Searchlight

Album: Centerfield (1985)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Searchlight," the first song on Side 2 of Centerfield, was inspired when Fogerty was driving to Lake Havasu, Arizona. He passed a road sign reading, "Searchlight nine miles," a phrase he scribbled into the notebook of song titles that he always kept with him.
  • The music of "Searchlight," Fogerty says, references Jody Reynolds' "Endless Sleep."
  • Fogerty wrote in his memoir Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music, that the song is about being lost, and the song's metaphor is "himself."

Comments: 2

  • Linda Ours from Gloucester, VaThis is a favorite of mine! Totally agree with Mr. Mitchell from Tennessee. :) I'm pretty sure that the line before the last chorus is incorrect in this rendering, though. I have the album with the printed lyrics; unfortunately, it's not at hand where I can check this, but I distinctly remember seeing (and hearing) the line as "The face that smiles back is me" (not "at me"). It's an important difference: "is me" makes it really spooky . . . "at me" not nearly as much. (The copy I have is from the early months of the release, though, before "Zanz Kant Danz" was replaced as "Vanz Kant Danz." I suppose it's possible that this line in "Searchlight" might have been tweaked for subsequent pressings too?)
  • Matthew Mitchell from Memphis, TnOne of his best songs. I listened to it over and over. A rock and roll classic.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Dave Mason

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.