Proud Mary
"Proud Mary" | ||||
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Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival | ||||
from the album Bayou Country | ||||
B-side | "Born on the Bayou" | |||
Released | January 9, 1969[1] | |||
Recorded | 1968 | |||
Studio | RCA, Hollywood[2] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:07 | |||
Label | Fantasy | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty | |||
Producer(s) | John Fogerty | |||
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Proud Mary" (lyric video) on YouTube |
"Proud Mary" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by vocalist and lead guitarist John Fogerty. It was released as a single in January 1969 by Fantasy Records and on the band's second studio album, Bayou Country. The song became a major hit in the United States, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1969, the first of five singles to peak at No. 2 for the group.[8][9]
Later that year, R&B singer Solomon Burke released a rendition on Bell Records that reached No. 15 on the Billboard R&B chart.
Another version by R&B duo
Background and recording
In a 1969 interview, Fogerty said that he wrote it in the two days after he was discharged from the
The Proud Mary, more formally known as the Mary Elizabeth, was a real ship and was based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Proud Mary traveled along the Mississippi River from 1928 to 1978.[12]
"Proud Mary's" singer, a low-wage earner, leaves what he considers a "good job," which he might define as steady work, even though for long hours under a dictatorial boss. He decides to follow his impulse and imagination and hitches a ride on a riverboat queen, bidding farewell to the city. Only when the boat pulls out does he see the "good side of the city"—which, for him, is one in the distance, far removed from his life. Down by the river and on the boat, the singer finds protection from "
the man" and salvation from his working-class pains in the nurturing spirit and generosity of simple people who "are happy to give" even "if you have no money." The river in Fogerty and traditionally in literature and song is a place holding biblical and epical implications. ... Indeed, the river in "Proud Mary" offers not only escape but also rebirth to the singer.[13]
The song is a "seamless mix of black and
Critical reception
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[37] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Solomon Burke version
"Proud Mary" | |
---|---|
Country soul | |
Length | 3:26 |
Label | Bell Records 783 |
Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty |
In April 1969, Solomon Burke released a cover of Proud Mary on Bell Records.[38] Burke mixed gospel and country music to make the song as a celebration of black consciousness. It was the title track of his 1969 album Proud Mary.[39]
The single was Burke's second release for Bell and was co-produced by singer Tamiko Jones.[40] Jones was being rehabilitated after a bout of polio and was at the time Burke's fiancée and manager.[41][42] Burke recalled:
We went to Muscle Shoals and recorded Proud Mary, which they didn't like at all. They thought it was stupid to record a song Proud Mary, which was already on the charts. I was explaining to them that it was a very big record, but it's a very white record, a pop record. We will redo the record, open up the doors for it to get on the r&b charts and make the black stations to play the record ... This record was a hit without anybody's help. Proud Mary was only promoted by Tamiko Jones and myself.[43]
On May 24, 1969, Burke performed his version of "Proud Mary" on American Bandstand.[44]
The song returned Burke to the US R&B Top 20, with the single reaching No. 15 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Critical reception
The single received positive reviews.[38]
According to Mark Denning, "While that may have seemed like a bald-faced bid for pop radio play, in Burke's hands the song became a bracing tale of life in the Deep South as African-Americans searched for liberation aboard the ship that carried them as slaves and put them to undignified labor serving wealthy whites."[47]
John Fogerty, the song's composer, was impressed by Burke's version of his song: "Two thousand miles away this man had crawled right up inside my head to learn what Proud Mary was all about. Sure, it's great when someone sings your song, but when he understands it, you listen like it was the first time."[48]
Chart performance
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM[49] | 45 |
US Billboard Hot 100[50] | 45 |
US Billboard R&B Singles[51] | 15 |
The Checkmates Ltd. Featuring Sonny Charles version
"Proud Mary" | ||||
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Single by Checkmates, Ltd. Featuring Sonny Charles | ||||
from the album Proud Mary | ||||
B-side | "Do You Love Your Baby" | |||
Released | 1969 | |||
Recorded | 1969 | |||
Genre | Soul | |||
