In 1971, the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival released the iconic rock anthem “Have You Ever Seen The Rain.” The track was a single from their sixth studio album, Pendulum, and became an immediate international hit. It charted successfully in numerous countries, including Malaysia, Norway, Australia, Austria, Belgium, and Sweden. The song’s greatest success came in Canada, where it climbed to the No. 1 spot on the RPM Top Singles chart. In the United States, it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ranked No. 3 on the Cash Box Top 100, solidifying its status as one of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s most significant hits.
The song was written by John Fogerty, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and one of the most influential songwriters of his time. The lyrics were inspired by the internal turmoil plaguing the band, particularly the impending departure of John Fogerty’s brother, Tom Fogerty, from Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song captured the rising tension within the group at a moment when they should have been enjoying their immense success.
Fogerty remarked that he composed the song while the band was producing hit after hit. They were wealthy and famous, having surpassed even their most ambitious dreams of stardom. Despite this, the members were miserable and depressed. The core of the conflict was the perception among other band members that Fogerty was excessively controlling. On the other hand, Fogerty grew distressed with his bandmates’ constant complaints regarding their limited artistic input and his refusal to allow them to write and produce their own songs.
This paradox—of being at the pinnacle of success yet feeling unhappy—is the “rain on a sunny day” the lyrics describe. “The band was breaking up,” Fogerty said of the song’s meaning. “I was reacting, ‘Geez, this is all getting serious right at the time when we should be having a sunny day.’” Tragically, the song served as a prophecy for the band’s fate. Creedence Clearwater Revival would formally split in 1972, just a year after “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” was released.