John Fogerty Song Survey (2005)

John Fogerty Songs Top 85 with reasons by voters. Results were based on the survey held on John Fogerty Swamp Mailing List in 2005.

1. Rockin' All Over the World

• This is just a really feel good song.

• Despite the poor studio sound engineering this tune catches the true soul of R&R.

• Upbeat song that lifts the spirits and reminds me of my friends and concerts I attended in Europe.

• Biisi on kuin vanha veturi, jonka hoyrykattilasta eivat 30 vuoden aikana ole paineet vahentyneet.

• Can't get the tune out of my head -- great rockin' song. When John sang this at a concert in Houston, every time he got to the I like it, I like it, I li-li-like it part, he turned and looked at me (or someone very near me, but later he spoke to me from the stage)... so as he sang the "li-li-like it part, I sang it with him.

• This man is a real rocker and this song is really one of the best rock'n roll songs ever made.

2. Centerfield

• Absolutely no explanation needed on this song- baseball, rock and roll, maybe the song of the 80's released in 84, middle of the decade. Again, self defining as John wants to get back into the mix of things as he pleads to be put back into the game.

• The ultimate sports song for me. My three boys were playing little league baseball and they always loved it when I played this on the way to a game.

• This gets a LOT of play during baseball season in the US -- at the ballparks between innings, at commercial breaks on the radio during games. He's written a hit with baseball fans. So I think because this song's popularity and familiarity reaches a large group beyond the core fans of Fogerty or rock and roll, this song deserves to be one of his "big ones."

• A standard at any American baseball stadium or park and the Louisville Slugger bat is superb.

• "The one constant through all the years, Ray, is baseball."

3. Southern Streamline

• Rolling lyrics, lots of guitar structure, but the song is working.

• This one also had a superb video that went to #1 on CMT.

• Best train song ever.

• Opener off of Blue Moon Swamp album that set the tone for some kick ass ass stomping rock and roll. John at his finest mixing refined sounds with dirty greasy grudgy swamp.

• Love the song, love the video, love the train!

• A catchy, feel good song. Fat guitar.

• This is a song that change my sense of humor everytime I'm feeling down.

• Catchy tune. Wonderful guitar work and crisp, clean sound. Fun to sing to also.... when no one's around.

4. Almost Saturday Night

• Total JC Fogerty song. Everything in this song says JOHN FOGERTY!

• It's a true durable classic song.

• There's still nostalgic hope and sense of unity.

• This one is an undiscovered gem. Very much a classic. It should have gotten a lot more airplay over the years.

5. Deja Vu (All Over Again)

• First Deja Vu did´t hit me, but after listening it more and more I see it is a really good and powerfull song. It´s so John Fogerty.

• This song relates to the present more powerfully than anything since Creedence and is one of the best songs since then.

• John threw so much emotion into this song; he really wanted to make a strong statement as to his opinions / feelings as to current events.

• John's stident strumming at the beginning of Deja Vu, echoing a Native American tom-tom war beat, sets the mood and echoes the powerful emotions John felt as he wrote the song. And when I saw John live singing Deja Vu in Houston, you could read his emotions and convictions on his face: he did want that song to be an anthem for the current generation of pacifists.

• New classic, absolutely.

• Loistava kantaaottava biisi, joka todistaa etta aijan kyna on edelleen teravassa kunnossa ja lisaa klassisia kappaleita on lupa odottaa jatkossakin.

6. Wicked Old Witch

• For me this is the best song from Deja Vu album. There are some things: like in the middle solo: it goes down, not up like so many other JF solos.

• After Born On the Bayou, it is John's best swamp song. Love the guitar work and I even dubbed my own extended version for my listening pleasure.

• HOT song, burning guitar licks - and worthy of being a "hit".

• I like the lyrics and rhythm.

• Good lyrics, it works.

• Classic Fogerty. He coulda and shoulda doubled the length of this song. It's dyin' to be turned into an 8 minute jam.

