PROUD MARY

Live 05 Oct 2004 version

[Fogerty:]
Left a good job in the city
Workin' for The Man every night and day
And I never lost a minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been

[Fogerty:]
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', yeah rollin', rollin' on the river
Yeah!

[Fogerty:] Come on Bruce!

[Bruce:]
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
'Till I hitched a ride on a river boat queen

[Bruce:] Big wheel keep on turnin'
[Bruce:] Proud Mary keep on burnin'
[Bruce and Fogerty:] Rollin', yeah rollin', rollin' on the river
[Fogerty:] Yeah!

[???:] ??? John!

[Bruce and Fogerty:] Rollin', yeah rollin', oh yeah, rollin' on the river

[Fogerty:] And if you come down to the river
[Fogerty:] Bet you gonna find some people who live
[Bruce:] Well, you don't have to worry 'cause you have no money
[Bruce:] People on the river are happy to give

[Fogerty:] Big wheel keep on turnin'
[Fogerty:] Proud Mary keep on burnin'
[Bruce and Fogerty:] Rollin', rollin', oh yeah, rollin' on the river
[Bruce and Fogerty:] Rollin', yeah rollin', rollin' on the river
[Fogerty:] ???

[crowd:] Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
[crowd:] Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
[crowd:] Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
[Fogerty:] Yeah!
[Bruce and Fogerty:] Rollin', yeah rollin', rollin' on the river
[Bruce:] Yeah

Written by John Fogerty, from Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1969 album Bayou Country.

Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame on 12 Jan 1993 at Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. Bruce did the induction speech the following day (read speech below), in which he spoke of his experiences playing with his band "on Route 35 outside of Asbury Park, at a club called the Pandemonium." He mentions PROUD MARY in particular as "a great song that everybody liked and it literally saved our asses on many occasions." Springsteen was referring to a series of shows by his band Child in 1969 at the club Pandemonium in Wannamassa, NJ. Few other details about these shows are known. Here's some information about the Child shows at the Pandemonium (info and photos taken from Brucebase):

The legendary Pandemonium opened for business on 14 Feb 1969. "Jam Sessions" (i.e. Talent Quests) were held on several Thursday evenings during the clubs first couple of months of operation. An event on 13 Mar 1969 is noted in the local paper as attracting "a variety of young local musicians", some seeking an opportunity to receive paid bookings at the new club. It is believed that Springsteen, perhaps with some members of what was about to become (or had just become) "Child", may have performed on this night. Whatever the exact details may be, Child would become a hot property at the club within a few weeks. Below is the earliest publicity photo of Child, shot inside Pandemonium in March 1969; left to right: Bruce Springsteen (guitar, vocals), Danny Federici (organ), Vini Lopez (drums), and Vini Roslin (bass).

Some Child dates at the Pandemonium are confirmed thanks to some promotion posters for the club that survived: 02 Apr 1969 - 03 Apr 1969 - 04 Apr 1969 - 09 Apr 1969 - 10 Apr 1969 - 11 Apr 1969 - 12 Apr 1969 - 13 Apr 1969 - 28 May 1969 - 29 May 1969 - 30 May 1969 - 31 May 1969 - 01 Jun 1969 - 15 Jul 1969 - 16 Jul 1969 - 17 Jul 1969 - 18 Jul 1969 - 19 Jul 1969 - 20 Jul 1969.

Generally, Child's shows at the club lasted from 9:30 pm to 2:00 am, with Child the sole act on the bill. A typical performance at this venue consisted of 4 or 5 sets with extended rest breaks in between; total time on stage about 2.5 hours. PROUD MARY could be a regular inclusion.

The 28 May date featured three shows (7:00 pm, 10:30 pm, and 12:30 am), double bill, with Child opening for headliner The James Cotton Band. This was the first time the Pandemonium hosted a nationally known artist. This was an important early gig for Bruce, as the band received considerable exposure. Below is a photo of Bruce Springsteen and Danny Federici standing in front of large billboard poster for this show.

The 31 May date was a double bill show, with Child opening for headliner Nick Addeo. The 01 Jun date was also a double bill show, with Child headlining and Nick Addeo opening. The double billing allowed Child enough time to drive back from its daytime outdoor gig in at Monroe Park in Richmond, VA.

The 20 Jul date was the night that men first walked on the moon and numerous TV monitors were installed within the club for the occasion. This created a major distraction during Child's performance, which upset some of the band members. An ensuing argument over the issue took place between the band and the club's manager, and this turned out to be the last ever Child gig at this establishment.

Back to PROUD MARY, it was played twice (with the E Street Band) during The River tour, on:

• 28 Aug 1981 at the Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• 14 Sep 1981 at Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH (tour finale)

Played off-tour in the '80s in small bars and clubs:

• 11 Apr 1982 at Big Man's West, Red Bank, NJ, with John Eddie
• 14 Jan 1984 at Patrix, New Brunswick, NJ, with John Eddie
• 08 Apr 1984 at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, with Cats
• 01 Jun 1984 at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, with John Eddie
• 03 Sep 1984 at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, with John Eddie
• 02 Aug 1987 at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, with the full E Street Band except Nils
• 27 Aug 1987 at the Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ, with Cats

Played on 21 Oct 2000 at Hedge Row Stables, Middletown, NJ, during an invitation-only benefit for Special People United to Ride (SPUR), when Bruce, along with Patti Scialfa, Max Weinberg, and Jon Bon Jovi, joined Bobby Bandiera and his band for an about 45 minutes set that included PROUD MARY.

Also played on 13 Apr 2002 at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, for the Rumson Country Day School private benefits.

Reported to be rehearsed for the Vote For Change tour on 29 Sep 2004 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ. Played 3 times during the tour, always trading verses with John Fogerty:

• 01 Oct 2004 at Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
• 05 Oct 2004 at Xcel Energy center, Saint Paul, MN
• 13 Oct 2004 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

The above lyrics refer to the live 05 Oct 2004 performance with John Fogerty at Xcel Energy center, Saint Paul, MN, during the Vote For Change tour. Check also Creedence Clearwater Revival's original version.

Part of Bruce's speech inducting Creedence Clearwater Revival into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame:

In 1970, suburban New Jersey was still filled with the kind of 60's spirit Easy Rider made us all so fond of, I'm referring to the scene where Dennis Hopper gets blown off his motorcycle by some redneck with a shotgun! A weekend outing at the time was still filled with the drama of possibly getting your ass kicked by a total stranger who disagreed with your fashion sense. Me and my band worked on Route 35 outside of Asbury Park, at a club called the Pandemonium. And so it was five 50-minute sets a night and rarely a night without a fight. But into New Jersey came the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival and for three minutes and seven seconds of "Proud Mary", a very strained brotherhood would actually fill the room. It was simply a great song that everybody liked and it literally saved our asses on many occasions. Anyway, I stand here tonight still envious of that music's power and simplicity. And they were hits, and hitsville was reality and poetry and a sense of the darkness of events and history, of an American tradition shot through with pride, fear, paranoia, and they rocked hard. Now, you can't talk about Creedence without talking about John Fogerty. As a songwriter, only a few did as much in three minutes. He was an Old Testament, shaggy-haired prophet, a fatalist. Funny too. He was severe, he was precise, he said what he had to say and he got out of there. He was lyrically spare and beautiful. He created a world of childhood memory and of men and women with their backs to the wall. A landscape of swamps, bayous, endless rivers, gypsy women, backporches, hound dogs chasing ghosts, devils, bad moons rising, straight out of the blues tradition. So let me end by saying that, in their day, Creedence never got the respect they deserved. They played no-frills American music for the people...