About The 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 did not get to No. 1.
‘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. It was inspired by a scene in the film in which a hurricane destroys the crops of several farms, but spares those of Jabez Stone, the character in the film who makes a deal with the devil in exchange for wealth. 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.”
This was used in two science-fiction movies of the 1980s: An American Werewolf In London (1981) and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1982). In the former, it plays as the main character is awaiting a full moon and wondering if he will turn into a werewolf.
This contains a classic misheard lyric. The line “There’s a bad moon on the rise” is often heard as “There’s a bathroom on the right.” Not only do many people sing the wrong lyrics, but John Fogerty himself sang the “bathroom on the right” lyric once during the “Premonition” concert. It can be heard after the last verse of the song quite plainly. Fogerty would often have fun with this trope, sometimes pointing to a nearby bathroom from the stage when he got to the famous misheard line.
Video
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I see the bad moon arising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin’
I see bad times today[Chorus]
Don’t go around tonight
Well, it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise[Verse 2]
I hear hurricanes a-blowing
I know the end is coming soon
I fear rivers overflowing
I hear the voice of rage and ruin[Chorus]
Don’t go around tonight
Well, it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise
All right[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 3]
Hope you got your things together
Hope you are quite prepared to die
Looks like we’re in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye[Chorus]
Well, don’t go around tonight
Well, it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise[Chorus]
Don’t go around tonight
Well, it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise