Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Song)
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For the Stanley Turrentine album, see Have You Ever Seen the Rain (album).
| “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival | |
| from the album Pendulum | |
| B-side | “Hey Tonight“ |
| Released | January 1971 |
| Recorded | 1970 |
| Genre | Roots rock country rock swamp rock |
| Length | 2:39 |
| Label | Fantasy |
| Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty |
| Producer(s) | John Fogerty |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology | |
| “Lookin’ Out My Back Door“ (1970) “Have You Ever Seen the Rain“ (1971) “Sweet Hitch-Hiker“ (1971) | |
“Have You Ever Seen the Rain” is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by John Fogerty and released as a single in 1971 from the album Pendulum (1970). The song charted highest in Canada, reaching number one on the RPM 100 national singles chart in March 1971. In the U.S., in the same year it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. On the Cash Box pop chart, it peaked at number three. In the UK, it reached number 36. It was the group’s eighth gold-selling single. In March 2023, the song surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.
Cash Box called the song “as close to a ballad as anything from CCR.”
Fogerty released a live version of the song on his The Long Road Home – In Concert DVD which was recorded at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on September 15, 2005. A music video was released for the band’s 50th anniversary on December 11, 2018.
On the 2013 John Fogerty album Wrote a Song for Everyone a new recording of the song featuring Alan Jackson was included.
Lyrics
In his review of the song for AllMusic, Mark Deming suggests that “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” is about the decline of the countercultural political idealism of the 1960s during the Nixon administration, in light of events such as the Altamont Free Concert and the Kent State shootings. However, John Fogerty has said in interviews and prior to playing the song in concert that it concerns tensions within Creedence Clearwater Revival themselves and the imminent departure of his brother Tom Fogerty from the band. In a 2020 interview with American Songwriter, Fogerty stated that the line “Have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day?” was inspired by the band’s feelings of unease and depression at the height of their fame and commercial success. The band would ultimately split in October 1972, following the release of the album Mardi Gras.
In a literal sense, the song describes a sunshower, such as in the lyric “It’ll rain a sunny day” and the chorus, “Have you ever seen the rain, comin’ down on a sunny day?” These events are particularly common in the Deep South due to localized atmospheric wind shear effects.
Music video
For the band’s 50th anniversary in 2018, a music video was released for “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” The video stars then up-and-coming actors including Jack Quaid, Sasha Frolova, and Erin Moriarty. The video was shot in Montana by director Laurence Jacobs who described it as “a coming-of-age story” and “something distinctly real that encapsulated identity. Not teenage years, but specifically your early 20s when you’re still growing and trying to become someone.” The story, cowritten by Jacobs and Luke Klompien, is of “three best friends hanging in Montana until one of them moves away”, and includes scenes of the cast “skipping rocks into the river”, “driving through the countryside in a vintage red Chevy pickup truck watching the sunset and bonding by the fire.” A behind-the-scenes featurette about the making of the video was released June 26, 2019, featuring interviews with the cast and director, and also shows dialogue between the actors.
Quaid and Moriarty would go on to star in Amazon Prime’s The Boys, a satirical take on the superhero genre. Quaid and Moriarty star as main characters/love interests Hugh “Hughie” Campbell Jr. and Annie January / Starlight.
Charts
Weekly charts
1971 weekly chart performance for “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina (Prensario) | 10 |
| Australia (Go-Set) | 6 |
| Austria | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratop) | 6 |
| Brazil (IBOPE) | 8 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Japan (Music Labo Co.) | 14 |
| Netherlands (Radio Veronica) | 9 |
| Malaysia (Radio Malaysia) | 1 |
| New Zealand (Listener) | 3 |
| Norway (Verdens Gang) | 3 |
| Singapore (Rediffusion) | 5 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio) | 1 |
| Sweden (Radio Sweden) | 8 |
| UK (Record Retailer) | 36 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 3 |
2021 weekly chart performance for “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard) | 7 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard) | 10 |
| US Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard) | 1 |
2023–2024 weekly chart performance for “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
| Chart (2023–2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Global 200 (Billboard) | 92 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 87 |
| UK Indie (OCC) | 15 |
Year-end charts
1971 year-end chart performance for “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
| Chart (1971) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia | 40 |
| Canada | 13 |
| South Africa | 14 |
| US Cash Box | 60 |
2023 year-end chart performance for “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
| Chart (2023) | Rank |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 43 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 8× Platinum | 560,000‡ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark) | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI) | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI) sales since 2009 | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | 7× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
| Portugal (AFP) | 2× Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| South Africa | — | 100,000[46] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 3× Platinum | 180,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) 2005 release | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Bonnie Tyler version
| “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Bonnie Tyler | |
| from the album Faster Than the Speed of Night | |
| B-side | “Time” |
| Released | 17 June 1983 |
| Genre | Pop rock |
| Length | 4:08 |
| Label | CBS Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty |
| Producer(s) | Jim Steinman John Jansen |
Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler covered the song on her 1983 album Faster Than the Speed of Night. The track was released as the album’s third single in June 1983.
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 69 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 13 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 47 |
| West Germany (GfK) | 63 |
Other cover versions
- Boney M. covered the song on their 1977 album Love for Sale.
- This was later sampled in Modjo‘s “Music Takes You Back”.
- Minutemen covered the song on their 1985 album 3-Way Tie (For Last).
- Johnny Cash covered the song for his 1985 album Rainbow.
- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts covered the song on their 1990 album The Hit List.
- Spin Doctors covered the song for the soundtrack of the 1993 film Philadelphia.
- The Ramones included the song on their 1994 covers album Acid Eaters.
- Smokie covered the song on their 1995 album The World And Elsewhere.
- Rod Stewart included the song on his 2006 covers album Still the Same… Great Rock Classics of Our Time.
- Willie Nelson and his daughter Paula Nelson covered the song for his 2013 album To All the Girls…
- Guitar instrumental by OldGuitarMonkey
- Lee Ra Hee
Versions in other languages
- Laureano Brizuela – “Cerca de ti”
- Ana Gabriel – “Ven a ver Llover”
- Juan Gabriel – “Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Gracias al Sol)”
- Karina – “Quiero saber”
- The Fevers – Não Devo Mais Ficar
- Gilberto e Gilmar – Não Devo Mais Ficar
- KLB – Não Devo Mais Ficar
- Paulo Ricardo – Eu Não Devo Mais Ficar
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