10 Happy Songs With Really Dark Endings
9. Have You Ever Seen the Rain - CCR
Ever since they first started chooglin in the late '60s, there always been something about CCR's music that has remained timeless through the years. With southern rock and the country tinged side of the genre being built under John Fogerty's mantle, the overarching impact of songs like Bad Moon Rising and Proud Mary are pretty much a part of the DNA of rock and roll at this point. That doesn't mean that the sunshine of bayou country doesn't have its sore spots.
On the surface, Have You Ever Seen the Rain comes off as just another song on life experience, as John flexes his vocal chops over the rain coming down over the sunny day. When asked about the actual construction of the song though, John didn't mince words when saying it was about the band themselves, which was in the midst of falling apart at the time.
Considering the tumultuous relationships of the band in the early '70s, this would have been a fitting epitaph, only to become the penultimate hit before Fogerty kept the band together as a three piece to fulfill their contract with the often maligned album Mardi Gras. For as many good times have been launched by songs like Born on the Bayou, this marks the exact moment where the sweet starts turning to sour.