Released April 1970 Genre Roots rock Label Fantasy | Format 7" 45 RPM Length 2:41 | |
A-side "Run Through the Jungle" | ||
"Up Around the Bend" is a song recorded by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, and written by the band's lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter, John Fogerty. The song was composed and recorded only a few days prior to the band's April 1970 European tour and was included on the album Cosmo's Factory. Released as a single, with "Run Through the Jungle" on the flipside, the double-sided single climbed to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1970.
Contents
It was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over one million copies. It was also a major hit in the UK, where it reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.
The song is opened with a prominent, high-pitched guitar riff played by John Fogerty. The song's lyrics have Fogerty telling of a gathering "up around the bend" on the highway and inviting the listener to join in.
The song has been covered by artists such as Elton John, who recorded a version of the song early in his career, and Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, who covered it on their 1984 album, Two Steps from the Move.
Usage in media
"Up Around the Bend" has appeared in the following films: Eau froide, L' (1994), Michael (1996), Remember the Titans (2000), Invincible (2006), The Hoax (2007), Red Dawn (2012), and Free Birds (2013). It was also used in the TV mini-series, From the Earth to the Moon (1998), in an episode of My Name Is Earl (2008) and in the first episode of Hap and Leonard (2016).
The song was featured in the Kurt Cobain documentary Kurt Cobain About a Son and is also available on its soundtrack.
The song appears in the Activision video game, Guitar Hero World Tour.
The song is available as a playable song for the Rock Band series of music video games as downloadable content. In 2013, the song has been frequently used in commercials for Kellogg's Raisin Bran.
Punk band Social Distortion covered the song for the Free Birds soundtrack album.
Hanoi Rocks version
Finnish rock and glam punk band Hanoi Rocks covered "Up Around the Bend" on their fourth studio album Two Steps from the Move. The song was also released as a single. The song was an early favorite of the band's rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide, who was listening to the song on the band's German-tour. The label noticed that the album was missing a potential international hit, so they chose the band to cover "Up Around The Bend". The CBS single-release also featured a press-on tattoo of the band's rose-logo, which the band's singer, Michael Monroe has tattooed on his right shoulder. Besides the title-track and "Don't You Ever Leave Me", the songs featured on the singles are all taken from Hanoi Rocks' 1984 live album All Those Wasted Years.
Track listing
All tracks written by Andy McCoy, except where noted.
Personnel
Social Distortion version
This version of the song was performed by Social Distortion and was a song for the 2013 animated film Free Birds.