culture, Have You Ever Seen the Rain still stands as a contemporary rock classic – arguably CCR’s most celebrated and recognisable song.
Written by cofounder, lead vocalist and principal songwriter – John Fogerty, the song came out as a single in January 1971, and is also part of Creedence’s Pendulum album, released in late 1970. It’s strange how spare the arrangement is for a CCR track – no huge guitar solo, quietly humming organ and steady vocals – just a clean melancholic melody. On its surface, the lyrics talk about a sunshower – “rain … comin’ down on a sunny day.” But the deeper meaning is more personal according to the UDiscover music article below. To Fogerty, the “rain” isn’t literal; it’s his way of expressing the pain as his band was breaking up. Even as things looked bright (they were wildly successful), something dark was settling in.
As alluded to above, the emotional weight doesn’t not from screaming guitars or theatrical flair, but from its simplicity. Lines like “Someone told me long ago / There’s a calm before the storm” feel universal – like a memory, or a warning. This reminds me of a movie called Take Shelter (2011) about a devoted family man and construction worker who becomes increasingly consumed by vivid nightmares of an apocalyptic storm, leading him to build a storm shelter and question his own sanity. The song, like the movie makes you imagine a moment when everything seems okay … and yet isn’t. Good days don’t mean everything is perfect. The rain can come at any moment – even under a blue sky.
[Verse 1]
Someone told me long ago
There’s a calm before the storm
I know, it’s been comin’ for some time
When it’s over, so they say
It’ll rain a sunny day
I know, shinin’ down like water
[Chorus]
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
Comin’ down on a sunny day
[Verse 2]
Yesterday, and days before
Sun is cold and rain is hard
I know, been that way for all my time
‘Til forever, on it goes
Through the circle, fast and slow
I know, it can’t stop, I wonder
References:
1. Have You Ever Seen the Rain – Wikipedia
2. ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’: Creedence’s Poignant Late-Period Classic – UDiscoverMusic
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Christian and you are on the same wavelength today. John’s voice was an instrument just as much as the physical instruments. This is an excellent song along with so many John wrote. It’s a shame they burned up so quick. They were outselling almost everyone…just a sad story.
Happy Saturday to you, Max! Funny coincidence that Christian and I both landed on CCR the same day. Not to take anything away from this classic, but maybe because it’s been played to death I tend to reach for other tracks now — “Pagan Baby,” “Bad Moon Rising,” or “Lodi.” I’m not all that familiar with the details of their breakup, but that short, blazing run they had seems to mirror the punch of their music.
You know which one I go for? A song called Bootleg…great song! They even made a video for that song back then…
Basically the others thought they could/should write more…well John said do it…lol they couldn’t.
Hey…did you relisten to the Goose Creek Symphony song? Does it still hit you right?
Well, John sure showed ’em who’s boss, didn’t he? I liked “Bootleg,” thanks. And I also really took to the unusually sedate, almost pensive side of CCR in “It’s Just a Thought,” which Christian posted.
I’ve heard ‘Words of Earnest’ from Goose Greek Symphony a few times since and it still sounds great. Cheers Max.
As Max commented earlier, we are on the same CCR wavelength today – not only that, but you also highlighted the song I would choose, if I could only pick one. 😀
I loved «Have You Ever Seen the Rain» since I first heard it as a 7- or 8-year-old back in Germany, where my then-teenage sister had that gem as a 45, backed by «Hey Tonight» – another CCR song that remains among my favorites to this day!
What are the chances we turn to CCR on the same day huh? Where we differ is our appreciation of this song (These days) amongst their other biggies. As I was telling Max, I prefer other songs by them now – not to take anything away from this all-time Classic. Cheers man.
Raining endlessly, great song 🎵
Another oldie but goody! My parents loved Creedence Clearwater Revival.
That’s cool you had their music growing up Ashley. CCR came to me gradually over the years through movies especially ‘The Big Lebowsky’ and other people’s blogs.
I grew to liking them more since my parents were annoying with their music lol, they are quite good!
Hey Happy Tuesday. I’m intrigued…how were your parents annoying with their music?
They would play the same songs over and over again lol With very little variety at times.
Ah ok, that’s funny, but I imagine very frustrating for a young and daily growing Ashley.
What did you prefer to listen to when they were playing their stuff.
