| "Long As I Can See the Light" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byCreedence Clearwater Revival | ||||
| from the albumCosmo's Factory | ||||
| A-side | "Lookin' Out My Back Door" | |||
| Released | July 25, 1970 (1970-07-25)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| Producer(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Long As I Can See the Light" is a song by American rock bandCreedence Clearwater Revival, from the albumCosmo's Factory. Released as the flip side of the single "Lookin' Out My Back Door" in 1970, it reached number 57 on theCash Box singles chart in the US, number 20 in the UK (in the UK, "Long As I Can See the Light" was on the A-side, and "Lookin' Out My Back Door" on the flip), and number one in Norway.
Cash Box compared it to "Lookin' Out My Back Door", calling "Long as I Can See the Light" "a slower paced ballad from the blues school. More subtle, but a good bet to overtake the “Lookin’” side."[4]Billboard called it a "funky blues number."[5]
The two songs were also released as a double-sided single and peaked at number two in the US.[6]
"Long As I Can See the Light" appears on most Creedence Clearwater Revival compilation albums, notablyThe Best of Creedence Clearwater Revival andChronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits.[7] It became a concert staple for singerJohn Fogerty as a solo artist.[8]
Fogerty biographer Thomas M. Kitts describes the song as depicting a "world-weary figure", perhapsJeremiah, who "undertakes an uncertain journey." The singer is confident as long as he "can see the light." Kitts points out that the word 'light' has two meanings in the song: a spiritual meaning, such as in "The Lord is my light" fromPsalm 27, and "the secular light of love". He describes the music as having a "hymnal, church-like feel."[9]
Fogerty expressed surprise at having come up with a candle as a metaphor for a beacon guiding the singer home. He stated that the song is "about the loner in me. Wanting to feel understood, needing those at home to shine a light so that I can make my way back."[10]
"If you tour a lot, it's one of those songs that just makes you miss home so badly," remarkedSlipknot front-manCorey Taylor. "A really sombre piece."[11]
The drum beat was sampled byMoby for "The Sky Is Broken" on his 1999 albumPlay.[12]
Fogerty recorded a new version of the song, with the rock bandMy Morning Jacket, for his 2013 albumWrote a Song for Everyone. The remake was recorded atBlackbird Studio in Nashville on May 2, 2012.
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[13] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
