Long As I Can See the Light
"Long As I Can See the Light" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, from the album Cosmo's Factory. It was released as the B-side of the single "Lookin' Out My Back Door" in 1970. While released as a B-side, "Long As I Can See the Light" reached number 57 on the Cash Box singles chart in the US, number 20 in the UK and number one in Norway. In the UK, "Long As I Can See the Light" was placed on the A-side of the single, with "Lookin' Out My Back Door" on the flipside. The two songs were also released as a double-sided single and peaked at number two in the US.[2] On the recorded version, John Fogerty plays electric piano and a sax solo.[3] "Long As I Can See the Light" was included on practically every Creedence Clearwater Revival compilation album (notable examples are The Best of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits).[4] While never played live by CCR,[3] the song became a concert staple for John Fogerty as a solo artist.[5]
| "Long As I Can See the Light" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival | ||||
| from the album Cosmo's Factory | ||||
| A-side | "Lookin' Out My Back Door" | |||
| Released | July 25, 1970[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| Producer(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
John Fogerty biographer Thomas M. Kitts describes the song as depicting a "world-weary figure," perhaps Jeremiah, who "undertakes an uncertain journey." The singer is confident as long as he "can see the light." Kitts points out that the word light has two meanings in the song, a spiritual meaning, such as in "The Lord is my light" from Psalm 27, and "the secular light of love." Kitts describes the music as having a "hymnal, church-like feel."[6]
John Fogerty expressed surprise in his coming up with a candle as a metaphor for a beacon guiding the singer home. He stated that the song is "about the loner in me. Wanting to feel understood, needing those at home to shine a light so that I can make my way back."[7]
In the movies[3]
The song is heard in a couple of films:
- Red Dawn (2012)
- State of Play (2009)
- The ending scene of a Finnish movie Muuttolinnun aika (1991)
TV series include:
- How I Met Your Mother, episode "Weekend at Barney's" (2013)
- Las Vegas, episode "Always Faithful" (2004)
2013 remake[3]
John Fogerty recorded a new version of the song with rock band My Morning Jacket for his 2013 album Wrote a Song for Everyone. The remake was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville on May 2, 2012.
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.
- Sexton, Paul (August 8, 2019). "Another Double-Sided Winner For Creedence Clearwater Revival | uDiscover".
- "Long As I Can See the Light - Electric Bayou - Creedence Clearwater Revival & John Fogerty". sites.google.com.
- "Long as I Can See the Light - Creedence Clearwater Revival | Song Info". AllMusic.
- "John Fogerty Tour Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm.
- Kitts, Thomas M. (2015). John Fogerty: An American Son. Routledge. ISBN 9781317961260.
- Fogerty, John (2016). Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music. Back Bay Books. ISBN 9780316244589.