Green River (song)
| "Green River" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival | ||||
| from the album Green River | ||||
| B-side | "Commotion" | |||
| Released | July 1969[1] | |||
| Format | 7" 45 RPM | |||
| Recorded | Sometime from March to June 1969[2] at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, California[3] | |||
| Genre | Roots rock | |||
| Length | 2:36 | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Writer(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| Producer(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA)[4] | |||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Green River" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song was written by John Fogerty and was released as a single in July 1969, one month before the album of the same name was released (see 1969 in music).[1]
Background
The song "Green River" was based on a vacation spot for John Fogerty.[5][6] In an interview Fogerty gave to Rolling Stone in 2012, Fogerty states:
- "What really happened is that I used a setting like New Orleans, but I would actually be talking about thing from my own life. Certainly a song like "Green River" – which you may think would fit seamlessly into the Bayou vibe, but it's actually about the Green River, as I named it – it was actually called Putah Creek by Winters, California. It wasn't called Green River, but in my mind I always sort of called it Green River. All those little anecdotes are part of my childhood, those are things that happened to me actually, I just wrote about them and the audience shifted at the time and place."[7]
Fogerty adds that the "actual specific reference, "Green River," I got from a soda pop-syrup label... My flavor was called Green River."[6]
Sales and airplay
"Green River" was certified gold (500,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 13, 1990.[4]
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[ 1] | 5 |
| Canada (RPM)[8] | 5 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[ 1] | 8 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[ 1] | 19 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 2 |
Cover versions
Mary Wilson of The Supremes worked with UK record producer Gus Dudgeon on a cover version in the early 1980s. It remains unreleased. Country band Alabama recorded a cover version of the song that appears on their 1982 album Mountain Music. The Minutemen included a live performance cover of the song on their 1984 EP Tour-Spiel.
Appearances in other media
- The song is available as a playable song for the Rock Band series of music video games as downloadable content.
- This song is played in the trailer for the film Taking Woodstock.
- The song is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the classic rock radio station K-DST.
- This song is played during the lawn mower race in the King Of The Hill episode "Hank's Back Story"
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits (CD liner). Creedence Clearwater Revival. United States: Fantasy Records. 1991. FCD-CCR2-2.
- ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Overview: Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ↑ Green River (Expanded Reissue) (CD liner). Creedence Clearwater Revival. United States: Concord Music Group. 2008. FAN-30877-02. http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/assets/documents01/Artists/Creedence-Clearwater-Revival/FAN-30878-02/Green-River-40th-Anniversary-Liner-Notes.pdf.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 RIAA Certification Search
- ↑ Thompson, Art. "John Fogerty Summons His Creedence-Era Spirit on Revival"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Michael Goldberg (1993). "Fortunate Son: John Fogerty - The 1993 Rolling Stone Interview". In Jann S. Wenner. Rolling Stone (United States: Jann S. Wenner). Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ↑ Greene, Andy. Q&A: John Fogerty on All-Star Duets LP, Unlikely Creedence Reunion, Rolling Stone, May 4, 2012
- ↑ "RPM - Item Display: Top Singles - Volume 12, No. 5, September 20, 1969" (PHP). Library and Archives Canada. March 31, 2004.
- ↑ "Creedence Clearwater Revival - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
