♫ Who’ll Stop The Rain ♫

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I started to play a song by Gladys Knight tonight, but found I had already played it.  Then, I started to play one by Roberta Flack … already played it.  So, I just cruised around the dial, seeking something that I hadn’t already played and that I like, and finally, at 3:30 a.m., hit on this one by Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR).

Group leader John Fogerty wrote this song. Released in 1970, the song is often interpreted as a protest of the Vietnam War (like Fortunate Son), but when he performed it at the Arizona state fair in 2012, Fogerty told the crowd that he had been at Woodstock, watching the rain come down. 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.

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.

The song was a concert staple for Bruce Springsteen during 1980-81’s River Tour, as well as on the summer 2003 leg of the Rising Tour. Springsteen and the E Street Band opened with Who’ll Stop the Rain whenever it was raining.  When Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, Springsteen performed the song with John Fogerty.

Who’ll Stop the Rain
Creedence Clearwater Revival

Long as I remember the rain been coming down.
Clouds of myst’ry 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.

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: John C. Fogerty
Who’ll Stop the Rain lyrics © The Bicycle Music Company

19 thoughts on “♫ Who’ll Stop The Rain ♫”

    • I’m glad you liked it, and no worries, Michael … I know you have much on your plate, as have I. I find that these days I rarely get to visit more than 3-4 friend’s blogs each day. I think that yes, the ‘lockdown’, which in this country really isn’t a lockdown, will end, but I think we will feel the effects of not only the pandemic, but the way in which each nation has handled it for years to come. In fact, I think that this will lead to many changes, hopefully positive ones for the environment. Keep safe and be happy, my friend! Cheers!

      Liked by 2 people

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