Down on the Corner explained

Down on the Corner
Cover:Down on the Corner label.jpeg
Type:single
Artist:Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album:Willy and the Poor Boys
A-Side:Fortunate Son
Released:October 1969
Recorded:1969
Genre:
Length:2:47
Label:Fantasy
Producer:John Fogerty
Prev Title:Green River
Prev Year:1969
Next Title:Fortunate Son
Next Year:1969

"Down on the Corner" is a song by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It appeared on their fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys (1969). The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 20 December 1969. The flip side, "Fortunate Son", reached No. 14 on the United States charts on 22 November 1969, the week before Billboard changed its methodology on double-sided hits.[4]

In Canada, the single reached No. 4 in December 1969,[5] and No. 5 in New Zealand.[6] The song performed better in much of Continental Europe, where it made number 2 in Germany, number 9 in Austria, number 8 in the Netherlands, number 17 in Flemish-speaking Belgium and number 6 in French-speaking Belgium[7] than in the United Kingdom, where it stalled at number 31.[8]

Content

The song depicts the fictional band Willy and the Poor Boys, and how they play on street corners to cheer people up and ask for nickels.

Songwriter John Fogerty explained how the lyrics were derived:[9]

The song makes reference to a harmonica, washboard, a kazoo, a Kalamazoo guitar, and a gut bass.[10] In a 1969 appearance on The Music Scene,[11] the band performed the song dressed up as “Willy and the Poor Boys”.[12] Stu Cook played a gut bass, Doug Clifford the washboard, and Tom Fogerty the Kalamazoo, which mimicked the appearance of the band as they appear on the album cover.

Billboard described the single as having "an infectious calypso beat."[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Down on the Corner - Creedence Clearwater Revival | Song Info | AllMusic. AllMusic.
  2. The Bad Moon on the Rise Edition. Hit Parade Music History and Music Trivia. Slate. Molanphy. Chris. February 28, 2019. August 20, 2023.
  3. Web site: John Fogerty Talks New Creedence Clearwater Revival Documentary and Making Peace with His Past. DeSantis, Rachel. People. September 1, 2022. April 10, 2024.
  4. Book: Whitburn , Joel . 1990. The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Sixties (25 October 1969 through 27 December 1969). Record Research, Inc.. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 0-89820-074-1.
  5. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - December 20, 1969. Collectioncanada.gc.ca.
  6. Web site: Flavour of New Zealand, 6 March 1970. Flavourofnz.co.nz. 19 June 2023. 27 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201027121130/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=742#n_view_location. dead.
  7. Web site: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Down On The Corner. Swedishcharts.com. 19 June 2023.
  8. Web site: down on the corner | full Official Chart History. Officialcharts.com. 19 June 2023.
  9. Web site: 2020-04-15 . Watch John Fogerty and Family Perform CCR Favorites . 2020-04-15 . Best Classic Bands . en-GB.
  10. Web site: Creedence Clearwater Revival – Down on the Corner . 2022-04-12.
  11. Web site: Music Scene - Season 1 - IMDb . IMDb . December 1, 1969 . 2022-05-04.
  12. Web site: 1969 TV performance . YouTube . 2022-05-04.
  13. News: Billboard. 2021-02-20. October 18, 1969. 86. Spotlight Singles.