You can learn how to play Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival!
As a keen student of the hit song, you may have realized that most great songs have contrast.
Bad Moon Rising, by Creedence Clearwater Revival is a great example of this. It’s all hurricanes and bad times, but the chords and melody are super happy.
John Fogerty admitted in an interview that he didn’t realize this at first, he was so focused on the doom and gloom. It wasn’t until the band started learning the song that he realized how happy it sounded.
Fogerty decided to roll with it and got one of his biggest hits as a consequence.
Sometimes the final line “there’s a bad moon on the rise” has been sung by punters and bar bands as “there’s a bathroom on the right”, Fogerty must have decided to roll with this too as on occasion he’s changed the lyric when performing it live.
Bad Moon Rising reached #1 in the U.K and #2 in the U.S in 1969. On Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time, it claimed the 364th spot.
Bad Moon Rising chords and lyrics
| D A G | D6 riff |
||: D A G | D6 riff :||
I see the bad moon a-risin’, I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin’, I see bad times today.
| G | D |
Don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
| A G | D6 riff |
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
||: D A G | D6 riff :||
I hear hurricanes a-blowin’, I know the end is comin’ soon.
I fear, rivers over flowin’, I hear the voice of rage and ruin.
| G | D |
Don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life
| A G | D6 riff |
There’s a bad moon on the rise, alright.
||: D A G | D6 riff :||
| G6 riff | D6 riff |
| A6 G6 | D6 riff |
||: D A G | D6 riff :||
Hope you got your things together. Hope you are quite prepared to die.
Looks like we’re in for nasty weather, one eye is taken for an eye.
| Gadd9 riff | Dsus2 riff |
Well don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
| A6 G6 | D6 riff |
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
| Gadd9 riff | Dsus2 riff |
Don’t come around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
| A6 G6 | D6 riff | D |
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
Bad Moon Rising chord progression
Like the turnaround of a blues, Bad Moon Rising moves D – A – G – D, or I – V – IV – I.
Over the D chord, we hear the classic rock n roll 6 extension.
The bridge starts on chord IV as it goes G – D – A – G – D6.
The guitars can sometimes be heard adding an add9 extension to the G as well as a 6 extension to the A and G chords.
Overall, the movement of Bad Moon RIsing’s chord progression is extremely common, it’s all I – V, IV – I, and V – IV. Looking at my Top 10 chord progressions, these are the movements that are the most popular.
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