• This song ranks right up there with the best of CCR. I just wish he would have really jammed on it. It could have been twice as long as it was.

7. I Saw It On TV

• A time capsule of the 50's to 60's. John's low key response to Don McLean's "American Pie" perhaps. One of my favorites that really had something to say about American culture. I could ramble on about this song but one needs to listen to it to understand. Another that should be included in set lists.

• Still as true today as when he wrote this song; many Americans tend to believe ANYTHING if they see it on TV.

• I lived a lot of what he had to say in this song.

• Very well written, poetic.

• Think it's a clever, appropriate song of the TV age.

• It's not so sad as Deja Vu.

• Words and music are brilliant. Great arrangements.

• That's my childhood, too - in a way...

8. Blueboy

• Maybe there's a little more hope and positiveness on this song.

• This is just a fun song to listen to and never get tired of. Let the Blueboy play!

• Great rhythm.

• Great song. Maybe a catharsis of John's legal battles and final release from them!

• Best roadhouse song John has done

• Strong vocals. Lean, clean & bluesy.

9. Old Man Down The Road

• Love that opening guitar and John's voice in this.

• A quintessential rocker from the Centerfield album. One of the songs which will be remembered as defining what we listened to in the 1980's.

• I still remember the joy I felt the first time I heard this song at the end of '84 and knew that John was back. Of course, little did I know how short of a visit it would be.

• When I hear this song the images it conjures up are alwyas differnet but always swampy and spooky...A radio favourite arouund here it's on all the time

10. Travelin’ High

• Tama vahemmalle huomiolle jaanyt hieno biisi starttaa erittain vahvasti loistavasti sovitetuilla puhaltimilla, jotka ovat keskeisessa roolissa ja niita jaakin kaipaamaan aijan myohemmassa tuotannossa.

• Here is John's voice at the best I ever had heard.

11. Hot Rod Heart

• Reminds me of classic country.

• This is just classic R&R at it's ultimate best. The best car song just above Hot Rod Lincoln. HRH is a classic crank it up in your car rock & roll song. It flat out rocks, crank it up and play it loud in the car, baby!!

• It's a fun song that lifts the spirit.

• Driving beat! Nothing like a good Fogerty cruisin' song!

• When I hear this song it makes me feel like I'm cruisin on down the road...Also it is just the right mix of country rock that I like..The song you want when your drivin in a convertible down a country road.

12. 110 In The Shade

• Wonderful vocals here.

• The Fairfield Four were meant to sing with John.

• Superb, keeps me warm in the middle of below zero temperatures.

• This song just jumped off the album when I heard it and the best version was on Storytellers

• It sounds like an old blues classic. Verrry rootsy.

• Love da Blues.

• Hot.

13. Where The River Flows

• Catching melody it flows easily.

• Should have been a single.

• Another Shep fav and personal favorite. It would make a great country cover too

• I'm back to my love of the Shep album on this one

• Urkujen tukemassa simppelin hienossa biisissa kaikki on kohdallaan.

14. Sugar-Sugar

• This is a classic JF song in the same fun rock & roll style as Down On the Corner. It is meant to be danced to and John does a great job on the guitar.

• I think everybody likes the song, its so simple and easy to sing-along. But if that was goin to be JF:s strongest/opening song on the new material before Deja Vu came to him, oh boy, no good: an album called Sugar-Sugar!!! By a rock legend?? Of course this is just my idea.

• Soulful, rich feeling. Long guitar solo fits in the situation.

• Sweetness of tune and words. Makes me smile.

• My wife has never been a big fan but came to concerts with me. She loved 'Sugar' so much she's been listening to the whole album while I've been at work - and she's got it on tape in the car (with a bunch of CCR and Premonition songs). Any song that can do this deserves a vote!

• Easy and simple. Four chords, great for playing unplugged.

• Good soul music is always welcome.

• Really fine guitar work.

• Makes me want to dance...relaxing.

15. Comin' Down The Road

• Good rock'n'roll song which are very rare these days.

