Lookin' out My Back Door

"Lookin' out My Back Door"
"Lookin' out My Back Door"
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Cosmo's Factory
B-side	"Long As I Can See the Light"
Released	July 25, 1970
Genre	Country rock
Length	2:35
Label	Fantasy
Songwriter(s)	John Fogerty
Producer(s)	John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology

"Lookin' out My Back Door" is a song recorded by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival. Written by the band's lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter, John Fogerty, it is included on their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory; this was the group's fifth album, and was also their fifth and final number-two Billboard hit, held off the top by Diana Ross's version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

Song information[]

The song's lyrics, filled with colorful, dream-like imagery, lead some to believe that it is about drugs. According to the drug theory, the "flying spoon" was a reference to a cocaine or heroin spoon, 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.^[3]

Country singer Buck Owens is mentioned in the song, and the music reflects some of the Bakersfield sound Owens made famous.^{[citation needed]}

Chart history[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1970)	Peak position
Australia Go-Set	1
Austria Ö3 Top 40	1
Belgian Ultratop 50	4
Canadian RPM Top Tracks	1
Finland	16
German Media Control Charts	2
New Zealand (Listener)^[4]	4
Norwegian VG-Lista Charts	1
South Africa (Springbok)^[5]	2
Swedish Tio i topp Charts	1
UK Singles Charts	20
US Billboard Hot 100	2
US Cash Box Hot 100^[6]	1
US Record World	1

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1970)	Rank
Australia	6
Canada ^[7]	4
US Billboard Hot 100^[8]	36

In popular culture[]

The song was featured in The Big Lebowski.

References[]

^ Hibbert, Tom; Dawson, Jenny (1990). "Rock '70". In Ashley Brown (ed.). The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music. Volume 12 (Reference ed.). Freeport, New York: Marshall Cavendish. pp. 1342, 1343. ISBN 1-85435-027-7. |volume= has extra text (help)
^ Betts, Stephen L. (May 25, 2017). "See Wade Bowen's Playful Creedence Clearwater Revival Cover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 6, 2020. Wade Bowen’s web series Garage Mahal continues with the Texas musician’s informal acoustic take on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1970 country-rocker “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.”
^ Bordowitz, Hank (1998). Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Chicago Review Press. p. 98. ISBN 9781569769843.
^ Flavour of New Zealand, 7 December 1970
^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 2, 2018.
^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 3, 1970
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^ "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". www.musicoutfitters.com.

External links[]

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[popular-1] Hibbert, Tom; Dawson, Jenny (1990). "Rock '70". In Ashley Brown (ed.). The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music. Volume 12 (Reference ed.). Freeport, New York: Marshall Cavendish. pp. 1342, 1343. ISBN 1-85435-027-7. |volume= has extra text (help)

[2] Betts, Stephen L. (May 25, 2017). "See Wade Bowen's Playful Creedence Clearwater Revival Cover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 6, 2020. Wade Bowen’s web series Garage Mahal continues with the Texas musician’s informal acoustic take on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1970 country-rocker “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.”

[3] Bordowitz, Hank (1998). Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Chicago Review Press. p. 98. ISBN 9781569769843.

[4] Flavour of New Zealand, 7 December 1970

[5] "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 2, 2018.

[6] Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 3, 1970

[7] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.

[8] "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". www.musicoutfitters.com.

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show v t Creedence Clearwater Revival
Doug Clifford Stu Cook John Fogerty Tom Fogerty
Studio albums	Creedence Clearwater Revival Bayou Country Green River Willy and the Poor Boys Cosmo's Factory Pendulum Mardi Gras
Live albums	Live in Europe The Concert Live at Woodstock
Compilations	Creedence Gold More Creedence Gold Pre-Creedence Chronicle, Vol. 1 20 Golden Greats Creedence Country Hits Album At the Movies Chronicle, Vol. 2 Rollin' on the River Heartland Music Presents Creedence Clearwater Revival The Best of Creedence Clearwater Revival Keep On Chooglin' Creedence Clearwater Revival: Box Set Bad Moon Rising: The Best of Creedence Clearwater Revival Platinum Creedence Clearwater Revival Covers the Classics
Singles	"Susie Q" "I Put a Spell on You" "Proud Mary"/"Born on the Bayou" "Bad Moon Rising"/"Lodi" "Green River"/"Commotion" "Down on the Corner"/"Fortunate Son" "It Came Out of the Sky"/"Cotton Fields" "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop the Rain" "Run Through the Jungle"/"Up Around the Bend" "Lookin' out My Back Door"/"Long As I Can See the Light" "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"/"Hey Tonight" "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" "Someday Never Comes" "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"/"Good Golly Miss Molly"
Other original songs	"Keep on Chooglin'" "Don't Look Now (It Ain't You or Me)" "Ramble Tamble"
Related articles	Discography Song list The Blue Velvets The Golliwogs Creedence Clearwater Revisited Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc. Southern Pacific

show v t Buck Owens
Studio albums	Buck Owens Buck Owens Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard You're for Me On the Bandstand Buck Owens Sings Tommy Collins Together Again I Don't Care I've Got a Tiger by the Tail Before You Go Roll Out the Red Carpet Dust on Mother's Bible Open Up Your Heart Your Tender Loving Care It Takes People Like You Sweet Rosie Jones
Holiday albums	Christmas with Buck Owens and his Buckaroos Christmas Shopping
Live albums	Carnegie Hall Concert In Japan!
Compilation albums	The Fabulous Country Music Sound of Buck Owens The Best of Buck Owens Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 2 21 #1 Hits: The Ultimate Collection
Notable singles	"Hot Dog" "Under Your Spell Again" "Above and Beyond" "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)" "Foolin' Around" "Save the Last Dance for Me" "Act Naturally" "Love's Gonna Live Here" "My Heart Skips a Beat" "I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)" "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" "Before You Go" "Only You (Can Break My Heart)" "Buckaroo" "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line" "Think of Me" "Open Up Your Heart" "Where Does the Good Times Go" "Sam's Place" "Your Tender Loving Care" "How Long Will My Baby Be Gone" "Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass" "Johnny B. Goode" "Tall Dark Stranger" "Big in Vegas" "Bridge over Troubled Water" "Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms" "Made in Japan"
Collaboration singles	"Love Is Strange"
Guest singles	"Streets of Bakersfield"
B-side singles	"Loose Talk" "Together Again
Related articles	Discography The Buckaroos Dwight Sings Buck "Lookin' out My Back Door"