The act of covering songs is an art form in itself. It takes a skilled artist to respectfully infuse fresh energy into a beloved piece of music, just like Tina Turner managed to do when she took on the challenge of Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s ‘Proud Mary’.
It was only a year after the band released the track that Turner picked up the cover, and the original was still etched firmly in the minds of many. The song was a huge international hit for Creedence Clearwater Revival, peaking at second place on the Billboard Hot 100 while topping the charts in Yugoslavia, South Africa and Austria.
John Fogerty penned ‘Proud Mary’ in 1968 upon finally being discharged from the Army, allowing him to focus primarily on Creedence Clearwater Revival. Before this moment, Fogerty was stuck between an almost impossible balancing act, hindering the band’s chances of fulfilling their potential.
Therefore, when Fogerty was finally allowed to leave the Army behind, he was overwhelmed by euphoric jubilation. In the book Bad Moon Rising: The Unofficial History of Creedence Clearwater Revival, he recalled: “This was 1968, and people were still dying. I was so happy, I ran out into my little patch of lawn and turned cartwheels. Then I went into my house, picked up my guitar and started strumming. ‘Left a good job in the city’ and then several good lines came out of me immediately.”
‘Proud Mary’ captured Fogerty’s relief in a bottle, and Creedence Clearwater Revival achieved great success following the track’s release. To date, it’s been covered by over 100 artists, but Fogerty believes Turner’s version is significantly superior to the rest.
During a Reddit AMA, Fogerty was quizzed by one fan about his favourite Creedence Clearwater Revival cover, to which he replied: “When Tina Turner did ‘Proud Mary‘, I was just blown away. We’ve all heard it for 50 years now, and I still remember when I was driving my car and first heard it on the radio.”
He continued: “I was a fan of Tina Turner’s voice; back in high school, I used to do a couple of her songs. When I heard her version, the reworking, and the slow version and then going into the sped-up part, I absolutely loved that.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with Spinner, Fogerty hilariously spoke of his first exposure to Turner’s version of ‘Proud Mary’. He said: “When it ended, if they had a camera and came back to me, it’d be like when Shrek and the Donkey go to Far, Far Away and they push the button for that little arcade machine, and it tells the whole story of their town! And the Donkey’s like (Eddie Murphy impression), ‘Let’s do that again!’ That’s how I felt when that ended. I loved it, and I was so honoured.”
Due to the spectacular nature of Turner’s take on ‘Proud Mary’, it’s more familiar to many people than Creedence Clearwater Revival’s original. While that could make some artists bitter, Fogerty sees the recording as an honour.