• Yeah - Another good solid rockin' song.

• Ahhh, a personal favorite and another one that should be rerecorded and peformed live.

• It is one of John's most Kick-ass rockers.

• Blazing guitars and the hard vocals (lots of great JCF screams!).

16. The Wall

• Before this latest tour it was the last time John used a harmonica on a song and the song is just classic JF chooglin'

• Another Shep song that I love. Classic JF E chord song that up until this latest tour was the last time he had played harmonica on a song

• H-A-R-M-O-N-I-C-A

• Makes my feet move!

17. Bad Bad Boy

• Another great E chord song in John's tradition.

• Exellent guitar playing.

18. Jambalaya

• I was there at the first and second Rollin' on the River gatherings of Fogerty fans in New Orleans -- at one of these gatherings, all of us fans were on the deck of a paddlewheel steamboad rollin' on the Mississippi River, playing this song on a tape player, and singing together. But the person I remember most was Jos from Belgium singing this song along with the rest of us. This song really united us as we were rollin' on the river.

• Full of fun and thrilling.

• Ya gotta love this one even if it has been covered by most everyone on the planet.

• It's joyous and contains lot of rootsy guitar playing.

• The best Hank Williams remake ever.

• Again off of Blue Ridge Mountain Rangers, a tribute to Hank Williams performed better than Hank. I have always wanted to hear John do this live. I think he only did it in Nashville (appropriately) on his US tour dates last fall.

• John's cover is the best since Doug Kershaw's.

19. Bring It Down To Jellyroll

• A great southern rock and roll song and I have one of those little girls from way down South and trust me the honey does drip!!

• John again doing what he does best; three chord rock and roll. SIMPLICITY IS GENIUS.

• Fat guitar sound!

20. Blue Moon Nights

• This one is tough because I love I Confess also but this is straight rockabilly and sounds great live with his current band.

• I really love the Sun Records feel to this song.

• Nice and simple.

• Biisi etenee niin vaivattomasti kuin se olisi aina ollut olemassa. Se on Fogertyn lahjakkuutta!

21. Back In The Hills

• Soulful vocal performance, it's relaxed.

• More a case of the best of the lot rather this being a really good song.

• Well written. It sticks to your ribs like a fine Bar-B-Que!! Great JCF harmonies.

22. Nobody's Here Anymore

• Just classic Mark Knopfler rated just below Sultans of Swing (which is one of the best R&R songs of all time)

• Great lyrics, shows that JF likes modern world tech. And also he really can play all these Mark N. guitar sounds live.

• I REALLY like everything about this on -- guitars, words; like the Dire Straits' touch; it could be considered an anthem for modern life, centered around the computer and snack foods and the loneliness of many of us sitting in our rooms or offices at the computer..

• Fine lyrics and chords. Although it sounds to familiar to Dire Straits.

• Absolutely brilliant song, words & music come together in a great way and he's also hitting the nail on the head.

• Another killer song. Really love the guitar work on both sides of the stereo.

• This one is growing on me -- I like it because it stretches beyond his usual style or genre. I'm surprised this hasn't been discovered on pop/rock radio and played more. It's got a more "today" sound than some of his stuff (Southern Streamline, Rhubarb Pie, 110 in the Shade). Sure, he borrows from Dire Straits, but I like the sound and I like it when John sings and plays and writes in that style.

23. Dream Song

• Despite the kind of fun ending horn part great song melody.

• Harmonies. I always like Johns "horn section" too. I think he was fantastic at playing all the instruments...though he won't admit it

• The feeling in this song is great.

24. My Toot-Toot

• This song has such a feeling of joy & freedom.

25. Swamp River Days

• I like his references to his musical past in this song.

• The Creedence-like imagery is awesome.

• The live version from Premonition really rocks and the guitar work is superb.

• There's some kind of creativeness in this song.

26. Rambunctious Boy

• Makes me feel rambuntious.

• If you watched Crossroads with John & Keith Urban doing this song you'll know why this one outclasses the others.

