{"id":8283,"date":"2011-08-31T06:52:04","date_gmt":"2011-08-31T10:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/?p=8283"},"modified":"2011-08-31T06:52:04","modified_gmt":"2011-08-31T10:52:04","slug":"midweek-music-break-bad-moon-rising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/midweek-music-break-bad-moon-rising\/","title":{"rendered":"Midweek Music Break: “Bad Moon Rising”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic gets most of its airtime around Halloween, maybe for obvious reasons: its association with John Landis’s great 1981 horror film An American Werewolf in London<\/em>. Interestingly, in the film the song doesn’t get played in its entirety. Instead, the soundtrack plays just a few lines from the opening — almost as a joke — leading into the onscreen (and non-CGI) transformation of actor David Naughton from cute and charming lad to homicidal creature of the night.<\/p>\n

“Bad Moon Rising” is also a favorite of disaster groupies, maybe for even more obvious — literal — reasons. Natural calamities have figured prominently in the news of late, and that business about rivers overflowing, earthquakes and lightning, well, it’s almost too perfect.<\/p>\n

(If you’ve not<\/em>\u00a0been following the extinction-level-disaster\/government-coverup-conspiracy chatter about the comet and\/or brown and\/or “dark” star Elenin, well, oh dear. You may have missed your last chance to survive. I recently saw a lengthy YouTube video<\/a>, uploaded a few months ago, with a timeline of coming events. The fellow who made it claims that August 1 was the cutoff date — the last practical\u00a0day to head for a cavern in the Ozarks to join with other believers prepared to live underground for at least a year. Even if you left on time, though, if you don’t<\/em> arrive with an RV or U-Haul full of food, tough. They have no room for hungry, screaming, latecoming leeches.)<\/p>\n

[Below, click Play button to begin <\/em>Bad Moon Rising. While audio is playing, volume control appears at left — a row of little vertical bars. This clip is 2:20 long.]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

[audio:badmoonrising_ccr.mp3|titles=’Bad Moon Rising’|artists=Creedence Clearwater Revival]<\/div>\n

Lyrics:<\/p>\n

Bad Moon Rising<\/em><\/strong>
\n (Creedence Clearwater Revival)<\/em><\/p>\n

I see the bad moon arising.
\nI see trouble on the way.
\nI see earthquakes and lightning.
\nI see bad times today.<\/p>\n

[chorus:]\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t go around tonight,
\nWell, it’s bound to take your life,
\nThere’s a bad moon on the rise.<\/p>\n

I hear hurricanes ablowing.
\nI know the end is coming soon.
\nI fear rivers over flowing.
\nI hear the voice of rage and ruin.<\/p>\n

[chorus]\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

All right!<\/p>\n

Hope you got your things together.
\nHope you are quite prepared to die.
\nLooks like we’re in for nasty weather.
\nOne eye is taken for an eye.<\/p>\n

[chorus]\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

[repeat chorus]\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And for those who haven’t seen American Werewolf in London<\/em>, here’s the five-minute lead-in to the transformation scene, right up to the point where Landis (having had his little laugh) abruptly cuts off the song:<\/p>\n