Rock and Roll Girls

According to Fogerty, "Rock and Roll Girls" was inspired by watching his teenage daughter and her friends hanging out. He referred to them as "rock and roll girls" so that the song title referenced them rather than groupies who the term might also refer to. Music critic James Perone agrees that the song "creates impressions of love, pop music and the beautiful young women of (presumably) the 1960s. But then there is a twist, he says, and the lyrics then "speak to the mystery of pop music – how it can become a secret handshake between friends, the soundtrack to a memory that means everything." According to music critic Joe Kowalski, this one alteration "changes the complexion of the riff. ==Reception==

Cash Box called "Rock and Roll Girls" a "pure rock celebration" and said that "Fogerty’s lead vocal is classic." Rolling Stone Magazine critic Kurt Loder praised "Rock and Roll Girls" as "a rather spectacular demonstration of what can still be done with three shitty chords and a blazing sax.” The Age critic Mike Daily described it as having "the breezy appeal of a Buddy Holly song." Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated it as a "terrific song," describing it as a "sunny rocker." Wawzenek rated the lyrics to "Rock and Roll Girls" among Fogerty's 10 greatest. Although less successful on the charts than Fogerty's previous single from Centerfield, "The Old Man Down the Road" which peaked at #10, "Rock and Roll Girls" reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #20. It performed better on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, peaking at #5, as well as in Canada, reaching #16, and in Austria, reaching #10. ==Lawsuit==

Fogerty used "Rock and Roll Girls" (as well as "Centerfield") as an example of how songs evolve in his defense in a lawsuit brought against him by Fantasy Records. Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz claimed that the refrain of "The Old Man Down the Road" was the same as that from a Creedence Clearwater Revival song, "Run Through the Jungle." Although Fogerty had written "Run Through the Jungle" Fantasy Records and Zaentz owned the copyright. Fogerty used progressive versions of "Rock and Roll Girls" as it was being developed to demonstrate how many blues songs are similar because they are based on the same 5-note pentatonic scale, but that they incorporate small variations. ==References==