27. Big Train (from Memphis)

• It has a little bit more light on it than the two others.

• Another really good throw-back song.

• A TRAIN song, makes me want to travel.

28. Heart Of Stone

• Those no-no's are irresistible.

• It has mind-boggling solos and no thin Fender type sounds.

• Great cover that never got the airplay it should have.

29. Rock And Roll Girls

• Not very typical JF song but it has great swing.

• A fun straight forward R&R song with a great sax solo.

• I like how John hits the high notes singing this song.

30. I Ain't Never

• I think guitar sounds are delicious.

31. I Will Walk With You

• A song truly from JF:s heart.

• I really like IWWWY but John has become softer by the Years. He´s able to write beautiful lovesongs. After "Joy of my life", this one is for his young daughter.

• One of the most heartfelt songs John's written. This one always makes me feel sorry for his other kids, listening to it must be hurtful for them.

• Because I am myself a father this i a very emotional song.

32. Rhubarb Pie

• I think that first you have to know the history to the song to understand what the hell JF is telling about. And I like the sound of a Dobro also very much.

• Despite the old time country/blues feeling it's a easylistening JF song.

• I LOVE rhubarb pie to eat; John's expressed the feelings of those of us who love that weird vegetable/fruit. But I DON'T like the "shut my mouth" part and his fake "Negro" accent - like a parody of the black-faced actors mimicking black people in the 1920s and 30s in movies and in Vaudeville.

• It's like a children's song.

• Funny.

• Light nice relaxed song for when you're driving in your car.

• Catchy little tune.

• A song about pie? That's my song.

• Like Mississippi John Hurt and that's good too

33. Change In The Weather

• I just love the sound of Change In the Weather and it is appropriate to our world situation today.

• I just love this song, both the lyrics and the sound.

34. I Confess

• I just love this cover/B-side and agree with John's comments when he did it live on the 1986 Rockin' All Over the World tour, "it knocked my socks off. If I'd have died and gone to heaven after hearing that song, I'd die a happy man."

• One of the best vocal tracks John has ever done.

• On this song John is far away from half-heartness.

• Soul! Vocals are incredible (45 RPM version).

35. She's Got Baggage

• John doing a punk rocker like this one blows me away. He had a ball doing it live although the yells sounded much better on the CD than live. HEY!! YO!!

• Good words, it's rockin' but not very surprising.

• Clever song, very very current -- expresses what we single people discover about the people we date. Everyone has baggage; it's just a matter of how much we can tolerate each other's baggage.

• Among other qualities John's music has two sides - fun and serious. This is a great example of the best of his fun songs and was a knockout at Gothenburg!

• Special when this is played tive this gives great respns ein the audience.

• Nice to see something a little out of the box from Fogerty.

• Rocks like hell.

36. Hoodoo Man

• A great song never to be heard live or rerecorded and that is a shame.

37. Honey Do

• Again great, funny lyrics. Written like a really "a story song type" And the story is so timeless also.

• A humorous singalong song. The other two have too weak sound qualities to be evaluated.

• I like the humor of the words, the irony. The guy is nagged to death and even after death.

• Easy and simple song. It has it´s own humor. Typical JCF.

• So fine sound and fine song.

38. She Thinks I Still Care

• I'm not a country music fan but I like the way he did this song.

• She Thinks I Still Care was merely a cover from the Blue Ridge Mountain Rangers album but done SSSSOOOOOOOO well. JCF can still sing and play.

39. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues

• Shows John's country bluegrass abilities.

• Hard-hitting bluegrass.

• Anything off of the Blue Ridge Mountain Rangers album should prevail as it really shows JCF's talant as a perfomer while his songwriting is generally pure genius.

40. Vanz Kant Danz

• Reminds a little bit P.J. Hannikainen's Christmas Tree Has Been Built tune. Maybe Hannikainen was also Irish's origin.

• Another breaking of the mold. Killer video, too.

• The ultimate diatribe.

