Through the power of streaming and social media, it’s commonplace to see classic hits making their way back onto the music charts. Enter: Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
Written by John Fogerty in 1970, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” was released as part of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s album Pendulum in 1970 and as a single in January 1971.
After its debut, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending around 13 weeks on the chart. The track also reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart and found international success in Canada, the U.K., and Europe.
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As of Tuesday, October 7, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” has re-entered the Billboard Global 200 at No. 193.
Speaking to Howard Stern in 2021, Fogerty, 80, told the story behind the song, revealing that it was born from tensions between bandmates Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook, and Doug Clifford.
“I perceived all the attention and it just looked like it was breaking up, it really did,” he explained to Stern, 71, at the time. “The metaphor of seeing the rain come down from a clear, sunshiny day, it seemed to be what we were.”
Fogerty continued, “Here we were, we were achieving all of our dreams, everything great, and instead of being happy, we seemed to be miserable.”
After Pendulum, CCR released Mardi Gras in 1972, but by the next year, the band had broken up.
In August 2025, Fogerty celebrated his 80th birthday by releasing Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years, featuring 20 re-recorded CCR hits.
Related: Joe Walsh’s Iconic 1973 Hit Climbs Back Up the Music Charts
Fogerty is actively performing and releasing music, while Clifford, 78, and Cook, 79, have retired from touring. Tom Fogerty died on September 6, 1990, at the age of 48 from complications related to AIDS.
Though CCR went through many ups and downs, Fogerty has learned to look back on that time fondly. “There were so many unpleasant memories connected to all of it,” he told People in an August interview.
“That time was confusing and hard to live through,” Fogerty admitted. “But doing this project and kind of re-inflating the memories with so much love now certainly gives the whole thing a happier feel.”