“Creedence Clearwater Revival were progressive and anachronistic at the same time,” said Bruce Springsteen, the night he inducted the band into the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame. “An unapologetic throwback to the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll, they broke ranks with their peers on the progressive, psychedelic San Francisco scene.” Comprising Doug Clifford on drums, Stu Cook on bass, Tom Fogerty on guitar, and John Fogerty as singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer, the group made a distinct impact with their straightforward yet powerful sound.
Although this aspect is often overlooked when considering their earlier reputation in the Bay Area scene as the ‘Boy Scouts of Rock’, with potent protest anthems and powerful melodies, they demonstrated that music extends beyond conforming to trendy eccentricities. As a result, their steadfast approach of staying true to their style and blazing a compelling trail allowed them to build a catalogue that resonated with a broad audience.
They may not have achieved an eccentric cultural status in the beginning, but their songs have endured beyond passing trends, establishing them as a refined aspect of the counterculture realm. However, in 1966, before they took on the name Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty and Clifford were drafted into the US armed forces. Fogerty enlisted in the US Army Reserve, while Clifford became a member of the US Coast Guard Reserve.
After a brief change in dynamics, Fogerty again assumed the lead singer role, factoring in his army experience into the songs and the band’s new sound. In his words: “I would become delirious and go into a trance,” he told The Guardian, describing his mental state post-army. “And I started narrating this story to myself, which was the song ‘Porterville’.”
Expanding on his experience in Bad Moon Rising: The Unofficial History of Creedence Clearwater Revival, he added: “It’s semi-autobiographical; I touch on my father, but it’s a flight of fantasy, too. And I knew when I was doing it, ‘Man, I’m on to something here.’”
However, although the ideas were there, Fogerty recognised the need for more engaging arrangements, so he took matters into his own hands: “I would arrange the song so that it kept movement going,” he explained. “Having that structure, but at the same time having these people that were obviously kids in this charming, unpretentious little band, it made for some intimate or vulnerable-sounding music. Once I got to the point where I understood that the arranger in the band was far ahead of the musicians in the band, it just snapped into shape.”
In 1968, the group transitioned to the primary Fantasy Records label, where the first Creedence Clearwater Revival album featuring this track was released. However, in 1975, following the breakdown of Creedence’s association with Fantasy, the label incorporated the song into a compilation album titled Pre-Creedence. “Everything changed after that,” Fogerty said, explaining the change in his songwriting style. “I gave up trying to write sappy love songs about stuff I didn’t know anything about, and I started inventing stories.”