41. On The Run

• A classic JF song that he will never perform or rerecord unfortuantely. It would jump off the country charts if he redid it. It is just a great song with great lyric and needs to be heard.

42. You Got The Magic

• "Hoodoo time" wasn´t so bad, because after all these years we still listen songs from that time.

43. Evil Thing

44. You're The Reason

• I used to sing along with this in my car when it first came out.

45. Walkin' In A Hurricane

46. California Blues

• It's vintage Jimmie Rodgers, need I say anymore?

47. Just Pickin'

• Because of the way John is obviously enjoying himself while performing, this one always brings a big smile on my face

• Nice guitarriffs

48. I Can't Help Myself

• Maybe it's more rock than the others. A bit easier to play with guitar.

• Fine melody

49. Flying Away

• Love this song. Really captures the feeling of the need to get away from it all sometimes.

50. Blue Moon Of Kentucky

• Awesome guitar, great country feel to the song.

• This song is an example of bluegrass evolution towards rock'n'roll. Monroe considered Elvis's version as an insult.

• I like John's rocking version best of all the versions of this song. Like how the old record leads into John's rocking guitar.

• Blue Moon, but still a very happy song. No wonder JF himself likes it too.

51. You Rascal You

• Cover of Louis Armstrong. Ya gotta love it.

52. Sail Away

• Because of the synthesisers.

• Very underated song.

53. Mr. Greed

• Too much shouting at empty walls.

• Good hard R&R.

54. Premonition

• Another great song in vintage Fogerty style.

55. Have Thine Own Way, Lord

• My Dad likes this one.

• Amen.

56. Leave My Woman Alone

• Great lyrics, great singing.

• Fine melody and John sings so fine.

57. Between The Lines

• It is original JF song, not very well audible.

58. Knockin' On Your Door

• Sarcastic love song and captivating.

59. Joy Of My Life

• Wonderful dobro, nice message without being too mushy.

• Love that Dobro guitar in that song. It has fine lyrics coming out of John´s heart.

60. Radar

• Another fine example of the versatility of John. It has a unique reggae style and I loved it live when he performed it in Biloxi, Mississippi. George Hawkins has a ball playing this song.

• Shows the eccentric side of John.

• It´s the only song with air attention here in Germany. Fine guitar work.

61. You Don't Owe Me

• Creedence style root rock song.

62. Telephone

63. Sea Cruise

64. Diggy Liggy Lo

• Only time you'll ever hear John sing in French and it is a great Cajun song.

• Displays the diverse musical interests of JF.

• Doug Kershaw's Diggy Diggy Lo is THE version; right now I can't even remember how John did it -- therefore John's version failed to ever leave an impression in my mind.

• It's a happy song

• Another nice attempt at something really different.

• Why, John, why?

65. Endless Sleep

66. Today I Started Loving You Again

67. Violence Is Golden

• A song that fit the times and still rings true.

• It shows greatly old time John Fogerty creativeness.

• One of the best constructed and under rated JCF songs. The way it ridicules the arms trade makes it important.

• It makes you think.

68. Please Help Me I'm Falling

69. Lonely Teardrops

• Vocal performance excellent, it proves Soul Music's power.

70. Searchlight

71. Eye Of The Zombie

72 Working On A Building

73. In The Garden

• Great song for a drummer (with double bass).

74. Somewhere Listening

75. I Found A Love

• A classic tune that shows John's vocal range.

• Shows greatly John's vocal abilities and it's soulful.

• Again great Soul song from W. Pickett's songarchive.

76. Henrietta

77. All Mama's Children

• A fun song featuring a mentor and a hero [Carl Perkins].

• Great R&R song. Could have been a CCR tune on "Cosmos Factory" just like "My baby left me".

78. Ricochet

• Great guitar work and rythm.

79. Rattlesnake Highway

80. Soda Pop

81. Headlines

82. Goin' Back Home

83. Kickin' Asphalt

84. Marchin' To Blarney

85. Wasn't That A Woman