Born on the Bayou
Encyclopedia
"Born on the Bayou" is the first track on Creedence Clearwater Revival
's second album, Bayou Country
. It was released as the B-side
of the single "Proud Mary" and reached #2 on the Billboard Charts.
As the songwriter, John Fogerty
, commented:
"Born on the Bayou" is an example of 'swamp rock', a genre associated with John Fogerty and Tony Joe White
. The guitar setting for the intro is over-driven with amp vibrato on a slow setting; Fogerty uses a Gibson semi-acoustic with humbuckers (which was stolen from his car soon after recording this track). The E7 chord gives the song a strong Southern blues feel. To many, the vocal performance on this track represents a pinnacle in John Fogerty's singing, the performance as a whole is regarded as one of Creedence Clearwater Revival's finest hours. "Born on the Bayou" opened most of CCR's concerts, and was known as the band's signature song.
"Born on the Bayou" was covered by Little Richard
on his 1971 album King of Rock and Roll, and by Francis Cabrel
on his 2008 album Des roses et des orties, as "Né dans le Bayou." It was also covered by Foo Fighters
, and the recording can be found on the Resolve CD Maxi released in 2006. In 2008, Widespread Panic
opened their annual Halloween concert with "Born on the Bayou" in New Orleans, LA. The recording can be found at www.livewidespreadpanic.com. A cover by The Broken Homes was used in the film Born on the Fourth of July
(1989).
The song was featured in The Return of Swamp Thing
, John Woo
's 1993 film Hard Target
and Adam Sandler
's 1998 film The Waterboy
. It also appears briefly in the film Stop-Loss
.
Roger Daltrey
from The Who
says he has loved this song since hearing it in Woodstock, and often plays it in solo performances. It was occasionally performed on The Who's 1989 tour as well.
The Blue Öyster Cult
's famous rock song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" takes inspiration from "Born on the Bayou" in its guitar riffs and use of the cowbell.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
's second album, Bayou Country
Bayou Country
Bayou Country is the second studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in January 1969, and was the first of three albums CCR released in that year .- Original album :...
. It was released as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the single "Proud Mary" and reached #2 on the Billboard Charts.
As the songwriter, John Fogerty
John Fogerty
John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
, commented:
"Born on the Bayou" is an example of 'swamp rock', a genre associated with John Fogerty and Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
. The guitar setting for the intro is over-driven with amp vibrato on a slow setting; Fogerty uses a Gibson semi-acoustic with humbuckers (which was stolen from his car soon after recording this track). The E7 chord gives the song a strong Southern blues feel. To many, the vocal performance on this track represents a pinnacle in John Fogerty's singing, the performance as a whole is regarded as one of Creedence Clearwater Revival's finest hours. "Born on the Bayou" opened most of CCR's concerts, and was known as the band's signature song.
Cover versions
Tina Britt recorded a tribute to "Born on the Bayou", titled "Born on a Bayou", in 1969."Born on the Bayou" was covered by Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
on his 1971 album King of Rock and Roll, and by Francis Cabrel
Francis Cabrel
Francis Cabrel is a well-known French singer-songwriter and guitarist. Inspired heavily by Bob Dylan, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the realm of folk, with occasional forays into blues or country. Several of his songs, such as "L'encre de tes yeux" and "Petite Marie"...
on his 2008 album Des roses et des orties, as "Né dans le Bayou." It was also covered by Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, and the recording can be found on the Resolve CD Maxi released in 2006. In 2008, Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
opened their annual Halloween concert with "Born on the Bayou" in New Orleans, LA. The recording can be found at www.livewidespreadpanic.com. A cover by The Broken Homes was used in the film Born on the Fourth of July
Born on the Fourth of July (film)
Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 American film adaptation of the best selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise plays Kovic, in a performance that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, and also...
(1989).
The song was featured in The Return of Swamp Thing
The Return of Swamp Thing
The Return of Swamp Thing is a sci-fi-comedy film released in 1989, and directed by Jim Wynorski. It is based on the DC Comics title Swamp Thing and is a sequel to the 1982 horror film Swamp Thing directed by Wes Craven; however, it had a lighter tone than the previous film...
, John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
's 1993 film Hard Target
Hard Target
Hard Target is a 1993 American action film directed by Chinese director John Woo. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work Cajun merchant seaman who saves a young woman, Natasha Binder , from a gang of thugs in New Orleans...
and Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
's 1998 film The Waterboy
The Waterboy
The Waterboy is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler alongside Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates, Jerry Reed, and Fairuza Balk. Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Paul Wight, and Rob Schneider have cameos...
. It also appears briefly in the film Stop-Loss
Stop-Loss (film)
Stop-Loss is a 2008 American drama film directed by Kimberly Peirce and starring Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was distributed by Paramount Pictures and produced by MTV Films.-Plot:...
.
Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
from The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
says he has loved this song since hearing it in Woodstock, and often plays it in solo performances. It was occasionally performed on The Who's 1989 tour as well.
The Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
's famous rock song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" The Reaper" is a song by the rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune. It was written and sung by the band's lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and was produced by David Lucas, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman. It is built around Dharma's guitar riff that...
" takes inspiration from "Born on the Bayou" in its guitar riffs and use of the cowbell.
Appearances in other media
- The song is played during the opening credits of the 1989 film The Return of Swamp ThingThe Return of Swamp ThingThe Return of Swamp Thing is a sci-fi-comedy film released in 1989, and directed by Jim Wynorski. It is based on the DC Comics title Swamp Thing and is a sequel to the 1982 horror film Swamp Thing directed by Wes Craven; however, it had a lighter tone than the previous film...
based on the DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
book "Swamp Thing". - The song is available as a playable song for the Rock BandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series of music video gameMusic video gameA music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
s as downloadable content. - The song is heard during the commercial promotions for the History Channel's Swamp PeopleSwamp PeopleSwamp People is an American reality television series that debuted on History on August 22, 2010. The show follows the day-to-day activities for several Cajuns living in the Atchafalaya River Basin swamp in Louisiana, USA who hunt American alligators for a living.The second season debuted on March...
. - The song is heard in the Adam SandlerAdam SandlerAdam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
comedy The WaterboyThe WaterboyThe Waterboy is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler alongside Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates, Jerry Reed, and Fairuza Balk. Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Paul Wight, and Rob Schneider have cameos...
and at the end of the film The ExpendablesThe Expendables-Musical career:Their music is a diverse mix of styles, including reggae, ska, surf rock, and punk rock. Members include Geoff Weers , Adam Patterson , Raul Bianchi and Ryan DeMars . The band was formed in 1997. In 2003 they had their own radio show, Locals Only, on radio station KMBY...
. - A cover of the song is heard in the Captain N: The Game MasterCaptain N: The Game MasterCaptain N: The Game Master was an American animated television series that aired on television from 1989 to 1991 as part of the Saturday morning cartoon lineup on NBC. The show incorporated elements from many of the most popular Nintendo games of the time...
episode "How's Bayou", likely performed by Long John BaldryLong John BaldryJohn William "Long John" Baldry was an English and Canadian blues singer and a voice actor. He sang with many British musicians, with Rod Stewart and Elton John appearing in bands led by Baldry in the 1960s. He enjoyed pop success in the UK where Let the Heartaches Begin reached No...
or Levi StubbsLevi StubbsLevi Stubbles , better known by the stage name Levi Stubbs, was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Motown R&B group Four Tops...
, who were also voice actors on the show. However, it was edited out of later reruns and DVD releases due to copyright concerns.