Green River (song)

"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] The song peaked at number two for one week, behind the novelty bubblegum pop song "Sugar, Sugar" by "The Archies".

"Green River"
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Green River
B-side"Commotion"
ReleasedJuly 1969 (1969-07)[1]
Format7" 45 RPM
RecordedSometime from March to June 1969[2] at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, California[3]
GenreRoots rock, swamp rock ("Green River")
Hard rock ("Commotion")[4]
Length2:36
LabelFantasy
Songwriter(s)John Fogerty
Producer(s)John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology
"Bad Moon Rising"
(1969)		 "Green River"
(1969)		 "Down on the Corner"
(1969)

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 stated:

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 added 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.[8]

Chart (1969) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 5
Canada (RPM)[10] 5
West Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 8
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[12] 19
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 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. Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings covered it on their first album, Struttin' Our Stuff.

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"
  • The song is featured in the video game Mafia III on the in-game radio.
  • The song is featured in the first scene of the 2017 film The Post, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. (Note that the scene in Vietnam that the song accompanied was dated 1966, meaning Spielberg made anachronistic use of the song, which wasn't released until 3 years later.)

References
  1. Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits (CD liner). Creedence Clearwater Revival. United States: Fantasy Records. 1991. FCD-CCR2-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Overview: Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  3. Green River (Expanded Reissue) (PDF) (CD liner). Creedence Clearwater Revival. United States: Concord Music Group. 2008. FAN-30877-02. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2010-12-30.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. "Top 20 Pop Spotlight" (PDF). Billboard. July 26, 1969. p. 64.
  5. Thompson, Art. "John Fogerty Summons His Creedence-Era Spirit on Revival". Guitar Player.
  6. Goldberg, Michael (1993). "Fortunate Son: John Fogerty - The 1993 Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. United States. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  7. Greene, Andy. Q&A: John Fogerty on All-Star Duets LP, Unlikely Creedence Reunion, Rolling Stone, May 4, 2012
  8. RIAA Certification Search
  9. "Austriancharts.at – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  10. "RPM - Item Display: Top Singles - Volume 12, No. 5, September 20, 1969". Library and Archives Canada. March 31, 2004. Archived from the original (PHP) on October 21, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River". GfK Entertainment Charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Creedence Clearwater Revival"
  12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  13. "Creedence Clearwater Revival - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
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