"Run Through the Jungle" is a 1970 song by American rock band

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

. It was released as a double A-side single with "

Up Around The Bend "Up Around the Bend" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by the band's frontman 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 ...

" and on the album '' Cosmo's Factory''.

History

The song was written by Creedence's lead singer, guitarist and songwriter,

John Fogerty John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty Thomas Richard Fogerty (November 9, 1941 – September 6, 1990) was an American mu ...

. It was included on their 1970 album '' Cosmo's Factory'', the group's fifth album. The song's title and lyrics, as well as the year it was released (1970), have led many to assume that the song is about the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The fact that previous Creedence Clearwater Revival songs such as " Fortunate Son" were protests of the

added to this belief.Run Through The Jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival Songfacts
/ref> However, in a 2016 interview, Fogerty explained that the song is actually about the proliferation of guns in the United States. The song's opening and closing both featured jungle

sound effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...

created by, according to the band's bassist Stu Cook, "lots of backwards recorded guitar and piano." The harmonica part on the song was played by John Fogerty. The song was also Tom Fogerty's favorite CCR song: "My all-time favorite Creedence tune was 'Run Through the Jungle'. . . . It's like a little movie in itself with all the sound effects. It never changes key, but it holds your interest the whole time. It's like a musician's dream. It never changes key, yet you get the illusion it does." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' called the single with "Up Around the Bend" a "two-sided monster." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that the double-sided single "takes the act out of its sustained bag of either

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

or 'bayou-tagged' music" but that compared to "Up Around the Bend", this song "presents a less-removed glimpse of the familiar Creedence." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Bryan Wawzenek rated the lyrics of "Run Through the Jungle" as Fogerty's 8th greatest, saying "Fogerty has written many songs cloaked in ominous foreboding...But the danger in the song feels just a little more imminent, especially when you’ve got Satan on your tail."

Controversy

The song was later the subject of controversy when Saul Zaentz, the boss of CCR's record label,

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

, which owns the distribution and publishing rights to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, brought a series of lawsuits against John Fogerty, including a claim that the music from Fogerty's 1984 song " The Old Man Down the Road" was too similar to "Run Through the Jungle." Zaentz won some of his claims against Fogerty, but lost on the copyright issue (''Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty''). The judge found that a songwriter cannot plagiarize himself.John Fogerty News on Yahoo! Music
/ref> After winning the case, Fogerty sued Zaentz for the cost of defending himself against the copyright infringement claim. In such (copyright) cases, prevailing defendants seeking recompense were bound to show that original suit was frivolous or made in bad faith. ''

Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc. ''Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc.'', 510 U.S. 517 (1994), was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the standards governing awards of attorneys' fees in copyright cases. The Copyright Act of 1976 authorizes, but does not require, the court t ...

'' became

precedent A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great valu ...

when the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

(1993) overturned lower court rulings and awarded attorneys' fees to Fogerty, without Fogerty having to show that Zaentz's original suit was frivolous.

In popular culture

"Run Through the Jungle" has appeared in films such as '' Air America'' (1990), '' My Girl'' (1991), '' Rudy'' (1993), '' The Big Lebowski'' (1998), ''Radio Arrow'' (1998), ''

Tropic Thunder ''Tropic Thunder'' is a 2008 satirical action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a gro ...

'' (2008), '' The Sapphires'' (2012), '' Kong: Skull Island'' (2017), ''

Triple Frontier The Triple Frontier ( es, Triple Frontera, pt, Tríplice Fronteira) is a tri-border area along the junction of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, where the Iguazú and Paraná rivers converge. Near the confluence are the cities of Puerto Igua ...

'' (2019), and the trailer for ''Jungle Cruise'' (2021). In television, the song is used in season 3 episode 1 of '' Hardcastle and McCormick'', season 2 of ''Fargo'', season 1 episode 8 of ''Lethal Weapon'' and season 4 episode 19 of the 2018 TV series Magnum P.I. The song has appeared in many

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

that depict the

, notably licensed for '' Rising Storm 2: Vietnam'' and in the reveal trailer for '' Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War''.

Cover versions

The song has been covered by The Gun Club,

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

, The Georgia Satellites,

8 Eyed Spy 8 Eyed Spy was an American no wave band from New York City, consisting of Lydia Lunch (ex-Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Beirut Slump) and Jim Sclavunos (also ex-Teenage Jesus and Beirut Slump), Michael Paumgardhen, Pat Irwin and George Scott II ...

, Killdozer,

Link Wray Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. ''Rolling Stone'' placed Wray at No. 45 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. In 2013 ...

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...

Sacred Cowboys Sacred Cowboys are an Australian post-punk and rock band formed by mainstay Garry Gray, as lead singer-songwriter, and Mark Ferrie in 1982. The line-up has changed as the group splintered and reformed several times, being active from 1982 to 198 ...

Jeff Healey Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with " Ang ...

Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") are an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, ...

, and Kamyaniy Gist.

References

External links

Columbia Law School case summary of Fantasy v. Fogerty
{{Authority control Creedence Clearwater Revival songs 1970 songs Songs written by John Fogerty Song recordings produced by John Fogerty Swamp rock songs Fantasy Records singles Protest songs