In 1997, John Fogerty finally wrote his first love song: “I didn’t believe in that”
John Fogerty says he avoided writing love songs during Creedence Clearwater Revival’s heyday because he found them generic and meaningless, and wanted to write about subjects he felt mattered. He did not release a love song until 1997, when he wrote “Joy Of My Life” for his wife, Julie Lebiezinski.
The article places that long delay amid Creedence’s focus on political themes and the tensions between Fogerty and his brother Tom, which helped lead to the band’s break-up. Fogerty had written some love songs as a teenager, but said he stopped during the Creedence years because he did not believe in them; he married Julie in 1991, six years before “Joy Of My Life”.
- Fogerty avoided love songs during Creedence’s heyday.
- He wrote “Joy Of My Life” for his wife in 1997.
- He said he wanted songs that mattered.
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Creedence Clearwater Revival were an American rock band whose late-1960s songs often drew on social and political concerns. John Fogerty was the band’s lead singer and main songwriter, while his brother Tom also played in the group.
The brothers’ relationship became strained during Creedence’s years together, and the band broke up in 1972. John later continued as a solo musician. He married Julie Lebiezinski in 1991, and “Joy Of My Life” was written for her.