"Sweet Hitch-Hiker" is a song by the American roots

Roots rock

Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...

/swamp rock 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....

 from their 1972 album Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras (album)

Mardi Gras is the seventh and final studio album by American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1972. The group broke up after this album was released. The album was re-released in remastered format as a Japan exclusive in January 2011...

. It was first released as a single in 1971 and reached #6 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...

. On the Record Retailer

Record Retailer

Record Retailer was a trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker...

UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

, it peaked at #36.

The song was written by CCR singer John Fogerty

John Fogerty

John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...

, and it has been described as a "classic John Fogerty stomper" by author Hank Bordowitz.

The song mentions the Greasy King, a restaurant in the El Cerrito

El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California

-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...

 part of California where the band grew up and are from.

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

Stu Cook

Stuart Alden Cook is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work in the rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival....

.