“A love letter to my wife”: John Fogerty’s “Joy of My Life”
Christ Stapleton gave the song new life when he released it as a single in 2022
I often cover music for the publications I write for. At Classically Cultured, my subject matter tends to wander, from literature and poetry to commentary on current events. I also dive a lot deeper into things at CC because I’m not bound to a word limit. Today, I thought I’d introduce you to my style of writing that can be found at places like Epoch Bright, Foundation for Economic Education, and American Essence. The story below highlights a deep cut among serious Creedence Clearwater Revival fans, a classic rock band that took over airwaves for a two-year span between 1961 and 1972. I say it’s a CCR deep cut because only if you’ve scoured their entire repertoire of recorded music would you be able to recognize the following tune as a creation born from their front man, John Fogerty. It’s also a timely track to cover. It’s got to do with love. And with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s the perfect soundtrack for the Hallmark holiday.
In 1991, singer-songwriter John Fogerty, who headed up Creedence Clearwater Revival from 1959 to 1972, attended “Oshkosh,” an aviation show in Wisconsin. The former Air Force pilot got to know the organizers well while supporting the event. When organizers saw Fogerty walking around, they always inquired about his wife, asking, “How’s Julie?” Fogerty had an endearing response. He’d always quip, “Well, she’s the joy of my life.” After hearing his response several times, finally, an organizer suggested he should work the phrase into a tune.
Not long after attending the aviation show, at the organizer’s suggestion, Fogerty penned what he considers to be the first love song he ever wrote, the tender ballad, “Joy of My Life.”
Inspiration at the Kern River
Though Fogerty is from Berkeley, California, he’s always held a special place in his heart for music from the swamplands of America. From country and folk to the blues, the sounds emanating from the bayou have always intrigued the Golden State native. His love of music from the Deep South can be heard throughout his musical contributions to the Creedence Clearwater Revival repertoire. When he embarked on a solo career, he dug into those twangy, languid sounds even more.
In 1992, he began teaching himself how to play the dobro, a type of resonator guitar played with a slide. As he looked across the mighty Kern River of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, he came up with the signature, uplifting riff that anchors “Joy of My Life.” The words and music came rather quickly. When he returned home that evening, he tucked his children into bed and spent some quiet time with his wife. Inspired by their evening ritual, he began writing the lyrics and melody.
When Fogerty finished writing “Joy of My Life,” Julie had no idea he completed the song.
He surprised her with the first live performance of the gentle tune while singing for a private show at their children's school. As Julie took in the significance of the moment, Fogerty stood alone on the stage, adorned with his dobro, serenading her.
Fogerty would eventually include the acoustic ballad on his 1997 album, Blue Moon Swamp. That same year, he debuted the song publicly for the first time on his tour named in honor of the album at San Francisco’s popular music venue, The Fillmore.
Twenty-three years later, country star Chris Stapleton would revive the track, adding his own spin on it in honor of that special someone in his own life.
A Breadth of Emotions
Chris Stapleton’s 2020 album release, Starting Over, features a dynamic track listing. The record houses a breadth of emotions. Recently, I covered Stapleton’s heartfelt “Maggie’s Song” for another publication, and I stated in the article, “Themes from his award-winning…album…cover everything from new beginnings and the intricacies of relationships to his time spent living in Nashville.”
For his fourth single release off the album, he brightened the mood.
Stapleton is a prolific songwriter. But in 2022, he released a cover included in Starting Over as a single, rather than one of his originals. The single he chose? John Fogerty’s “Joy of My Life.”
Stapleton had plenty of personal inspiration to draw from while recording the cover. His wife Morgane, who is also his singing partner, has been a source of inspiration for romantic compositions before. Her influence can be found in the 2018 Stapleton original, “Millionaire.”
For his rendition of “Joy of My Life,” like Fogerty, he went acoustic. But he offered his own crisp Nashville sound to the cover, perfected the riff by performing it cleanly on acoustic guitar, and added in his signature expressive vocals. The single quickly became a fan-favorite. It also climbed into the top 30 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
A Song Perfect for Cupid’s Holiday
Fogerty was thrilled when Stapleton covered the first love song he ever wrote. On Valentine’s Day in 2023, Fogerty released an official statement, saying, “‘Joy of My Life’ is the first love song that I wrote and is a love letter to my wife Julie…It’s about that emotion when you meet someone and fall in love, and how joyful and special that is…”
He continued, “It’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve written, and I am so thrilled to know what my song has meant to so many.”
Fogerty also released a live version of the tune in honor of Valentine's Day that year. His sons followed in his footsteps and are now musicians themselves. They are featured on the recording.
Fogerty once stated he still sings “Joy of My Life” to his wife each night.
This April marks their thirty-fourth wedding anniversary, and counting.
Check out the difference between the Fogerty “Joy of My Life” original and Stapleton’s inspired interpretation below:
I had no idea. I thought this was a Stapleton original. What an interesting article!
Man, I completely missed this phase of the Fogerty legacy! Thanks for turning us on to this, I'm adding it to my set list.