"Have You Ever Seen the Rain" is a song by Americanrock bandCreedence Clearwater Revival, written byJohn Fogerty and released as a single in 1971 from the albumPendulum (1970). The song charted highest in Canada, reaching number one on theRPM 100 national singles chart in March 1971.[3] In the U.S., in the same year it peaked at number eight on theBillboard Hot 100 singles chart.[4]
On theCash Box pop chart, it peaked at number three. In the UK, it reached number 36. It was the group's eighth gold-selling single.[5]Cash Box called the song "as close to aballad as anything from CCR."[6] In March 2023, the song surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.[7]
For the band's 50th anniversary, Craft Recordings released anofficial music video to the song. Directed by Laurence Harlan Jacobs and filmed entirely in Montana, the video stars Sasha Frolova, Jack Quaid, and Erin Moriarty.
In his review of the song forAllMusic, Mark Deming suggests that "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" is about the decline of thecountercultural political idealism of the 1960s during theNixon administration, in light of events such as theAltamont Free Concert and theKent State shootings.[9] 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 brotherTom Fogerty from the band.
"That song is really about the impending breakup of Creedence. The imagery is, you can have a bright, beautiful, sunny day, and it can be raining at the same time," Fogerty toldRolling Stone magazine in 1993.
In a 2020 interview withAmerican 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 albumMardi Gras.[10]
In a literal sense, the song describes asunshower, 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 theDeep South due to localized atmospheric wind shear effects.[11]
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 includingJack Quaid,Sasha Frolova, andErin Moriarty. The video was shot inMontana by director Laurence Harlan Jacobs who described it as "a coming-of-age story... something distinctly real that encapsulates identity. Not teenage years, but specifically your early 20s when you're still growing and trying to become someone." The story, co-written by Jacobs and Montana-born Luke Klompien, is of "three best friends hanging in Montana until one of them moves away". It includes scenes of the cast skipping rocks into the river, driving through the countryside in a vintage redChevypickup truck, watching the sunset, and bonding by the fire."[12][13] Abehind-the-scenes documentary 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 on-set.[14]
