"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" is a song written by John Fogerty and released as a single in 1971 from the album Pendulum (1970) by roots rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song charted highest in Canada, reaching number one on the RPM 100 national singles chart in March 1971. In the U.S., in the same year it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (where it was listed as "Have You Ever Seen the Rain? / Hey Tonight", together with the B-side). On Cash Box pop chart, it peaked at number three. In the UK, it reached number 36. It was the group's eighth gold-selling single.
Some have speculated that the song's lyrics are referencing the Vietnam War, with the "rain" being a metaphor for bombs falling from the sky. In his review of the song for Allmusic website, Mark Deming suggests that the song is about the idealism of the 1960s and about it fading in the wake of events such as the Altamont Free Concert and the Kent State shootings and that Fogerty is saying that the same issues of the 1960s still existed in the 1970s but that people were no longer fighting for them. However, Fogerty himself has said in interviews and prior to playing the song in concert that the song is about rising tension within CCR and the imminent departure of his brother Tom from the band. In an interview, Fogerty stated that the song was written about the fact that they were on the top of the charts, and had surpassed all of their wildest expectations of fame and fortune. They were rich and famous, but somehow all of the members of the band at the time were depressed and unhappy. Thus the line "Have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day." The band split in October the following year after the release of the album Mardi Gras.
In a literal sense the song describes a sunshower such in the lyric "It'll rain a sunny day" and the chorus "have you ever seen the rain Comin' down on a sunny day?". These events are particularly common in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, but less common in other parts of the country, due to localized atmospheric wind shear effects. In Southern regional dialect, there is even a term for it: "the devil beating his wife".
John Fogerty released a live version of the song on his The Long Road Home - In Concert DVD which was recorded at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on September 15, 2005.
Video Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Chart performance
Maps Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Cover versions
- Arvingarna
- Spin Doctors for the film Philadelphia, and also released as a single
- Belinda Carlisle
- Brian Fallon has covered this song live
- Boney M.
- Bonnie Tyler covered this song on her album Faster Than the Speed of Night (Spain #8, IE #13, France #40, UK #47, Germany #63)
- Cassandra Wilson
- Dr. Sin
- Dr Victor and the Rasta Rebels
- Emmerson Nogueira
- Hi-Standard
- Heroes del Silencio
- Joan Jett covered this song on her album The Hit List. This version was also featured in the second-season finale of The Wire.
- Johnny Cash
- Kipelov has covered this song live in 2013
- The Lumineers occasionally play live with their song, "Big Parade"
- Willie Nelson and Paula Nelson, on the 2013 album To All the Girls...
- Sass Jordan
- Mango, did a piano and vocal version from the album Acchiappanuvole (2008)
- Melanie Safka
- Priscila Y Sus Balas De Plata covered the song in Spanish, entitled "Ven Por Favor."
- The Minutemen
- Needtobreathe often covers this song live in concert
- R.E.M. have covered this song live
- Rod Stewart covered this song in 2006 and released it in the cover album Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", which was picked as the first song from the album.
- Smokie
- T.Love
- Teenage Fanclub
- Karen Souza
- The Fray
- The Jeevas
- The Ramones covered this song on their thirteenth studio album, Acid Eaters, recorded in 1993 (album entirely composed of covers)
- The Ventures
- Rise Against
- Saving Abel plays this song live on some occasions
- The Low Life
- Amy Gilliom
- Sawyer Fredericks and Noel Bybee performed and recorded this song as a duet during the battle rounds of The Voice Season 8 in 2015
- Love Psychedelico Recorded on their album Abbott Kinney
- It was performed on American Idol Season 11 by Phillip Phillips, and again on the results show with John Fogerty.
- Allison Moorer on her 2015 Down to Believing album
- Amy Hanaiali'i with The Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawai'i CD 2008
- Garik Sukachov
- Inner Circle Ft. Marty Dread
Spanish-language versions
- Laureano Brizuela - "Cerca de ti"
- Eduardo Palomo - "¿Quien va a perder?"
- Ana Gabriel - "Ven a ver Llover"
- Juan Gabriel - "Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (Gracias al Sol)"
References
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Source of article : Wikipedia
0 Comments