Peak
8
Weeks
10
Score
1,769
Chart Year
1971
For the band's 50th anniversary in 2018, a music video was released for "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" The video stars then up-and-coming actors including Jack Quaid, Sasha Frolova, and Erin Moriarty. Quaid and Moriarty would go on to star together in The Boys. The video was shot in Montana by director Laurence Jacobs who described it as "a coming-of-age story" and "something distinctly real that encapsulated identity. Not teenage years, but specifically your early 20s when you're still growing and trying to become someone." The story, cowritten by Jacobs and Luke Klompien, is of "three best friends hanging in Montana until one of them moves away", and includes scenes of the cast "skipping rocks into the river", "driving through the countryside in a vintage red Chevy pickup truck watching the sunset and bonding by the fire."[13][14] A behind-the-scenes featurette about the making of the video was released June 26, 2019, featuring interviews with the cast and director, and also shows dialogue between the actors
This song is John Fogerty's take on the imminent departure of his brother Tom from the band, and the overall tension in the group at a time when they should have been enjoying their success. The line, "I want to know - have you ever seen the rain comin' down on a sunny day?" refers to Tom leaving while CCR was at its commercial zenith. The flip side of this single, "Hey Tonight," is John reassuring the band that all would go well despite the adversity. Tom Fogerty left the group in early 1971, after this album was released. He released three solo albums before dying of tuberculosis in 1990. A fourth album, completed in 1988, was released posthumously. According to John Fogerty, this song's meaning changed for him over time. Introducing the song at a 2012 show in Arizona, he said: "This song was originally written about a very sad thing that was going on in my life. But I refuse to be sad now. Because now this song reminds me of my little girl, Kelsy, and every time I sing it, I think about Kelsy and rainbows." Fogerty added that this is his all-time favorite song, even though it's one he wrote himself. Musically, this song was inspired by the group Booker T. & the MG's, whose most famous song is "Green Onions." They opened for Creedence Clearwater Revival before CCR recorded the Pendulum album. John Fogerty loved the sound of Booker T. Jones' Hammond organ, so he used it on some tracks for the album, including this one. John Fogerty did almost all the overdubs for the band until the Pendulum album, when other members contributed. Their bass player Stu Cook played some of the piano on this track. According to Stu Cook, this song and another track on the album, "Pagan Baby," were written and rehearsed from scratch during one recording session. "Pagan Baby" was done in one take." This was used in the TV show Tour Of Duty, which was set in Vietnam during the war. >> Bonnie Tyler covered this song for her 1983 blockbuster album Faster Than the Speed of Night. Her version reached #47 in the UK. >> In 2006, Rod Stewart covered this song on his album Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time. >> Allison Moorer covered this for her 2015 Down To Believing album. She explained why to Billboard magazine: "The record label wanted me to do a cover. I said 'I don't really think the record needs a cover on it,' and we certainly have enough songs, but in the spirit of being cooperative, I said 'OK, if you really want one, I'll come up with something.'" "If I was going to do a cover, it was going to be something that I had always wanted to do," she continued. "I'm a huge Creedence fan, and that song might be my very favorite song of theirs. I've always thought it was the perfect country / rock song, and this record to me is a country / rock record, so I thought 'If I'm ever going to this, this is the perfect time. I think what you hear on the record is actually the second take." As part of the CCR50 campaign to honor the 50th anniversary of Creedence Clearwater Revival, a video was commissioned for this song starring Jack Quaid, Sasha Frolova and Erin Moriarty as childhood friends in Montana. Directed by Laurence Jacobs, it takes a nostalgic turn when one of the friends moves away. Willie Nelson recorded this with his daughter Paula Nelson for his duets album To All the Girls... The veteran country singer's cover was included in the closing moments of the HBO miniseries Big Little Lies' season 2 finale on July 21, 2019. The interest generated drove Nelson's cover to a #36 debut on the Country chart dated August 3, 2019.
Someone told me long ago There's a calm before the storm I know it's been comin' for some time When it's over so they say It'll rain a sunny day I know shinin' down like water I want to know Have you ever seen the rain? I want to know Have you ever seen the rain Comin' down on a sunny day? Yesterday and days before Sun is cold and rain is hard I know been that way for all my time 'Til forever, on it goes Through the circle, fast and slow, I know it can't stop, I wonder I want to know Have you ever seen the rain? I want to know Have you ever seen the rain Comin' down on a sunny day? Yeah I want to know Have you ever seen the rain? I want to know Have you ever seen the rain Comin' down on a sunny day?
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 30, 1971 | 56 | 70 |
| 2 | Feb 6, 1971 | 32 | 94 |
| 3 | Feb 13, 1971 | 24 | 102 |
| 4 | Feb 20, 1971 | 17 | 109 |
| 5 | Feb 27, 1971 | 13 | 113 |
| 6 | Mar 6, 1971 | 11 | 115 |
| 7 | Mar 13, 1971 | 8 | 118 |
| 8 | Mar 20, 1971 | 12 | 114 |
| 9 | Mar 27, 1971 | 17 | 109 |
| 10 | Apr 3, 1971 | 24 | 102 |