Down on the Corner
Encyclopedia
"Down on the Corner" is a song by the American
band Creedence Clearwater Revival
. It appeared on their fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys
(1969). The song chronicles the tale of the fictional band Willy and the Poor Boys, and how they play on street corners to cheer people up and ask for nickel
s. The song spent fifteen weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
and reached a peak of number three on the chart. Incidentally, the B-side, "Fortunate Son
" reached number fourteen on the same chart during the same period.
The song makes reference to a gut bass in the line "Blinky thumps the gut bass and solos for a while".. In a 1969 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
, the band performed the song as Willy and the Poor Boys. Stu Cook
played a gut bass, which mimicked the appearance of the band as they appear on the album cover.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
band Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
. It appeared on their fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys
Willy and the Poor Boys
Willy and the Poor Boys is the fourth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in November 1969, and was the last of three studio albums that the band released in that year ....
(1969). The song chronicles the tale of the fictional band Willy and the Poor Boys, and how they play on street corners to cheer people up and ask for nickel
Nickel (United States coin)
The nickel is a five-cent coin, representing a unit of currency equaling five hundredths of one United States dollar. A later-produced Canadian nickel five-cent coin was also called by the same name....
s. The song spent fifteen weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and reached a peak of number three on the chart. Incidentally, the B-side, "Fortunate Son
Fortunate Son (song)
"Fortunate Son" is a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their album Willy and the Poor Boys in 1968. It was released as a single, together with "Down on the Corner", in September 1968. This song reached #14 on the United States charts. It won the RIAA Gold Disc award in December 1970...
" reached number fourteen on the same chart during the same period.
The song makes reference to a gut bass in the line "Blinky thumps the gut bass and solos for a while".. In a 1969 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, the band performed the song as Willy and the Poor Boys. Stu Cook
Stu Cook
Stuart Alden Cook is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work in the rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival....
played a gut bass, which mimicked the appearance of the band as they appear on the album cover.
Covers and samples
- Jerry ReedJerry ReedJerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
recorded a cover of the song in the late 1970s. - The MavericksThe MavericksThe Mavericks is a country music band founded in 1989 in Miami, Florida, United States. Between 1991 and 2003 they recorded six studio albums, in addition to charting 14 singles on the Billboard country charts...
recorded a cover of this song on the album King of the Hill-Music From and Inspired by the TV Series. - The rock group Big CountryBig CountryBig Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...
released a version of this song on the 2001 covers album, Under Cover. - Adam HarveyAdam HarveyAdam Harvey is an Australian country music singer. Harvey has been nominated three times for an ARIA Music Award and is a multiple CMAA Award winner.-Biography:Adam Harvey got his start musically learning country classics on the guitar as a small boy...
performed a duet of this song with Leo SayerLeo SayerLeo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
on the Both Sides NowBoth Sides Now- Personnel : * Joni Mitchell — vocals * Mark Isham — trumpet, solo* John Anderson — oboe * Julie Andrews — bassoon * Nick Bucknall — clarinet * Stan Sulzmann — clarinet, flute * Philip Todd — clarinet, flute and alto flute...
album. - Beastie BoysBeastie BoysBeastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
sampled the song in the track "Time to Get Ill" from their Licensed to IllLicensed to IllIn 1998, the album was selected as one of The Sources 100 Best Rap Albums.It is still the only album by a white hip-hop act to receive the coveted 5 mics from The Source....
(1986) album. - The Goo Goo DollsGoo Goo DollsThe Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
covered the song for their 1989 album JedJed (album)Jed is the second album by the Goo Goo Dolls. It is the first studio album in which John Rzeznik sung vocals for some of the tracks. The majority of the songs are sung by Robby Takac, with Rzeznik taking over for two...
with Lance DiamondLance DiamondLance Diamond is an American lounge singer and radio personality based in Buffalo, New York. He can be heard on Saturday nights at the Elmwood Lounge, located in Buffalo on Elmwood Avenue. Mr. Diamond has performed at , on Sunday evenings during the Summer also on Elmwood.Diamond, together with...
on vocals. - MC Paul BarmanMC Paul BarmanPaul Nathaniel Barman better known as MC Paul Barman is a Jewish- American emcee from Ridgewood, New Jersey, who attended Brown University....
samples the song on the track "Hot Guacamole" from the 2009 album Thought Balloon Mushroom CloudThought Balloon Mushroom CloudThought Balloon Mushroom Cloud is MC Paul Barman's second full length album, released in 2009. It features production from DJ Pocket, DOOM, Prince Paul, ?uestlove and Michel Gondry.-Track listing:...
. - The acapella group Street Corner SymphonyStreet Corner Symphony (group)Street Corner Symphony is an a cappella group from Nashville, Tennessee and a contestant on the second season of NBC's reality show The Sing-Off. During the The Sing-Off season finale, Street Corner Symphony claimed the second place title, losing the championship to Huntsville, Alabama group...
covered this song at the request of the judges on the TV Show "The Sing-Off."The Sing-OffThe Sing-Off is an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It premiered on NBC on December 14, 2009, and is produced by Sony Pictures Television.... - The rap group SFC sampled the song on the track "Can't Wait" from the 1990 album "Saved Man in the Jungle."
- Miriam MakebaMiriam MakebaMiriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....
offers a South African-inspired version on her 1970 album "Keep Me in Mind." - The Osmond Brothers sang the song in the Wonderful World of Disney episode "Disneyland Showtime".
Games
- The song is available as downloadable content for the Rock BandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series of music video gameMusic video gameA music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
s.
Television
- The song plays during the last scene and closing credits of The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
episode, "Walk Like a Man"