Hey Tonight

Background

"Hey Tonight" is the B-side of "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," the first single Creedence Clearwater Revival released in 1971 and the last the band launched as a quartet. Both single cuts also appear on the Pendulum album. "Hey Tonight" peaked at #1 in Germany and #13 in Finland. 

John Fogerty wrote "Hey Tonight" and the band rehearsed it before the group hit the studio in November 1970. Fogerty regards the rocker as one of his better songs on the album despite the fact it was written in turmoil (the band was breaking up at that time). 

Trivia  

"Jody" is a mythical character showing up in Fogerty's lyrics to such songs as "Hey Tonight", ”It Came Out of the Sky” and “Almost Saturday Night”. "Jody" might be a homage to an American rocker Jody Reynolds, one of the early influences of John Fogerty. The Creedence frontman recorded a cover version of Jody Reynolds' "Endless Sleep" in 1997. He also used a couple of phrases from the lyrics of ”Endless Sleep” in his song “Searchlight” which appeared on the Centerfield album in 1985.

Collector's notes

The "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" b/w "Hey Tonight" single was released with a similar cover sleeve in France and Spain. It was different from the one launched in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Sweden and the UK. There were two different Singaporean cover sleeves (one or the Fantasy release, one for Liberty) (Peter Koers, Green River, 1999).    

An EP with "Hey Tonight", "Chameleon", "Molina" and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" was released by Melodiya in the Soviet Union in 1974. 

Live versions

Creedence Clearwater played "Hey Tonight" live for a first time at the private party the band held to music writers at Cosmo's Factory on December 12th, 1970. The debut in a regular concert took place in the closing concert of the Fillmore West in San Francisco on July 4th, 1971. The show was broadcast live by KSAN-FM in the Bay Area.  

The song remained in the set list until the breakup of the band in 1972. One of the versions recorded during the European Tour in fall 1971 ended up to the Live in Europe album. Another live version taped in Hamburg, Germany, on September 17, 1971, was added to the bonus tracks on the 40th Anniversary CD Edition of Pendulum in 2008. 

John Fogerty delivered "Hey Tonight" for the first time live in concert in Stamford, Connecticut, on June 7th, 2005. Four years later on May 19th, 2009, Fogerty lifted the song to the beginning of the show for the first time. After that, "Hey Tonight" and "Travelin' Band" have been the most common concert openers.  

John Fogerty opened his show with "Hey Tonight" also in Sturgis, SD, USA, on August 11th, 2011. The concert was broadcast live by AXS-TV. He also performed the song in Cosmo's Factory and Green River album concerts at Beacon Theatre in New York on November  17-18, 2011. Both concerts were broadcast live by Sirius XM satellite radio in the USA. 

"Hey Tonight" appears on two of his three concert DVDs: The Long Road Home (2006) and Comin Down the Road (2009). A live version, taped in Camden, New Jersey, on July 15th, 2005, is also heard on his compilation album The Long Road Home - The Ultimate John fogerty/Creedence Collection (2005). 

In the movies

"Hey Tonight" appears in two films: Butler's Night Out (1974) and Who'll Stop the Rain (1978).

TV series include Tohuwabohu, episode Tohu-Nacht Revue 1990-1997 which was seen in Germany in 1997. 

Critical reception

"Jangling guitar leads into another driving rocker  which is supported by fine bass line and some honest pure rock drumming. The multi-dubbed voices just give a hint of the early Beatles sound, which can't be bad." -Roy Carr, The New Musical Express, December 1970.

""Hey Tonight" doesn't sound that much like the Beatles to me, but it sure is a fine song, with everyone holding up their end and Fogerty in fine form." -Jon Landau, The Rolling Stone, February 4th, 1971. 

Fans' views

"I can't listen to the intro to "Hey Tonight" unless I turn it up and lose a small percentage of my hearing."

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