Southern Streamline

"Southern Streamline" is a song written and recorded by John Fogerty for his 1997 album Blue Moon Swamp. It was released as the second single from the album.

"Southern Streamline"
Single by John Fogerty
from the album Blue Moon Swamp
Released	May 1997 (1997-05)
Recorded	1997
Genre	Rock, country rock, rockabilly[1]
Length	3:56
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	John Fogerty
Producer(s)	John Fogerty
John Fogerty singles chronology
"Walking in a Hurricane" (1997) "Southern Streamline" (1997) "Blueboy" (1997)

Background and composition

According to Fogerty, "Southern Streamline" was inspired by train songs, which he greatly enjoyed growing up. The opening lyric "Mama, I'm on fire!" refers to his early desire to improve at guitar. Fogerty plays his custom Fender Telecaster on the song, which formerly was owned by the Eagles, and a Vox AC30 amplifier.^[2] He wrote the song in Newhall, California, near the first commercially successful oil well in California.^[3] He got the idea for the song after picking his daughter up from a slumber party. Fogerty originally envisioned the song as a gospel number, but transformed it into a guitar song after working in the studio.^[4] "Southern Streamline" features backing vocals from the bluegrass group Lonesome River Band.^[5]

Release and reception

"Southern Streamline" peaked at No. 67 on the Hot Country Songs chart on August 16, 1997 and spent two weeks on the chart.^[6] The song was generally well-received by critics. Anthony Violanti of The Buffalo News called it a "rocking hoedown."^[7] Soren Andersen of The News Tribune considered it one of the album's "rollicking rockers."^[8] Jeff Reynolds of The Modesto Bee compared "Southern Streamline" favorably to Fogerty's past work in Creedence Clearwater Revival.^[9] The Salina Journal's Michael Cote called it a "musical cousin of "Bad Moon Rising"."^[10]

Other versions

"Southern Streamline" has become a staple in Fogerty's stage performances.^[11] It was covered by South African country musician Alan Ladd for his 2018 album Country Things.^[12]

Charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13]	67
Canada Country	83

References

1. "Electric Bayou - Creedence Clearwater Revival & John Fogerty - Southern Streamline".
2. Fogerty, John (2015). Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music. Little, Brown. p. 340. ISBN 9780316244565.
3. Fogerty 2015, pp. 338-339
4. Stout, Gene (September 11, 1997). "Chasing blues ghosts". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 33. Retrieved August 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Alden, Grant (June 12, 1997). "Blue Moon Swamp". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
6. "Southern Streamline - John Fogerty". Billboard. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
7. Violanti, Anthony (May 20, 1997). "John Fogerty Resurfaces With an Album of Swamp Blues". The Buffalo News. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
8. Andersen, Soren (August 19, 1997). "Bad Moon Rising Again". The News Tribune. p. 35. Retrieved August 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Reynolds, Jeff (May 23, 1997). "Fogerty tour worth waiting a "Blue Moon"". The Modesto Bee. p. 75. Retrieved August 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Cote, Michael (June 6, 1997). "Fogerty, lang are back with style". The Salina Journal. p. 28. Retrieved August 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Devlin, Mike (October 19, 2016). "Review: Big guitar keeps on turnin' as Fogerty astonishes". Times Colonist. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
12. "Country things – Alan Ladd". Fak.org.za (in Afrikaans). June 7, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
13. "John Fogerty Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2022.