Lookin' Out My Back Door (1970) 6/2/20

Creedence Clearwater Revival holds the dubious record of the most songs to reach #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart...without EVER scoring a #1 hit!

In the late 60s and early '70s, they had a string of Top 10 hits...and FIVE of them went to #2 but no higher. It's a record that still stands today.

Their LAST #2 came in 1970, with today's “Great Song of the '70s,” but it was not without some controversy.

Many people, including me, thought “Looking Out My Back Door,” was a song about drugs, but according to CCR frontman John Fogerty, it's simply not true.

The most questionable lyrics had to do with a “flying spoon” and creatures that were “dancing on the lawn.” Fogerty, however, has always maintained that it was NOT about an acid trip; it was a fanciful song written for his 3-year-old son and based on the Dr. Seuss book “And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street!”

Another lyric mentions country music legend Buck Owens, and THAT, Fogerty says, was an intentional shout out to one of his musical idols...and the musical style of “Looking Out My Back Door” was based on the “Bakersfield Sound” that Buck made popular.

Although it stalled in the US at #2 on Billboard's Hot 100, the song went to #1 in Canada, Australia, Austria, and Norway. It also reached #2 in South Africa and Germany...and was a Top 20 hit in 4 other countries.

No word on the chart position on Mulberry Street. :-)

From 1970: