Creedence Clearwater Revival Scores Several New Platinum Hits
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has bestowed several new awards on Creedence Clearwater Revival's catalog, with multiple smashes earning certifications – some for the first time.
Two of Creedence Clearwater Revival's beloved tracks, 'Green River' and 'Born on the Bayou,' move from gold to platinum status. Songs and albums in the U.S. are certified gold after reaching 500,000 equivalent units between streams and sales, and they move up to platinum when they've shifted one million.
"Green River" first went gold in 1990, so it waited 35 years to double its sum. "Born on the Bayou" needed less than a decade to reach the same milestone.
Three other Creedence Clearwater Revival tracks become gold-certified wins for the first time. "Travelin' Band," "Lodi," and "Midnight Special" all earn their initial certifications from the RIAA this week, as they've officially moved half a million units.
These new honors mark the first certifications for Creedence Clearwater Revival since September 2023. That month, the group's Chronicle: 20 Greatest Hits advanced from diamond — awarded at 10 million units — to 12-times platinum status.
Some of the newly-certified tracks rank among Creedence Clearwater Revival's highest-charting releases on the Hot 100. Both "Green River," taken from the album of the same name, and "Travelin' Band," which appears on Cosmo's Factory, stalled in the runner-up spot on the ranking of the most consumed tracks in the U.S.
Despite releasing generation-defining smashes, Creedence Clearwater Revival never reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, but at least seven of its tunes peaked at No. 2. "Lodi" rose as high as No. 52, while both "Midnight Special" and "Born on the Bayou" never made it to the Hot 100, but it looks like they have managed to stand the test of time.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Everyone is listening to secular praise music. Yes, even you.
Artists like Benson Boone, Teddy Swims and Alex Warren have tapped into a genre of music that sounds religious, but isn't. It's working. 'They say, 'The holy water's watered down, and this town's lost its faith,'' a man sings soulfully. This is not a religious condemnation of the terrible things that have happened on Earth. It's a tune that follows you as it plays on car radios, blasts from the grimy speakers in dive bars and rears its head in countless Spotify playlists. You can't escape it — the deep-voiced crooning of a former TikToker who finally cracked mass virality with a hit that sounds religious but isn't. Those words are the opening lyrics to 'Ordinary,' Alex Warren's 2025 breakout hit, which has now spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's just a love song. And it's everywhere. If its sheer ubiquity hasn't given it away, there's a strong chance 'Ordinary' could become 2025's song of summer, according to Billboard's annual chart. Even when the speed and mood of the song pick up, it stays borderline religious. Warren sings about 'the angels up in the clouds,' the 'hopeless hallelujah on this side of Heaven's gate' and 'at your altar, I will pray, you're the sculptor, I'm the clay.' He references the Bible frequently, but he's talking about his real-life, present-day wife. It sounds religious, but 'Ordinary' is part of a growing genre of secular praise music. 'Close their eyes, lift their hands and transcend the moment' As someone who grew up playing music in church, Americana artist Nate Currin has seen the way religious music gets a physical reaction in its audiences. There's something 'inherently emotional about praise and worship music,' he tells Yahoo, that 'invites people to close their eyes, lift their hands and transcend the moment.' Secular praise music takes that feeling and emotion, harnesses those elements and markets it to both religious and nonreligious audiences. It's a trend now, but it's been around forever. 'Artists have long wrestled with themes of God, heaven, mystery and meaning. Some call it 'Christian' or 'worship,' but to me, it's simply a poetic exploration of the universe and what might lie beyond,' Currin says, citing U2 as an example. 'The continued connection people feel to this kind of music reveals something deeply human — a curiosity, a longing, a hope — that maybe there's more to all of this than what we can see.' So, how do you know if a song is secular praise music? For starters, it sounds like something that might be performed by a band in a church, when the congregation is asked to stand and sing along as they worship God. It's a common occurrence for many Americans — 62% of U.S. adults describe themselves as Christians, according to the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study from Pew Research Center. Those who go to church are listening to many of the same songs — ones that are trending among other members of their denominations and timeless classics — but the sound of worship music has pervaded even nonreligious airwaves. There are at least four other songs like 'Ordinary' on the Billboard Hot 100 right now, including 'Lose Control' by Teddy Swims (No. 9), 'Beautiful Things' by Benson Boone (No. 16), 'Good News' by Shaboozey (No. 24) and 'Backup Plan' by Bailey Zimmerman featuring Luke Combs (No. 44). Take me to church Secular praise songs like these include poetic verses that build to a striking, emotional chorus that singers belt at the top of their lungs. The lyrics appeal to members of a community or to someone powerful — a woman, a family member or the concept of a better time — and when they mention God, it's usually as part of a familiar phrase rather than an actual appeal to a spiritual being. Elements of stomping and clapping in the background — or even the addition of a backing choir — only add to the praise song vibe. Tero Potila, a music producer and composer, tells Yahoo that streaming has shaped this format, because now, 'songs must grab the listener's attention quickly and deliver a strong emotional payoff to keep them engaged.' 'From a producer's perspective, the use of reverb, gospel-like chord progressions and dynamic builds all help create a church-like experience — something that uplifts and draws listeners in,' he says. 'Artists like U2 and Coldplay have done this for years, but what's different now is how emotionally raw and direct this style has become.' Take 'Ordinary,' for instance. Mentions of angels and altars distract from the fact Warren is clearly singing about his wife, who's featured in the song's music video. 'You got me kissin' thе ground of your sanctuary. Shatter me with your touch, oh, Lord, return mе to dust,' he sings. His passion borders on sexually suggestive without going explicit. That means it's fine for the radio. One of the biggest radio hits of all time, Teddy Swims's 'Lose Control' has been on the Billboard charts for a whopping 100 weeks — the first song to crack that milestone. It came out in 2023, when Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer' and Morgan Wallen's 'Last Night' were ruling the airwaves, and it's still unavoidable. He sings about his desire for the presence of a woman he loves, saying 'I lose control when you're not next to me,' after crooning that 'the devil's knockin' at my door' when he's left alone. He admonishes himself for acting like an 'addict' and giving into 'bad habits' — admitting his flaws and begging for forgiveness — two common elements in worship songs, sung in that context to God rather than a nameless woman. The religious elements of these two songs make them sound vaguely like they could be played in church. They aren't overtly explicit, so you could play them on a loudspeaker in mixed company. They're slow with repetitive choruses that are easy to memorize, led by smooth, easily digestible voices. All those elements make it easy for them to become radio hits. And once a song is in a radio station's rotation, it's hard for it to get out — just look at 'Lose Control' and Benson Boone's 'Beautiful Things,' which has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 77 weeks and is still No. 16. That makes it a mainstay on the chart and feeds into its streaming success. These are artists that the music industry sees as culture-making budding superstars — it's no coincidence that Teddy Swims, Benson Boone and Shaboozey were all Best New Artist nominees at the 2025 Grammys. 'Big, cathartic hooks' Though secular praise music is clearly a huge trend at the moment, it's not a new phenomenon. In addition to Coldplay and U2's use of praise music sound in rock, alternative artists like Florence + The Machine, Hozier and Mumford & Sons ushered us into a secular praise music era 10 years ago, music consultant and founder of the artistic development program Music Industry Mentor Atlanta Cobb tells Yahoo. 'This trend in big anthemic production and layered choir-like vocals that sounds like it was made from the church is simply coming back around again 10 years later,' she says. 'What's different now is how listeners use music.' Cobb believes that secular praise songs are still the soundtracks of people's big life moments, and we see that a lot with influencers and content creators. They'll record and upload videos of breakups, breakthroughs and gym sessions and edit them down to mini-cinematic masterpieces, backed by songs like 'Ordinary' and 'Beautiful Things.' The millions of viewers who watch those videos feel particularly emotional with those powerful songs in the background. 'And worship-style production works perfectly for these apps that need music with strong builds, releases and certain lyrical hooks, which work for social media usage,' she says. 'It also performs well on streaming. Slower intros give you space to lean in. Big, cathartic hooks get replayed. It's a clever style of writing.' There are a number of bona fide religious songs on the Hot 100 right now, including 'Your Way's Better' by Christian artist Forrest Frank and 'Hard Fought Hallelujah' by Jelly Roll and pastor/singer Brandon Lake, though they haven't found the same success as secular artists emulating religious songs. However, they are appealing to an untapped market for religious bro music and crafting a new genre which musicologist Kelsey McGinnis calls 'barstool conversion rock.' Those songs include heavy doses of masculinity, faith and party culture, though they're undeniably religious. They're borrowing elements from mainstream songs to elevate Christian messages, whereas secular praise music is borrowing elements from Christian music. Crossing over benefits both sides of the aisle. 'Labels are so desperate for community' There's a reason mainstream artists might want to emulate what church bands and Christian artists are doing. Chad Gerber, a Christian musician who first started playing in church bands when he was 6, has a hunch that members of the mainstream music industry may have noticed how religious artists have maintained audiences. 'Churches do not have to chase listeners because their audiences are already part of the community,' he says. 'Labels no longer get that kind of reliable connection from clubs or festivals because everything else is oversaturated and constantly competing with new forms of media.' He explains that praise music has always been functional — it's written to aid worship rather than to simply be listened to. 'Labels are desperate for community because selling community is the only way they make money now,' Gerber says. 'They see the community, the emotional connection and the numbers, so they copy the sound, the feeling and sometimes even the overall aesthetic.' Praise music is meant to be simple so that 'weekend musicians,' or people who play music as a hobby, can easily pick up the songs and perform them for large congregations without extensive rehearsal. 'The formula now is to simplify the song, repeat the chorus to help people engage in worship and repeat that pattern,' he says. 'The congregations respond most to this, so worship pastors give them more of it.' 'Deeply personal, massively shared' With secular praise music, we're going through that same phase. 'Lose Control' and 'Beautiful Things' haven't fallen off the charts as most songs naturally do, which helps to elevate newer, similar-sounding songs like 'Ordinary.' Though these songs walk the line between pop and rock, it's happening in country music as well, as Shaboozey's 'Good News' and Bailey Zimmerman's 'Backup Plan' also hold firm. Unlike their pop-rock counterparts, they're less about women and more about overcoming bad behavior and bad circumstances to achieve something more in life. Keith Urban tells my colleague Taryn Ryder that it's understandable that country songs have become part of the secular praise trend. 'So much of country music is the existence between a hellacious Saturday night and a redemptive Sunday morning pew,' says the country star, who's currently on his High and Alive tour, says. 'That's so much of where country resides is in those dualities of the human experience.' Secular praise music genres transcend country too, according to Amani Roberts, a music professor at Cal State Fullerton who also works as a DJ. She tells Yahoo that in the 1970s, the Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire weren't technically gospel artists, but they were spiritual. R&B groups in the 1990s like Boyz II Men ('A Song for Mama'), Jodeci ('Forever My Lady') and En Vogue ('Don't Let Go (Love)') used 'gospel-rooted vocals and lyrical arcs of devotion and redemption.' 'These were secular love songs that hit like sermons,' she says. 'What's different now is how genre-blending and streaming culture have made these songs feel both deeply personal and massively shared. We're in a moment where vulnerability isn't just accepted, it's expected.' So, releasing songs with vague religious elements, as well as memorable, anthemic choruses and family-friendly lyrics can unite listeners across the country despite how we're fractured in other ways by algorithms and political tension. 'Musical tastes are cyclical, and this format is resonating right now because people are craving emotional release,' Roberts says. 'We're living in a time where everything feels loud — digitally, socially, politically. These songs slow things down, pull you in gently and then give you that euphoric burst in the chorus. It's a structure that mimics the arc of a personal breakthrough.' Amen. Solve the daily Crossword
UPI
3 hours ago
- UPI
Trailblazing country music singer Jeannie Seely dies at 85
Hosts Luke Bryan (left), Jeannie Seely and Peyton Manning introduce Miranda Lambert during the 56th Annual Country Music Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 9, 2022. Seely died at 85 on Friday. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Singer Jeannie Seely, who helped transform the image of women in country music, has died. She was 85. Seely died Friday in a hospice in the Nashville area, the Country Music Association said, and her publicist, Don Murray Grubbs told told The Tennessean that she died after an intestinal infection. Seely made her debut at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry in 1966 when she was 25, going on to make 5,397 appearances, including her last appearance on Feb. 22, more than any other performer appearing there. "While I've had the privilege of working with Jeannie Seely over the past 25 years, my immediate grief is deeply personal," Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern said. "She mentored countless artists, especially women, and while they learned from her confidence and wit, she reminded us she was learning from them too. That humility was part of her magic." Seely became the first woman to host the Grand Ole Opry show, and in 1985 was the first woman to host a half-segment of the Opry. "I feel very fortunate to be part of the Opry tradition and I truly am indebted to all the wonderful fans who have supported me over the years," Seely once said, according to Between 1966 and 1974, she had more than a dozen Top 40 country hits, including Don't Touch Me, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard country chart and appeared on the mainstream Hot 100. A variety of other singers, including folk singer Carolyn Hester, reggae artist Nicky Thomas and soul music legend Etta James, recorded versions of the the song, which favors emotional commitment over sexual gratification. That song earned her the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1967. It was written by Hank Cochran, who became her husband. They later divorced in 1979, and in 2010 she married Nashville lawyer Gene Ward, who died last year. Other hit singles of heres included All Right (I'll Sign the Papers) in 1971 about divorce; Welcome Home to Nothing in 1968 about a marriage gone bad and Take Me to Bed in 1978. "I think of myself as a feminist," she said. "My idea of 'feminist' is to make sure that women have the same choices that men have always had, and that we are respected for our roles -- whatever they are -- as much as any man is respected for his." Seely changed the image of performers with her songs and wearing miniskirts and go-go boots, including on the usually conservative Opy stage. "I was the main woman that kept kicking on that door to get to host the Opry segments," Seely told the Nashville Scene newspaper in 2005. "I used to say to my former manager Hal Durham, 'Tell me again why is it women can't host on the Opry?' He'd rock on his toes and jingle his change and say, 'It's tradition, Jeannie.' And I'd say, 'Oh, that's right. It's tradition. It just smells like discrimination.'" Seely was born on July 6 in Titusville, Pa., and later changed her name from Seeley to Seely. She first performed on radio station WMGW in Meadville, Pa., at 11 years old. Seely worked at Imperial Records in Hollywood, Calif., as a secretary. She wrote the song Anyone Who Knows What Love is (Will Understand) with Randy Newman and two other collaborators. It reached the the Hot 100 in a version by Irma Thomas in 1964. Boyz II Men and others more than 50 years later recorded the song, which was used in episodes of the science-fiction TV series Black Mirror. In 1965, she signed with Challenge Records, which was owned by Gene Autry. Seely moved to Nashville in 1969 with her husband. She signed with Monument Records, where Don't Touch Me was recorded. The singer turned to bluegrass in the 2000's, including singing a duet with Ralph Stanley. In 2005, in her mid 60s, she sang with country singers Kathy Mattea and Pam Tillis in the Nashville production of The Vagina Monologues. Seely was seriously injured in an auto crash in 1977. Earlier this year, she had back surgery and had complications. She had abdominal surgery in April and then contracted pneumonia before celebrating her 85th birthday on July 6. "Over the past several weeks, I've received so many wonderful messages of love and concern about being missed on the Grand Ole Opry and on 'Sundays with Seely' on Willie's Roadhouse," she told fans in May. "Thank you for those, and I assure you that I miss you just as much!" Notable deaths of 2025 Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg waves to the crowd before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field in Chicago on October 12, 2015. Sandberg died on July 28 after a battle with cancer at the age of 65. Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Jeannie Seely, who pushed boundaries and broke hearts at the Grand Ole Opry, dies at 85
Her most popular recording, 'Don't Touch Me,' reached No. 2 on the Billboard country chart and crossed over to the mainstream Hot 100 in 1966. A sensual ballad whose lyrics stress emotional commitment over sexual gratification, the song has been covered by numerous artists, including folk singer Carolyn Hester, reggae artist Nicky Thomas, and soul music pioneer Etta James. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The song won Ms. Seely the Grammy Award for best female country vocal performance in 1967. The record's less-is-more arrangement — slip-note piano, sympathetic background singers and sighing steel guitar — was vintage Nashville Sound on the cusp of 'countrypolitan,' its pop-inflected successor. Advertisement 'Don't open the door to heaven if I can't come in/Don't touch me if you don't love me,' Ms. Seely admonishes her lover, her voice abounding with unfulfilled desire. 'To have you, then lose you, wouldn't be smart on my part,' she sings in the final stanza. She tortures the word 'part' for two measures until her voice breaks and, with it, it seems, her heart. Advertisement Written by Hank Cochran, who would become Ms. Seely's husband, 'Don't Touch Me' anticipated Sammi Smith's breathtakingly intimate version of Kris Kristofferson's 'Help Me Make It Through the Night,' which was released four years later. 'Don't Touch Me,' critic Robert Christgau wrote, 'took country women's sexuality from the honky-tonk into the bedroom.' Ms. Seely blazed a trail for women in country music for the candor of her songs, and for wearing miniskirts and go-go boots on the Opry stage, bucking the gingham-and-calico dress code embraced by some of her more matronly predecessors like Kitty Wells and Dottie West. In the 1980s, she also became the first woman to host her own segment on the typically conservative and patriarchal Opry. 'I was the main woman that kept kicking on that door to get to host the Opry segments,' Ms. Seely told the Nashville Scene newspaper in 2005. 'I used to say to my former manager Hal Durham, 'Tell me again why is it women can't host on the Opry?' He'd rock on his toes and jingle his change and say, 'It's tradition, Jeannie.' And I'd say, 'Oh, that's right. It's tradition. It just smells like discrimination.'" Ms. Seely worked with top-tier Nashville session players who were attuned to the soulful sounds in Memphis, Tenn., and Muscle Shoals, Ala., to build a career around recordings that plumbed themes of infidelity, heartbreak and female emancipation. The titles of some of her singles spoke volumes: 'All Right (I'll Sign the Papers)' (1971), about the ravages of divorce; 'Welcome Home to Nothing' (1968), about a marriage gone cold; and 'Take Me to Bed' (1978). Her unflinching vocals told the rest of the story. Advertisement 'Can I Sleep in Your Arms,' an intimacy-starved rewrite of the Depression-era lament, 'Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister,' was a Top 10 country hit in 1973. (Two years later, Willie Nelson recorded the song for his groundbreaking concept album, 'Red Headed Stranger.') Marilyn Jeanne Seeley was born July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Pa., and grew up in nearby Townville. (She later changed the spelling of her surname.) She was the youngest of four children of Leo and Irene Seely. Her father, a farmer and steel mill worker, played banjo and called square dances on weekends. Her mother sang in the kitchen while baking bread on Saturdays. Ms. Seely first performed on the radio station WMGW in Meadville, Pa., at age 11. 'I can still remember standing on a stack of wooden soda cases because I wasn't tall enough to reach the unadjustable microphones,' she recalled on her website. After graduating from high school, where she was a cheerleader and honor student, she took a job with the Titusville Trust Co. Three years later, she moved to California and went to work at a bank in Beverly Hills. A job as a secretary at Imperial Records in Hollywood opened doors in the music business, and she found early success as a songwriter with 'Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand).' Written with a young Randy Newman and two other collaborators, the song reached the Hot 100 in a version by New Orleans soul singer Irma Thomas in 1964. More than a half-century later, after having been recorded by Boyz II Men and others, it was used in episodes of the science-fiction TV series 'Black Mirror.' Advertisement In 1965, Ms. Seely signed a contract with Challenge Records, the West Coast label owned by country singer Gene Autry. The association yielded regional hits but no national exposure. At the urging of Cochran, whom she married in 1969 (the couple later divorced), Seely moved to Nashville, where she signed with Fred Foster's Monument Records and had her breakthrough hit, 'Don't Touch Me.' She made her Opry debut in the summer of 1966 and briefly starred as the female singer on 'The Porter Wagoner Show,' a nationally syndicated TV program, while also performing regularly with Ernest Tubb. Ms. Seely's biggest country hit as a songwriter came with 'Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye,' a chart-topping single for singer Faron Young in 1972. Merle Haggard and Ray Price also recorded her originals. In 1977, after a decade of hits, including a handful of Top 20 country duets with crooner Jack Greene, she sustained serious injuries in an automobile accident that almost ended her career. Apart from appearing on the Opry and having a small part in the 1980 movie 'Honeysuckle Rose,' which starred Nelson, she all but retired from performing. (Her other movie appearance was in 2002 in 'Changing Hearts,' starring Faye Dunaway.) In the 2000s, Ms. Seely increasingly turned her attention to bluegrass, recording an award-winning duet with Ralph Stanley. She also emerged as an elder stateswoman of the Opry, which remained her chief passion into the 2020s. Her second husband, Gene Ward, whom she married in 2010, preceded her in death. She did not have any immediate survivors. In 2005, with country singers Kathy Mattea and Pam Tillis, Ms. Seely starred in a Nashville production of Eve Ensler's 'The Vagina Monologues.' It was second nature to her, she told Nashville Scene, to appear in such a politically charged play. Advertisement 'I think of myself as a feminist,' she explained. 'My idea of 'feminist' is to make sure that women have the same choices that men have always had, and that we are respected for our roles — whatever they are — as much as any man is respected for his.' This article originally appeared in
