Lookin' Out My Back Door

"Lookin' out My Back Door" is a song recorded by the American band Creedence Clearwater Revival and written by the band's lead singer, guitarist and songwriter, John Fogerty. It was included on their 1970 album "Cosmo's Factory", the group's fifth album. The song's lyrics, filled with colorful, dream-like imagery, led some to believe that the song was about drugs. According to the drug theory, the "flying spoon" in the song was a cocaine spoon, and the crazy animal images were an acid trip.[1] Fogerty, however, has stated in interviews that the song was actually written for his then three-year old son, Josh. The flying spoon was about how you play with babies when you give them food on a spoon, and how they fling the food from their spoon. [1] Fogerty has also said that the reference to a parade passing by was inspired by the Dr. Seuss book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. "Lookin' Out My Back Door", along with "Long as I Can See the Light" on the flip-side, was released as a single in July of 1970. The double sided single,counted as one entry by the methodology used by Billboard Magazine at the time, eventually climbed to number two on the Billboard chart (by comparison, "Long as I Can See the Light" only reached number fifty-seven on the concurrent Cash Box singles chart, which still tracked the performance on both sides of a single separately). This marked the fifth (and final) time the group had a double sided single accomplish that feat on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. The single was held out of the top spot by Diana Ross's cover of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough ("Lookin' Out My Back Door" did top the Cash Box singles chart for one week). "Long as I Can See the Light" also reached #20 on the U.K. Pop chart. Heavy metal band Children of Bodom released a cover of the song on their 2008 album Blooddrunk. (They misunderstand what a dinosaur "Victrola" is. It is an old record player with a horn speaker. Not "Victoria.) It was featured in the Coen Brothers' movie The Big Lebowski and in the 2006 drama We Are Marshall.

[Verse 1] Just got home from Illinois, lock the front door, oh boy Got to sit down, take a rest on the porch Imagination sets in, pretty soon I'm singing Doo, doo, doo, looking out my back door [Verse 2] There's a giant doing cartwheels A statue wearing high heels Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn A dinosaur Victrola, listening to Buck Owens Doo, doo, doo, looking out my back door [Bridge 1] Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band Won't you take a ride on the flying spoon? Doo, doo doo A wondrous apparition, provided by magician Doo, doo, doo, looking out my back door [Guitar solo] [Bridge 2] Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band Won't you take a ride on the flying spoon? Doo, doo doo Bother me tomorrow, today I'll bide no sorrows Doo, doo, doo, looking out my back door [Verse 3] Forward troubles Illinois, lock the front door, oh boy Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn Bother me tomorrow, today I'll buy no sorrows Doo, doo, doo, looking out my back door