Train of Fools

Background

"Train of Fools" is one of the two new songs John Fogerty wrote for his collaboration album Wrote a Song for Everyone which came out in May 2013.

Fogerty neeeded several attempts to get the song right. The first versions of the tale of lawed, doomed souls were like "Elvis in Las Vegas", as he recalled in an interview for the USA Today. The song differs from the Creedence Clearwater days stylistically, but thematically it's right up an alley he visited from time to time. The lyrics of the song are dark mystery. "I like horror movies and the idea of aliens roaming the planet."  (Edna Gundersen, Interview with John Fogerty, The USA Today, May 27th, 2013).   

Live versions

John Fogerty played "Train of Fools" in eight concerts during his tour in the USA in autumn 2013. The world premiere took place at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on October 10th. 

Soundboard recordings of the most of the concerts were officially made available as files.  

Critical reception

"'Train Of Fools' is something a little different from the Fogerty canon: a thoughtful, philosophical number that reveals the song craftsman’s creative powers are still at their vital peak." -Nick Krewen, The Star, May 28th, 2013.

"Before Bruce Springsteen, Fogerty was the seething, celebratory voice of the disenfranchised young American at a time when working class kids got shipped to Vietnam and stuck in dead jobs to stake their claim at the bottom. A tornado force that captured the zeitgeist as the Summer of Love imploded, Fogerty remains best on his own. Both “Train of Fools” and “Mystic Highway” bristle with derision, expectation and hope. What lies ahead fuels Fogerty’s guitar-playing, writing and muscular rasp—boring straight into the listener—making Song much more than just another all-star redux of what was." -Holly Gleason, Paste, May 28th, 2013.

"Fogerty himself contributes a couple of new tracks, but they fall flat. --- a lumbering arrangement undercuts the anger in 'Train of Fools'.” -Greg Kot, The Chicago Tribune, May 28th, 2013.

"But the record really takes off when Fogerty strikes out on his own and tackles new material. -- “Train of Fools” --- finds him digging through the vaults of rock’s tropes and asserting their continued relevance." -Jerrick Adams, Pop Matters, June 16th, 2013.

"The two new songs on “Wrote a Song for Everyone” indicate Fogerty’s creative well, though stingy, has not yet run dry. --- “Train of Fools,” while not as luminous, is solid." -Keith Spera, NOLA, June 20th, 2013.

"It's telling that the lasting moments arrive either when Fogerty unveils two solid new solo songs -- "Mystic Highway" and "Train of Fools" -- or when he leads his sons through the terrific, bluesy choogle of "Lodi," turning the lament into a celebration. All three cuts prove that Fogerty, no matter how much fun he's having elsewhere on the record, doesn't need any guests to sound alive." -Thomas Erlewine, All Music. 

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