John Fogerty – I have no problem with ‘Wooly Bully’ and ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ sitting right next to each other

ND: Did you write “Deja Vu (All Over Again)” deliberately to have it echo Creedence?

JF: I actually did not deliberately write “Deja Vu”, and more to the point, maybe I didn’t even write “Deja Vu”. It was sort of channeled to me and nothing could have been further from my mind than the desire to write a political or socially or currently relevant song. At the moment that I walked into my little writing shed where I had precious little time in between recording assignments — I was actually already in the studio, this is last September — I was there to write what I would call a superficial swamp-rock song [laughs], something with a great groove and with that whole other ethic that is really just rock ‘n’ roll fun. And the opening words of “Deja Vu” came in almost as if somebody was whispering in my ear. I mean, it was very present. And I guess it needed to be because I had just walked in the door, had laid my keys on the table and I hadn’t even straightened up yet and this thing happened.

I kind of brushed it away, you know, “Go away, leave me alone, I can’t do that, I’ve got a mission.” Happily, it did it again — [sings] “Did you hear them talking ’bout it on the radio…” — and it was absolutely the tone of the song and certainly the words and also the acoustic guitar. I could really tell how the thing sounded. I bolted straight up, I was kind of shocked, and I went, “Well, what is this?” And I ran and got an acoustic guitar — which is very different from my normal day because usually I turn on all the lights and the equipment, it’s about a 10-15 minute process, by which time I would have forgotten everything — and this thing just sorta came right through me.

ND: Has that ever happened before, where a song comes through you like that?

JF: Never so loudly, never as if it was almost somebody standing there whispering in my ear. “Proud Mary” was certainly an evolution. Even “Fortunate Son”, which was just about the quickest, the fastest that I’ve ever written anything; I mean I literally sat down with a pad knowing that I was gonna write “Fortunate Son” and I had the music already going with the band, the words all came out in about 20 minutes. But still, I was working on it. It was sort of the writer’s craft, whereas this one almost had nothing to do with me, with John’s writing ego. It was more like I just kind of tuned in the channel, and once I got the station correctly dialed in, it just sort of flowed out of me.

ND: At some point you obviously realized you were on to something special, right? The song wound up being the title track, opening cut, and first single.

JF: I was flabbergasted. Please take this in all humility: I can’t tell over the last 30 years [how many times] I’ve sat down and tried to write a cool song that was also sort of a timeless statement, sort of had that “Who’ll Stop The Rain” kind of feel to it, sort of a comment about where we are as mankind here in — at that time — the 20th century, and mostly failed. The closest I had come in a long time had been “I Saw It On TV” from Centerfield, and that’s about 20 years old. So now, when I wasn’t even trying basically to have one like this come out, I really think it’s one of my best songs ever.

ND: Guess that’s a magical moment.

JF: Like I say, I’m flabbergasted. Because I know it’s good, almost to the point where it doesn’t even matter what happens right now with this song, because I know that it will stand the test of time. I have no idea the way the winds and currents of current events and also the current music biz, the way things get kind of jostled about, I have no idea what will happen. But I know that, as my career goes on years into the future, I know I’ll certainly look back at this song as one of the very high points of my career.

ND: You once said that if any one person was responsible for ending the Vietnam War, it was Bob Dylan. Can a songwriter still have that affect today?

JF: Well, while I’ve probably been known to have ego, I don’t think I’m expecting that to happen. “Deja Vu” is by choice not a political song. It’s a sad statement about war. That song is totally avoiding politics, even though you can tell by talking to me for a minute that I certainly have strongly held views on current events, our foreign policy and even our historical policy. But this song, which I am very, very proud of as a songwriter, and as an American, is not political. This song is not condemning George W., nor is it condemning, directly anyway, our foreign policy. This song is talking about the results of war.

II: A FEEL-GOOD, HAPPY, UPBEAT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RECORD

ND: In a way, “Deja Vu” is an anomaly on the album. What type of album were you making, and did you make, before “Deja Vu” interrupted it?

JF: I’m a very happy man. I really do now have a great life. I have a wonderful wife, wonderful children, my family life is the best that you could hope for. To say it clearly, I truly believe I am the luckiest man in the world. And I do have some history so I realize what it could be like some other way. I’ve learned to appreciate how great everything is for me now. And I think it’s reflected in the music. I was clearly trying to make a feel-good, happy, upbeat rock ‘n’ roll record. A great rock ‘n’ roll record, if you will, with a little bit if wisdom, some humor, mostly upbeat, not a downer, and a sense of fun. That’s what I was trying to do and I certainly think I achieved.

ND: Can simple songs such as “Sugar-Sugar” or “Rhubarb Pie” actually be harder to write than something with more depth?