In the summer of 1969, the counterculture dominated the airwaves. As festivals like Woodstock were planned and Vietnam protests dominated the news, Creedence Clearwater Revival pumped out gritty, hard-driving rock that captured the era’s anxiety and tensions.
“Bad Moon Rising” was a total smash from the minute it hit the radio. With John Fogerty‘s warnings about dark times approaching, the counterculture ate it up.
The song captured all the nervous energy of 1969, climbing the charts so fast that a No. 1 finish seemed guaranteed. Instead, it remained at No. 2 behind a wholesome, wordless instrumental straight out of their parents’ record collection.
Right as Creedence Clearwater Revival were eyeing the summit of Billboard’s Hot 100, they were blocked by Henry Mancini’s lush, sweeping “Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet.”
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It was the ultimate generational chart humiliation. While teens and young adults listened to Fogerty talk about the world’s impending doom, their parents headed to the local record shop to buy a wholesome, wordless orchestral ballad from a teenage romance movie.
The movie theme parked itself at No. 1, shutting CCR out and starting their infamous run as chart bridesmaids. It was a classic 1969 matchup: the edgy, paranoid energy of modern rock crashing headfirst into the sweet, parent-approved melodies of old Hollywood.
Ironically, that wouldn’t be the only time Creedence Clearwater Revival would be blocked from the No. 1 spot. The band holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 number-two hits without ever reaching number one.
According to Billboard, the following CCR songs never reached the top spot on the charts. Instead, they all fell victim to the band’s notorious runner-up curse.
“Proud Mary” got blocked by Sly & the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” and Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy.” Just a few months later, “Green River” hit the same wall at No. 2, held off by a cartoon band, The Archies, and their bubblegum smash “Sugar, Sugar.”
Later in 1970, the band’s double-sided single “Travelin’ Band” / “Who’ll Stop the Rain” got blocked from No. 1 by Simon & Garfunkel’s powerhouse ballad “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Then, Motown icon Diana Ross halted the momentum of “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” / “Long as I Can See the Light” with her explosive solo megahit, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
In the end, CCR never did get their No. 1 trophy, ending their legendary run as a band with five different singles stuck at No. 2. But time has a funny way of sorting things out.
Easy-listening instrumentals and cartoon bands might have grabbed the headlines back in 1969, but Creedence Clearwater Revival’s songs are the ones fans still play today.
Related: 1969 Ballad Written by John Denver Was Reimagined by a Folk Icon—and Became an Emotional Classic
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