It Came Out of the Sky
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- "Side O the Road" (UK)
- "Cotton Fields" (Spain)
| "It Came Out of the Sky" | |
|---|---|
 Cover to Spanish single release on America Records | |
| Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival | |
| from the album Willy and the Poor Boys | |
| B-side |
|
| Released | 1970 |
| Recorded | 1969, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:53 |
| Label | Fantasy Records |
| Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty |
| Producer(s) | John Fogerty |
"It Came Out of the Sky" is a song written by John Fogerty that was included on Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1969 album Willy and the Poor Boys. It was also released as a single in some countries and has appeared on several of the group's compilation albums. It was included occasionally in the group's live set even after John Fogerty left the group and the remaining members reformed as Creedence Clearwater Revisited.
"It Came Out of the Sky" is a satirical song and one of Creedence Clearwater Revival's first forays into political themes.[3] The lyrics describe what happens when an object, presumably a meteorite or flying saucer, falls on the property of a farmer named Jody in Moline, Illinois.[3][4][5][6] Various politicians and other figures attempt to use the incident for their own purposes. Then United States Vice President Spiro Agnew wants to use the incident to impose a tax on Mars.[7] Then Governor of California Ronald Reagan, called "Ronnie the Populist" in the song, claims it is part of a communist plot.[3] The pope claims it is evidence that "the Lord has come."[4] The movie industry quickly makes an epic film out of the incident.[3] Newscasters Walter Cronkite and Eric Sevareid interview Jody.[4] The Vatican and the White House argue over who should keep it.[4] Finally, Jody gets the last word by claiming possession of it and offering it for sale at the exorbitant price of $17 million.[4]
Fogerty biographer Thomas Kitts explains that the song "draws on Chuck Berry rhythms, guitar licks and crisp storytelling.[3] The Guardian contributor Geoffrey Cannon similarly commented that the "hard, exhilarating, self-confident" guitar work was inspired by Berry.[8] San Francisco Examiner critic Philip Elwood described the song as "a lively rock 'n' roll vehicle combining a wild vocal and absolutely perfectly styled instrumental ensemble."[6] The Dispatch critic Dink Lorance describes the song as "an old-style rock and roller."[5]
Kitts interprets the song as exposing the "self-centeredness and limited vision of politicians, religious leaders, and the media, all of whom exploit events for aggrandizement and self-promotion" but they are all outsmarted by a simple Midwestern farmer.[3] He regards the song as being "a more humorous, less bitter attack on officials and institutions than we see elsewhere in Fogerty" and that it "champions the working classes who through efficiency and practicality get things done and are not so simple as the empowered think."[3] Cannon compares the song to the Dillards' "The Biggest Whatever" in that in both songs an enormous object falls from the sky onto the American countryside.[8] Cannon interprets the large object as "a metaphor for an idea, too big to be assimilated into the old ideas just as the world would turn upside down for anyone who saw an ant a foot long."[8]