B-side "Lodi" Format 7" 45 RPM Length 2:21 | Released April 1969 (1969-04) Genre Roots rock, swamp rock | |
Recorded March 1969, Wally Heider's Studio, San Francisco, California | ||
"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released in April 1969, four months before the album. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in September 1969 (see 1969 in music). It was CCR's second gold single.
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The song has been recorded by at least 20 different artists, in styles ranging from folk to reggae to psychedelic rock.
In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked it #364 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.
Composition
Fogerty reportedly wrote "Bad Moon Rising" after watching The Devil and Daniel Webster. Inspired by a scene in the film involving a hurricane, Fogerty claims the song is about "the apocalypse that was going to be visited upon us".
Cover versions
Jerry Lee Lewis released a version of the song on his 1973 album, The Session. Fogerty and Lewis recorded a version together that was released on Lewis' 2010 album, Mean Old Man.
Emmylou Harris included a cover of the song on her 1981 Evangeline album.
A 1986 version by the Australian band the Reels reached number 11 on the Australian charts.
British Psychobilly band The Meteors recorded for their album Bad Moon Rising.
English singer Thea Gilmore recorded an acoustic, folk version for her 2005 Loft Music album.
Ann Wilson of Heart and American country singer Gretchen Wilson covered the song on Ann Wilson's 2007 album Hope & Glory.
A cover of the song by rock band Mourning Ritual was used in a promotional video for season 4 of AMC's The Walking Dead, the season 2 premiere of The Following, the season 3 finale of Teen Wolf, a trailer for the video game Lords of the Fallen,In a trailer for the game Mafia 3 and a red-band trailer for Green Room.
A trailer for Netflix's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny used a cover by Palestra.
Soundtrack
The song has been used in a number of films, including An American Werewolf in London, My Fellow Americans, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Blade, Sweet Home Alabama, My Girl, Man of the House, Mr. Woodcock, and The Big Chill.
It has also appeared in many television programs, including Supernatural, Cold Case, Northern Exposure, The Following, The Walking Dead, Teen Wolf, and Alvin and the Chipmunks, in which it is performed by the title characters. A remixed version of the song can be heard in the video game Crackdown 2.
The song was available as a playable song for Guitar Hero 5 series of music rhythm video games as downloadable content. The original Creedence Clearwater Revival version as well as a cover version by Mourning Ritual and Peter Dreimanis are both featured in Mafia III; the original is audible on the in-game radio stations, and the cover is used as the introductory song of the final mission.
In popular culture
The last line of the chorus, "there's a bad moon on the rise", is sometimes misheard as "there's a bathroom on the right". Fogerty occasionally sings the misheard lyric in concert. In 2013, WatchMojo.com ranked the mishearing #5 on Top 10 Misheard Lyrics.
The song has become notably popular in Argentina as a soccer (fútbol) chant, sung by fans at the stadium to support their teams during soccer matches. Different versions of the lyrics exist for different local teams, and even political parties.
During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a modified version, titled "Brasil, decime qué se siente" ("Brazil, Tell Me How It Feels") with Spanish lyrics that taunted Brazil, Argentina's traditional rival, went viral and became very popular in Argentina. It was adopted as the unofficial anthem for the Argentinian team by its fans, and was sung by fans and players alike. After Brazil lost 7–1 in the semi-final against Germany, the song was again adapted.
The song has been adapted by fans of Manchester City with the title "Argentinian Blues" referencing the six Argentinian players in Manchester City's ranks.
The song has also been used by UFC fighter Jim Miller as a walkout song.
The first lines of the song are quoted as an epigraph to the chapter 22 of The Shining.
The song was featured in the Second Trailer for Kong: Skull Island set in 1971.