Length | 3:30 | |||
Label | A&M Records 1130X | |||
Checkmates, Ltd. Featuring Sonny Charles singles chronology | ||||
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Checkmates, Ltd. recorded a version of "Proud Mary" featuring Sonny Charles, which was produced by Phil Spector in 1969.[40]
The single was released on
Chart performance
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (RPM)[54] | 53 |
US Billboard Hot 100[55] | 69 |
UK Singles[56] | 30 |
Ike & Tina Turner version
"Proud Mary" | ||||
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Single by Ike & Tina Turner | ||||
from the album Workin' Together | ||||
B-side |
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Released | January 14, 1971 | |||
Recorded | 1970 | |||
Studio | Bolic Sound (Inglewood, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:48 (album), 3:15 (7-inch single) | |||
Label | Liberty Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty | |||
Producer(s) | Ike Turner | |||
Ike & Tina Turner singles chronology | ||||
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"Proud Mary" | ||||
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Roger Davies | ||||
Tina Turner singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Proud Mary" on YouTube |
In January 1971,
According to Tina, Ike was not keen on the original version, but the cover of "Proud Mary" by the Checkmates, Ltd. piqued his interest.[59] Ike and Tina Turner's version was substantially rearranged by Ike Turner and Soko Richardson.[60][61] The song starts off with a slow, sultry soulful tone in which Tina introduces the song and warns the audience that she and the band are gonna start it off "nice and easy" as "we never do nothing nice and easy" but say they would finish it "nice and rough". After the lyrics are first sung softly by the Turners, the song is then turned into a funk rock vamp with Tina and the Ikettes delivering gospel-influenced vocals.
The single peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 27, 1971, two years after the original by Creedence Clearwater Revival was at its peak. It also reached No. 5 on the Billboard R&B chart, and earned the duo a
Ike and Tina performed a version of the song on
The song continued to be an essential part of Tina's performances as a solo artist. In 1988, a live version was included on the album
Critical reception
The song received positive reviews.[65]
Billboard (January 23, 1971): "The John Fogerty classic gets a powerhouse treatment with the Turner originality and drive to put it back up the Hot 100 and soul charts. Dynamite entry."[66]
Cash Box (January 23, 1971): "Slow intro almost belies the power that grows into this revival of the Creedence monument. R&B sales could build enough momentum to put the side into top forty again."[67]
Formats and track listings
1971 US 7-inch
- Proud Mary – 3:15
- Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter – 2:40
1993 US 7-inch and cassette single
- "Proud Mary (Edit Live Version) – 4:32
- "The Best" (Live) – 5:22
1993 US CD single
- "Proud Mary (Edit Live Version) – 4:32
- "Proud Mary (Edit) – 4:10
- "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" (Live) – 4:55
- "The Best" (Live) – 5:22
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Ike and Tina Turner
Tina Turner solo version
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[85] Solo version |
Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[86] Duet version |
Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Accolades
For their rendition, Ike & Tina Turner won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group in 1972.
Other versions
In 1969, Anthony Armstrong Jones released a version of "Proud Mary" that reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[89] The song served as the title track of his debut album.[90]
In 1970, the song was recorded by Leonard Nimoy, in his album The New World of Leonard Nimoy.
In 1972, Brush Arbor released a version of "Proud Mary" that reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[91]
Elvis Presley began incorporating "Proud Mary" into his live shows in 1970. Presley's version is a full-out rocker and is featured in his 1972 concert film Elvis on Tour, and on his live albums On Stage (1970) and As Recorded at Madison Square Garden (1972).
Neil Sedaka performed a live version of "Proud Mary" at a concert he gave in Sydney, Australia in 1971.
The 2011 soundtrack to Bringing Up Bobby, an American comedy drama film, contained a Ukrainian language version of Proud Mary, performed by actress Milla Jovovich.[92]
Amanda Ayala performed a rendition of "Proud Mary" in 2019 on Topgolf TV's "Who Will Rock You?" The performance was subsequently released exclusively on Spotify.
The Longest Johns performed a studio version of the song on their 2024 album Voyage.
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External links
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary on YouTube
- Ike & Tina Turner - Proud Mary on YouTube