This is another song that sure sounds like it’s about drugs but that the author, John Fogerty, swears is not. With lyrics like “giants doing cartwheels, “statues wearing high heels,” and a reference to flying spoons, the speculation is understandable. Fogerty has always, however, stuck to the claim that the playful references make sense if you understand that it was written for his three-year old son, Josh. In fairness, the ever-helpful site Songfacts points out that Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) were never known to be into the whole psychedelic drugs thing so we’ll take Fogerty at this word.
Another fun fact is that the lyrics contain a reference to country singer Buck Owens, which is interesting because the song draws on what is sometimes called the Bakersfield sound, a style with which Owens is closely identified.
“Lookin’ Out My Back Door” was included on CCR’s fifth album Cosmos Factory. The flip side was a beautiful gospel/New Orleans soul thing called “As Long As I Can See the Light.” The two songs were released as a double-sided single getting up to #2 in the U.S. As much fun as “Lookin'” is, “As Long As I Can See the Light” is a powerful slow ballad beautifully showing off Fogerty’s pipes. In fact, when Fogerty went solo, this was a song that frequently appeared in his live shows. Bonus track below.
Some seriously good Rock “N” Roll going on here.