It looks like a lovely family portrait of dutiful, clean-cut brothers right there. They scrub up OK – don’t they? – those handsome devils. The band did include two brothers, though: lead singer John Fogerty and his guitarist brother Tom Fogerty.
It’s a fitting photo for this tranquil song too, where we see Creedence drop their usual rocker intensity for a laid-back number – well, by their usual standards. But don’t let appearances deceive you, because there’s a lot going on here. That’s the quality of It’s Just a Thought.
Creedence fans regard this one as highly underrated, and I can see why. It just plain sounds good. The Hammond organ is a standout, and Stu Cook’s bass lines are subtle but effective rather than showy. I love the drumming from Doug “Cosmo” Clifford, giving it a restrained but enticing rhythmic pulse. As usual, John Fogerty’s gritty, raspy vocals carry real weight.
This contemplative song is about the pondering the passage of time and the difficulty in understanding its flow. The song also touches on the idea of personal value and self-worth “That the song up there is you / They can’t take it from you / If you don’t give it away. So seen as a message of empowerment and then takes a deviation in the last verse contemplating the consequences of bad ideas and the enduring nature of good ones. As aforementioned there’s a lot going behind this song. There’s beauty in its simplicity.
Although the band formed in 1959 and worked under different names, it wasn’t until 1968–69 that they really hit their stride and reached peak success. They produced 14 consecutive top-10 singles. That golden period was short-lived, lasting only a few years, and they broke up in 1972 while still riding the wave of their fame. So much for enjoying the spoils.
It’s Just a Thought comes from the group’s sixth studio album Pendulum. The album reached No. 5 in the US, No. 8 in the UK, and No. 1 in Australia.
It’s just a thought
But I’ve noticed somethin’ strange
Gettin’ harder to explain
All the years are passin’ by and by
Still I don’t know, what makes it go
Who said to wait and you’ll see?
It’s just a thought
But I wondered if you knew
That the song up there is you.
They can’t take it from you
If you don’t give it away;
Don’t give it away
Ooh it’s given away
It’s just a thought
But the word has come too late
That a bad idea will take
Just about a lifetime to explain
And don’t you see
Good one’s gonna be much longer;
Who’s gonna wait, just to see?
References:
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“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
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