Creedence Clearwater Revival Score Their First Billboard-Topping Hit

50 years since Creedence Clearwater Revival delivered a body of work that has inspired and electrified generations of fans, the band has landed their all-time highest chart position with "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales Chart for two consecutive weeks. Astonishingly-despite releasing a prolific seven studio albums between 1968 and 1972 (two of which went to No. 1), playing over 150 tour dates around the world (including a headlining spot at Woodstock), and scoring fourteen Top Ten singles-the band never did land a No. 1 single.

In addition to the momentous milestone reached with "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" this month, their hits "Bad Moon Rising" and "Fortunate Son" also landed in the Rock Digital Song Sales Top Ten (reaching No. 9 and No. 10 respectively). Meanwhile, the band's RIAA Diamond-certified compilation album Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits recently broke the Top 10 on iTunes' Top Albums Chart, helping to place the record at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 (as of June 28, 2021).

Sig Sigworth, President of Craft Recordings, notes, "After fifty plus years, the legacy of Creedence Clearwater Revival continues to grow, as new generations of fans discover their rich and timeless catalog. The band's success is reflected not only in this astounding #1 chart position and the recent RIAA certifications, but also in the surge of subscribers, monthly listeners and continued synch requests."

First released on CCR's second to last album, 1971's Pendulum, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" was issued as a double A-side single along with "Hey Tonight," which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 100. The appeal of the 3x-Platinum certified song continues to reach new audiences. In 2018, Craft Recordings premiered an official music video for the song, as part of their celebration to commemorate CCR's 50th anniversary. Offering a fresh take on the timeless standard, the video (featuring actors Sasha Frolova, Jack Quaid, and Erin Moriarty ─ the latter two also starred in Amazon's smash hit series, The Boys) has received 118 million views to date and is available on the official CCR YouTube channel.

CCR's canon has endured to become a part of the Great American Songbook. Songs like "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," "Fortunate Son," "Bad Moon Rising," "Down on the Corner," "Proud Mary," "Born on the Bayou," "Travelin' Band" and "Up Around the Bend" have been ingrained into pop culture-not just as rock staples, but as classic standards. The band offered beautifully simple and relatable music for the every-man or -woman. Blue-collar Americans saw their experiences and sociopolitical concerns reflected in CCR's class-conscious broadsides ("Run Through the Jungle," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Fortunate Son") and portraits of working-class life ("Cotton Fields," "Proud Mary").

Craft Recordings recently issued a deluxe box set, The Studio Albums Collection, comprising the band's complete seven-album studio output remastered at half-speed at Abbey Road Studios, bringing these classic recordings a new vibrancy. The titles-Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bayou Country, Green River, Willy and the Poor Boys, Cosmo's Factory, Pendulum and Mardi Gras-are pressed on 180-gram vinyl and come housed in tip-on jackets replicating the packaging of the original pressings. Accompanying the collection is an 80-page book featuring liner notes from music journalist Roy Trakin, archival photos and reproductions of band ephemera, offering something for both new and the most diehard of Creedence fans. The limited-edition box set is available now, along with breakouts of the individual records. Click here to learn more.

Five decades after it all began, CCR's timeless appeal shows no signs of slowing. With so many memorable songs continuing to grace radio waves, television and movie screens, plus lyrics that still resonate today, Creedence Clearwater Revival is, truly, America's greatest rock 'n' roll band.

Click here to stream Creedence Clearwater Revival, and explore the band's catalog.

Photo Credit: Ed Caraeff

To post a comment, you must register and login.