On the subject – Hey, have you heard Christian Perri’s song ‘Fever’? – I have it as my ringtone lol
Man, do I love that song. I consider it soooo good, that it’s too good for people. Haha.
This was during my phase of only listening to mainstream music that I was forcing myself to like because that was what my friends liked. Taio Cruz, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, etc. My sister would blast our own music and sing to it in our room lol I have a drastically different taste in music now.
‘Fever’ is a beautiful song! I love the piano in her songs as well as her harmony with her own voice. So beautiful and that bridge was fantastic!
Oh I see what you mean about how tastes change. I only ever remembering listening the music my parents would play on the ol’ trusty wooden turntable and it was good stuff. I got into my own music when friends at school would loan their records out or when I started earning cash and buying my own cassettes.
I’m ecstatic you loved ‘Fever’. Everything in that song seems to bend and warp before finally coalescing into something close to modern ballad perfection—right from that Zen-like xylophone in the intro. There’s never a dull moment. And the lyrics are just phenomenal.
Oh, I would have loved to have a family member with a turntable! We had the cassette players with the box speakers lol I thought those were amazing. I did recently get a record player with some oldie and new records for it. I freaking love those things.
Christina Perri is a musical prodigy in my opinion. I also like how she tends to stay in her own lane since I cannot recall any drama surrounding her, unlike most modern-day artists. She seems genuinely in it because she loves making music and I love that and you can feel it in her emotional pieces.
Our wooden turntable looked more like a dresser, or rather an inbuilt piece of furniture, with the speakers draping across the front. Oh, what I’d give to buy a record player now and have my mother send me all those brand-new, still-sealed Dylan LPs. I fear that hefty parcel would cost more than the player itself — a lot more!
Christina Perri is my favourite modern balladeer. She’s endured more than her fair share of heartbreak — and that’s putting it mildly — having overcome a full-blown drug and alcohol addiction in 2012, and then losing her stillborn daughter, Rosie, in 2020. She wrote one of the finest ballads I’ve heard in years with 2022’s Evergone. I’ll send the video below in case you haven’t seen it. Once again, her writing is on a whole other level, edging into Leonard Cohen territory.
That sounds so cool! I know over here you can get a pretty good deal on record players. I hear you with the postage cost, it is expensive as heck to send something just to a different city even, let alone another country!
Oh wow I did not know all that about her. She honestly takes her past trauma in stride and dignity though. Such a beautiful story of turning pain into something beautiful. Yeah I will have to check that song out once the holidays chill out a bit.
Yeah — and the thought of my 78-year-old mother having to pack up and send twenty-odd albums over makes me go arghh… to hell with it, and just leave them in Australia.
Sip… Christina Perri, like Leonard Cohen, has that uncanny ability to turn something painful into something exquisitely beautiful.
Oh yeah that would be a lot on your mom. I imagine you probably have a decent number of records so that would be heavy to send. I would be scared they would get damaged on the flight to you as well.
Oh yeah Leonard Cohen sings ‘Hallelujah’! I knew his name sounded familiar. Ugh that song used to make me cry. He reminds me a lot of Josh Groban, particularly his ‘You Raise Me Up’. So beautiful.
I’ll get back to this later, but drop all tools, if you haven’t heard Leonard Cohen’s ‘Come Healing’:
Lol that is gorgeous!
Leonard Cohen is like the best contemporary music spiritual artist ever. I’m so chuffed you liked it.
‘And none of us deserving the cruelty or the grace’
I know you, well kinda and yeh Leonard Cohen is known for ‘Hallelujah’ blah de blah, but of all people you would be huge into all his stuff. Try ‘Suzanne’ on for size and my gawd the lyrics:
Dang. Another beautiful one! Thank you for showing that.
I first remember ‘you raised me up’ from Aled Jones. Aled did an amazing version of ‘Oh Holy Night’ (my favourite XMAS carol) ..him as chorus boy and then as an adult. I’ll send it below:
Ooooh that is beautiful!
If you want to hear the best rendition, at least to my ears – it’s David Hobson en Melbourne Like this is beyond ‘class’ and just too good:
I’ve always loved CCR. I think their anti-war/anti-Vietnam war songs are some of the best of that era.
I immediately took it as an anti-war song, and there’s a lot in it that feels analogous to Dylan’s forewarning in “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”