Bad Moon Rising (song)

"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 16, 1969 four months before the album. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 28 June 1969 and reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in September of that year (see 1969 in music). It was CCR's second gold single.

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 No. 364 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.

It is one of five songs by the band that peaked at the No. 2 spot on the U.S. Billboard chart and didn't get to No. 1. It was blocked by "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" by Henry Mancini.

Composition

"Bad Moon Rising" uses weather imagery to make the point that something bad is lurking "out there."

Fogerty reportedly wrote the song after watching the 1941 film ''The Devil and Daniel Webster''. Inspired by a scene in the film involving a hurricane, in which everybody's crops were destroyed except for the guy who made a deal with the devil, Fogerty claims the song is about "the apocalypse that was going to be visited upon us". He also said that when the band was learning the song he recognized the dichotomy between the apocalyptic words and the happy melody. He said "It wasn't until the band was learning the song that I realized the dichotomy. Here you've got this song with all these hurricanes and blowing and raging ruin and all that, but it's 'I see a bad moon rising.' It's a happy-sounding tune, right? It didn't bother me at the time."

Reception

''Billboard'' described the single as being "loaded with rhythm and drive" and predicted that it " ouldn'tmiss going
right to the top." ''Cash Box'' described it as a "blazing bayou-rock outing" that is "louder and bolder" than the group's previous single "Proud Mary." ''Cash Box'' ranked it as the No. 51 single of 1969.

''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Cliff M. Junior rated "Bad Moon Rising" as Creedence Clearwater Revival's 5th greatest song, saying that "in a little more than two minutes, ogertyunloads his mind and prompts you to think about what’s troubling you in your life."

Cover versions

The song has been covered by numerous artists. Notable versions include:

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's 2010 album, '' Mean Old Man''.

A 1986 version by the Australian band the Reels reached No. 11 on the Australian charts.

Soundtrack

The song has been used in a number of films, including '' An American Werewolf in London'', ''My Fellow Americans'', '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'', '' Howling III: The Marsupials'', ''Blade'', ''Sweet Home Alabama'', '' My Girl'', '' Man of the House'', ''Operation Avalanche'', ''Mr. Woodcock'', ''The Big Chill'', '' Kong: Skull Island'', ''Army of the Dead'' and '' Minions: The Rise of Gru''.

The song has also been used in many television programs, including ''Supernatural'', ''Cold Case'', ''Northern Exposure'', ''The Following'', '' The Walking Dead'', ''Teen Wolf'', ''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', 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 also used in the opening scene of video game ''Mafia 3''. It is also in Season 5 of Bull, episode 1.

The song was available as a playable song for '' Guitar Hero 5'' in the series of music rhythm video games as downloadable content.

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 sang the misheard lyric in concert.

The song has become notably popular in Argentina as a soccer 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, became very popular in Argentina. It was adopted as the unofficial anthem for the Argentinian team and 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 football club with the title "Argentinian Blues" referencing the six Argentinian players in Manchester City's ranks.
Manchester United fans have adapted the song for three chants entitled "Stretford End Arising", "You Think That Your Moustache Is Trendy", and "Ole, Ole, Ander Herrera".
Heart of Midlothian fans have a version to honour the arrival of their inspirational German manager: "We've got a diamond Daniel Stendel".

This song was featured in John Landis’s 1981 film '' An American Werewolf in London'' as one of five songs used in the film that reference the moon, during a scene where David staves off boredom while waiting to transform into a werewolf.

A cover of ''Bad Moon Rising'' by Will Post and Elijah Noll was featured in the launch trailer for the game '' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice''.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bad Moon Rising (Song)

1969 singles
Songs written by John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival songs
Jerry Lee Lewis songs
John Fogerty songs
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Number-one singles in New Zealand
Number-one singles in South Africa
Song recordings produced by John Fogerty
1969 songs
Fantasy Records singles
Songs about death

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