Down on the Corner

"Down on the Corner" is a song by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It appeared on their fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys (1969). The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 20 December 1969. The flip side, "Fortunate Son", reached No. 14 on the United States charts on 22 November 1969, the week before Billboard changed its methodology on double-sided hits.[1]

"Down on the Corner"
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Willy and the Poor Boys
A-side"Fortunate Son"
ReleasedOctober 1969
FormatVinyl 45 RPM
Recorded1969
GenreRoots rock
Length2:47
LabelFantasy
Songwriter(s)John Fogerty
Producer(s)John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology
"Green River"
(1969)		 "Down on the Corner"
(1969)		 "Fortunate Son"
(1969)

In Canada, the single reached No. 4 in December 1969,[2] and No. 5 in New Zealand.[3]

Content

The song chronicles the tale of the fictional band Willy and the Poor Boys, and how they play on street corners to cheer people up and ask for nickels (equivalent to $0.35 in 2019).

John Fogerty explained how the song lyrics were derived.

“[I] was kind of inspired by seeing an advertisement in the paper one day,” he says. “It was an ad from Disney that said in great big letters ‘Winnie the Pooh’. Something in my brain said ‘Winnie the Pooh and the Pooh Boys’. Obviously that was close to ‘Willy and the Poor Boys’. As I began to develop this idea it turned into music in that weird mystical, almost uncontrollable way, music comes to songwriters. Winnie the Pooh is still my favorite character who I’ve shared with my daughter Kelsy since the day she was born, though she’s growing out of it. But I’m not.”[4]

The song makes reference to a washboard, a kazoo, a Kalamazoo guitar, and a gut bass.[5] In a 1969 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the band performed the song as Willy and the Poor Boys. Stu Cook played a gut bass, Doug Clifford the washboard, and Tom Fogerty the Kalamazoo, which mimicked the appearance of the band as they appear on the album cover.

Covers and samples

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[6] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Appearances in other media

Games

Television
  • The song has been featured in Walgreens commercials since 2012, with the tagline "At the Corner of Happy and Healthy" (referencing the chain's propensity to locate stores mainly at busy intersections). This version of the song is a rearrangement by Matt Downs of Dogwalk Music.
  • The song was featured in the 1991 video ABC for Kids Video Hits Vol. 1, with an animated music video.

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (1990). The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Sixties (25 October 1969 through 27 December 1969). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-074-1.
  2. "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 20, 1969" (PDF).
  3. Flavour of New Zealand, 6 March 1970
  4. B, Best Classic; News, s StaffThe BCB team brings you the latest Breaking; Contests; stories, On This Day rock history; Videos, Classic; retro-Charts; more. (2020-04-15). "Watch John Fogerty and Family Perform CCR Favorites". Best Classic Bands. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  5. "Lyrics for 'Down on the Corner'". Metrolyrics. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  6. "American single certifications – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Down on the Corner". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 8 February 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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