Sweet Hitch-Hiker

1971 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Sweet Hitch-Hiker"
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Mardi Gras
B-side"Door to Door"
ReleasedJuly 1971
Genre
Length2:59
LabelFantasy
Songwriter(s)John Fogerty
Producer(s)
  • Stu Cook
  • Doug Clifford
  • John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"
(1971) 		"Sweet Hitch-Hiker"
(1971) 		"Someday Never Comes"
(1972)

"Sweet Hitch-Hiker" is a song by the American roots/swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival from their 1972 album Mardi Gras. It was first released as a single in 1971 and reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their 9th and last top 10 hit.[4] On the Record Retailer UK Singles Chart, it peaked at #36.[5]

The song was written by CCR singer John Fogerty, and it has been described as a "classic John Fogerty stomper" by author Hank Bordowitz.[6]

The song mentions the Greasy King, a restaurant in El Cerrito, the California city where the band members were raised.

The B-side of the single was the song "Door to Door" written and sung by Stu Cook.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Charts (1971) Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set)[7] 9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] 18
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 5
Canada (RPM 100 Singles)[11] 1
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 6
Norway (VG-lista)[13] 4
South Africa (Springbok)[14] 8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 1
United States (Cash Box Top 100)[16] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 36

Year-end charts

Chart (1971) Rank
Australia [19] 80
Canada [20] 22
US Billboard 101
US Cash Box [21] 76

Certifications

Country Certification
United States Gold[22]

References

  1. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (15 October 1996). Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s. St. Martin's Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-312-14704-4.
  2. ^ Kitts, Thomas M. (27 August 2015). John Fogerty: An American Son. Routledge. p. 179. ISBN 978-1-317-96126-0.
  3. ^ Pohlmann, Sascha; Holtsträter, Knut (2024). Americana: Aesthetics, Authenticity, and Performance in US Popular Music. Waxmann Verlag GmbH. p. 91. ISBN 978-3-830-99756-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-8230-7499-0. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  5. ^ Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums. London: Omnibus Press. p. 275. ISBN 1-84449-058-0. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  6. ^ Bordowitz, Hank (2007). Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-55652-661-9. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  7. ^ "Go-Set Australian chart". Go-Set. 1971. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  8. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  11. ^ "Library and archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  12. ^ "– Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  13. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker". VG-lista.
  14. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Sweet Hitch-Hiker". Swiss Singles Chart.
  16. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 28, 1971". Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  19. ^ "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  20. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  21. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971". Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  22. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  • v
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Studio albums
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Compilations
Singles
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
Other original songs
  • "Keep on Chooglin'"
  • "Don't Look Now (It Ain't You or Me)"
  • "Ramble Tamble"
  • "Midnight Special"
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