Creedence Clearwater Revival was akin to an athlete with a near-perfect record who says goodbye to the big time only a few years into their career having won everything. Behind, the group left an impeccable collection of simple, well-crafted and incredibly famous roots-rock numbers.

There aren’t many CCR songs out there. But nearly all of them are well-known. That’s why picking the most significant 10 has not been easy. And this is why Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the greatest bands of all time.

Greatest 10 Songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival

10. “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”

Creedence Clearwater Revival happened during the era of the hippies. But, by comparison, the band members were some of the most straight shooters on the scene.

In fact, John Fogerty and his bandmates were pretty unassuming characters. There may have been plenty of rumours about “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.” But unless you desperately want it to be, this is not a song about chemical recreation. It’s a whimsical number written for a child.

9. “Born on the Bayou”

You would never know from the music that the Fogerty brothers were actually born in Berkeley, California. John made the Deep South the location for most of his songs. This, of course, fit the musical inspiration—country, blues, rock n’ roll, and swamp music.

The choice also gave the band’s music a kind of dark mystique. “Born on the Bayou,” a song that appeared in 1969, a year in which CCR released no less than three successful albums, is a song about the 4th of July spent roaming around the swamp.

Of course, this is a work of fiction. But it mattered none. Thousands of swamp rock bands were started because of it and looked to deliver the same sound.

8. “Down on the Corner”

You’ll find it hard to claim that you’ve never heard any of the songs on this list. That’s because classic radio has been a haven for Creedence Clearwater Revival through the years.

“Down on the Corner” lets the band toy with the concept album format. It’s the opener of “Willy and The Poor Boys” and tells the story of the band playing street corners in exchange for a nickel and a smile.

7. “Up Around the Bend”

 John Fogerty was one of the most naturally gifted American guitar players from the first day he started recording. For the most part, he’s also not a flashy player.

The guitar intro for “Up Around the Bend” sounds, however, like a fire alarm. It was roots rock at its best. It was covered by Finnish heroes Hanoi Rocks. And it cemented Creedence Clearwater Revival’s immense early 1970s success.

6. “Green River”

Because of the band’s popularity or the ubiquitous nature of their songs in U.S. popular culture, CCR is sometimes viewed just as a safe, pleasant-sounding retro rock band.

That’s not quite true! Take “Green River,” for example. The guitar lines sound positively evil. And the band lays into a groove that will not let up.

Even the loudest psychedelic-rock bands of the late 60s had to get through CCR before they could make it to the top. And that’s pretty hard to do, even on a good day.

5. “Run Through the Jungle”

John Fogerty and his CCR bandmates never claimed to be revolutionaries. Most of their peers, however, like The Rolling Stones, wanted this title.

And although Fogerty was peaceful yet patriotic, dreamy yet sober, he wrote the soundtrack for the Vietnam War and the movement that opposed it.

The 1970 single “Run Through the Jungle” makes it sound as if these guns Fogerty is singing about are pointed straight at you. It’s a straightforward, powerful rock song.

4. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”

Even for Creedence standards, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” is slightly overplayed. In fact, it’s one of the best-known pieces of retro rock around the world.

And while you’ve certainly gotten used to the mid-tempo and pleasant melodies, don’t forget that it’s a strong composition. In it, Fogerty dares to ask what happened to all the hippie dreams of peace and love.

That same mood, coincidentally, was felt in his own band circa the writing of it. Despite raising his bandmates almost singlehandedly to colossal success, Tom, Stu and Doug were angry. Bigger slices of the pie would be demanded and soon, the dream would be no more. It is one of the dumbest moves by any musician in the history of rock n’ roll. (Clifford and Cook deny that’s how things went down).

3. “Bad Moon Rising”

John Fogerty’s songs could be creepy, and not in a campy kind of way, either. Why were the songs so well designed? What else can you do when you have rivals like The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix?

A bonafide classic, “Bad Moon Rising,” plays with old myths about evil spirits. And it’s one of the first pop-rock songs to blend beautiful melodies with ominous lyrics so well.

2. “Fortunate Son”

Fogerty wasn’t a protest singer by any stretch. But he sure gave protesters plenty of songs to work with. “Fortunate Son” is inevitably still featured in any movie that touches on the topic of the Vietnam War.

“Fortunate Son” is delivered at a manic pace. It’s one of the loudest-sounding records of the 1960s. And it plays to CCR’s strengths – Fogerty’s guitar playing, Fogerty’s singing, Fogerty’s words. It’s no wonder the other fellows were so anxious to go solo!

1. “Proud Mary”

What is truly amazing is that “Proud Mary” didn’t exist before Fogerty wrote it. Its sound, power, and instantly memorable quality make it sound like a standard that must’ve been sharpened by millions of performances throughout the ages.

Built on a seductive guitar groove and inspired by Southern blues music, “Proud Mary” was one of the finest recorded moments of the late 1960s.

But it was what happened to it after it became a hit that is most astonishing. “Proud Mary” began being covered, practically, by every rock n’ roll band around the world that could tune their guitars. Every rock radio station felt compelled to play it. And the song became part of the fabric of pop culture.

“Proud Mary” is the greatest song by a band that achieved so much in such a short time, Creedence Clearwater Revival.