Lookin' out My Back Door
Encyclopedia
"Lookin' out My Back Door" is a song recorded by the American
band Creedence Clearwater Revival
and written by the band's lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter, John Fogerty
. It is included on their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory
, the group's fifth album.
, and the crazy animal images were an acid trip. Fogerty, however, has stated in interviews that the song was actually written for his then three-year old son, Josh. Fogerty has also said that the reference to a parade passing by was inspired by the Dr. Seuss
book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
.
"Lookin' Out My Back Door", along with "Long as I Can See the Light" on the flip-side, was released as a single in July 1970. The double sided single, counted as one entry by the methodology used by Billboard
magazine at the time, eventually climbed to number two on the Billboard Pop Singles
chart (by comparison, "Long as I Can See the Light" only reached number fifty-seven on the concurrent Cash Box
singles chart, which still tracked the performance on both sides of a single separately). This marked the fifth (and final) time the group had a double sided single accomplish that feat on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. The single was held out of the top spot by Diana Ross
's cover of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
("Lookin' Out My Back Door" did top the Cash Box
singles chart for one week). "Long as I Can See the Light" also reached #20 on the U.K. Pop
chart.
In live performances, Fogerty sometimes changes "tambourines and elephants are playing in the band" to "tangerines and Elvis are playing in the band". In a recent show of Austin City Limits he added a fiddle, to give the song more of a country sound.
It was featured in the Coen Brothers
' movie The Big Lebowski
and in the 2006 drama We Are Marshall
.
female singer/organist
Ma Chia Nar (馬嘉娜), on her LP album For Mama．There Goes My Everything with the local Life Records.
Heavy metal band Children of Bodom
released a cover of the song on their 2009 album Skeletons in the Closet.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
band Creedence Clearwater Revival
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....
and written by the band's lead singer, guitarist, and 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...
. It is included on their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory
Cosmo's Factory
Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in July 1970 and released as Fantasy 8402, the same month as the single release of "Lookin' out My Back Door" b/w "Long As I Can See the Light" .The name of the album comes from...
, the group's fifth album.
Song information
The song is known for its upbeat tempo, its down-home feel, and a signature change in key and tempo towards the end. The song's lyrics, filled with colorful, dream-like imagery, led some to believe that the song was about drugs. According to the drug theory, the "flying spoon" in the song was a cocaine spoonCocaine spoon
A cocaine spoon, referred to as a "coke spoon", or simply "spoon", is an instrument used in the process of insufflating cocaine. The spoons are usually long and slender metallic objects with varying designs and patterns, with a small bowl at the end...
, and the crazy animal images were an acid trip. Fogerty, however, has stated in interviews that the song was actually written for his then three-year old son, Josh. Fogerty has also said that the reference to a parade passing by was inspired by the Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street is a book written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss and Robert Carington, first published in 1937. It was Seuss's first children's book, originally titled "A Story That No One Can Beat," the manuscript was rejected by over 43 publishing companies but was...
.
"Lookin' Out My Back Door", along with "Long as I Can See the Light" on the flip-side, was released as a single in July 1970. The double sided single, counted as one entry by the methodology used by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine at the time, eventually climbed to number two on the Billboard Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart (by comparison, "Long as I Can See the Light" only reached number fifty-seven on the concurrent Cash Box
Cash Box magazine
Cashbox magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996...
singles chart, which still tracked the performance on both sides of a single separately). This marked the fifth (and final) time the group had a double sided single accomplish that feat on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. The single was held out of the top spot by Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
's cover of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...
("Lookin' Out My Back Door" did top the Cash Box
Cash Box magazine
Cashbox magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996...
singles chart for one week). "Long as I Can See the Light" also reached #20 on the U.K. Pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
chart.
In live performances, Fogerty sometimes changes "tambourines and elephants are playing in the band" to "tangerines and Elvis are playing in the band". In a recent show of Austin City Limits he added a fiddle, to give the song more of a country sound.
It was featured in the Coen Brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
' movie The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
and in the 2006 drama We Are Marshall
We Are Marshall
We Are Marshall is a 2006 American drama film directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 37 football players on the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team as well as five coaches, two athletic trainers, the athletic director, 25 boosters and...
.
Covers
In 1973, this song was covered by Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
female singer/organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
Ma Chia Nar (馬嘉娜), on her LP album For Mama．There Goes My Everything with the local Life Records.
Heavy metal band Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
released a cover of the song on their 2009 album Skeletons in the Closet.