John Fogerty shares how a classical piece inspired “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Before a recent show, John Fogerty discussed how he penned “Proud Mary.” The 79-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer told the story on YouTube. He said that a famous classical composition impacted the song’s opening riff. During the creation of “Proud Mary,” Fogerty worked on a theme from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

He said, “My mom always liked Beethoven, so that stuck in my head.” Fogerty then played the “Proud Mary” riff on his Rickenbacker guitar and said that he “had the timing wrong. ”He said, “Well, that was such a cool groove.”

Fogerty Dreamed of the Title Before Writing the Song
Fogerty started by saying he composed “Proud Mary” in the summer of 1968 but conceived of the title a year earlier. “I got off active duty with my Army Reserve requirements in the summer of ’67 and went home to El Cerrito [California] in the Bay area,” John remembered. During the Summer of Love in San Francisco in 1967, I was full of enthusiasm and believed I needed to arrange my music. I decided to get a notepad and start writing.”

He said, “I bought a cheap vinyl binder at a local drugstore, unsure of its contents. I assumed music would be in it. After a few days, I thought of ‘Proud Mary.’ Believe it or not, it was my first book entry years ago.” Fogerty then revealed the notepad with “Proud Mary” at the top of the first page.

His Inspiration for “Proud Mary”
In June 1968, Creedence Clearwater Revival released their self-titled first album. Fogerty began writing songs for the band’s second album after he obtained his honorable discharge from the Army.

He said, “Remember, this is the height of the Vietnam War.” “That made me happy and allowed me to continue my music. I was so excited that I performed a cartwheel on the tiny grass, raced inside, grabbed my Rickenbacker, and began playing chords and writing a song right away.”

This is when Fogerty created the Beethoven-inspired riff. He then considered song lyrics. “The most obvious line was ‘left a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day,’” John said. That was because I had recently left the army. God, I was thrilled. After putting my ideas together, I sang this great little ditty that made me happy. It was ‘rolling, rolling, rolling on the river.’ I was tremendously thrilled with my words.”

Finishing the Song
Fogerty said he wasn’t sure what to label the song or what he was writing about. I opened my notepad and saw ‘Proud Mary,’ and I thought, ‘My God, I’m writing about a riverboat, and the name of the boat is Proud Mary,’” John recalled. This took around an hour. Maybe 95 percent was done within an hour.”

Fogerty recalled feeling great about his new song.
I hold a piece of paper when standing or sitting. ‘Proud Mary’ was my song, he remembered. I knew it was my finest tune. It was so wonderful, I knew it was a classic, and my overriding thought was, “My goodness, this is really good, and I’m the only one who knows!” Since “Proud Mary” was a No. 2 success on the Billboard Hot 100 and one of the greatest classic-rock tunes, Fogerty clearly understood what he was talking about.

Fogerty’s Tour Plans
Fogerty is finishing his late-summer Celebration Tour with George Thorogood and the Destroyers. The tour continues with five more shows, from August 30 in Lincoln, California, until September 4 in San Diego. Fogerty will perform sans Thorogood and the Destroyers at Salt Lake City on September 11 and Porterville, California, on October 19.