Lookin' for a Reason

Background

"Lookin' for a Reason" opens Mardi Gras, the seventh and the last album of Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

On Mardi Gras, each member of the band contributed one-third of the original material. "Lookin' for a Reason" is a country ballad written, sung and produced by John Fogerty. He also plays the lead guitar on the track. Previous album Pendulum provided Stax soul  anf guitar rock, Mardi Gras swifted the focus towards Country and Western more than on any of the previous albums.    

"Lookin' for a Reason" describes the problems within the band and the private life. Fogerty was divorcing at that time and the band was breaking up.  

Equipment

John Fogerty played a Fender Telecaster on a track (Lars Bundesen). 

Live versions

Creedence Clearwater never performed the song live in concert. Neither has John Fogerty done it during his solo years.   

Critical reception

"As for his two new songs, "Looking for A Reason" is a nice, light bit of fluff ---." -Jon Landau, The Rolling Stone, May 25th, 1972. 

"I'm still lookin' for a reason why this pedestrian country shuffle with an absolutely generic melody that has nothing to do with the creative style John had always been applying to most of his 'rootsy' material before, is credited to J. C. Fogerty, because it sounds more like the following songs credited to D. Clifford and S. Cook ---." -George Starostin.

Fans' views

"--- beautiful song John wrote about the break-up of his own family and the break-up of his mom and dad's family when he was a kid. So full of sadness and pathos. You hear it in the song in the words and in his voice. He had to dig way down to write it. It mirrors his deep feelings of family breakups. Makes you feel what he is feeling."

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