Creedence Clearwater Revival – Who’ll Stop The Rain

I love CCR…what a band they were…they didn’t have the resources the Beatles, Stones, and The Who as in a big record company, managers, and producers but they kept up with their British counterparts.

John Fogerty wrote this song. The song has been dissected a lot and some say it was a protest of the Vietnam War like “Fortunate Son”. Fogerty has said that when he was  at Woodstock, He watched the festival goers dance in the rain, muddy, naked, cold, huddling together, and it just kept raining.

So when he got back home after that weekend, he sat down and wrote “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” making it not a Vietnam protest at all, but a recounting of his Woodstock experience.

Another great single by CCR…the B side to this song was Travelin’ Band.

The song was on what was perhaps their best album Cosmo’s Factory. The album peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, The UK, and Canada.

Who’ll Stop The Rain peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100, #4 in Canada, and #8 in the UK in 1970.

John Fogerty: When interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine, John Fogerty was asked, “Does ‘Who’ll Stop The Rain’ contain lyrically specific meanings besides the symbolic dimension?” His response: “Certainly, I was talking about Washington when I wrote the song, but I remember bringing the master version of the song home and playing it. My son Josh was four years old at the time, and after he heard it, he said, ‘Daddy stop the rain.’ And my wife and I looked at each other and said, ‘Well, not quite.'” 

From Songfacts

This was used in the 1978 motion picture of the same name starring Nick Nolte as a Vietnam veteran. The movie was going to be called Dog Soldiers, but when the producers got the rights to use this song, they changed the title to Who’ll Stop The Rain.

This was released as the B-side to “Travelin’ Band.” It’s one of the many CCR singles to stall at #2. Creedence Clearwater Revival never had a #1 hit in the US.

The line, “I went down Virginia, seekin’ shelter from the storm” gave Bob Dylan the idea for the title of his 1975 song “Shelter From The Storm.”

This is one of many rain-themed CCR songs, including “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”

Bruce Springsteen opened with this song during his summer stadium tour of 2003 whenever it was raining

During the lockdown John and his family has played a lot of Creedence’s songs for fans… This is one. 

Who’ll Stop The Rain

Long as I remember The rain been coming down.
Clouds of mystery pouring Confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, Trying to find the sun;
And I wonder, Still I wonder, Who’ll stop the rain.

I went down Virginia, Seeking shelter from the storm.
Caught up in the fable, I watched the tower grow.
Five year plans and new deals, Wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder, Still I wonder Who’ll stop the rain.

Heard the singers playing, How we cheered for more.
The crowd had rushed together, Trying to keep warm.
Still the rain kept pouring, Falling on my ears.
And I wonder, Still I wonder Who’ll stop the rain.

…

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

49 thoughts on “Creedence Clearwater Revival – Who’ll Stop The Rain”

  3. one of their best, though not well known in the UK as Travelin’ Band was the A side (a bizarre choice as it’s not as good as this). I didn’t get to hear it until Al Bundy kept singing it in an episode of Married: With Children nearly 20 years later. As I’d been a huge fan of Have You Ever Seen The Rain? in 1971, I bought the Greatest Hits around that time to get to hear it some more.

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    1. That is surprising about the UK release…that this was the B side. I love Travilin’ Band but…this was more original.
      Fogerty was on an unbeaten streak…just one after another.
      I heard this a lot growing up on radio over here.

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      1. I don’t really know why their UK record company kept turning double A side US hits into single sided UK releases, but they did it for all CCR singles so no Lodi, no Fortunate Son, no Run Through The Jungle, no Lookin’ Out My Back Door! I didn’t know any of them till the late 80’s 90’s! Plus side, at least they got a UK chart-topper with Bad Moon Rising…

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  5. yet another good one from them, I’d say only my 8th or 9th favorite by them yet still an above-average single for the time. Never knew the background story and it relating to the Woodstock experience, that’s sort of neat!

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    1. Yes I always that it was something fishy about the no number 1s…it could have been their small record company not pushing the singles.

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  10. John Fogerty wrote so many great songs, and CCR were just an amazing band. “Who’ll Stop the Rain” definitely is among my favorite CCR tunes.

    In terms of albums, I would probably go with “Pendulum,” mainly because of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and “Hey Tonight”. Though it’s tricky, since each of their album includes at least one or two songs I really dig.

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      12. Man we are…I will admit…I had some tears. Bailey has been following them closely for around 5 years…he said “I thought I’d wait forever”… I had to laugh…I said try waiting 32 years.

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      13. I waited for 38 years for my beloved ‘Richmond Tigers’ to win a premiership in Australian football. They just completed their 3rd in 4 years!. Not 1, just about anyone thought at half time, we had a chance 23 points down. I know eactly what you mean. It’s sublime the feeling.

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      16. Yea the team…most of them mentioned that they did it for Kershaw…or he is the one they are really happy for…
        Glad our teams have won!

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