The fact that previous Creedence Clearwater Revival songs such as "Fortunate Son" were protests of the Vietnam War added to this belief.

[4]The song's opening and closing both featured jungle sound effects created by, according to the band's bassist Stu Cook, "lots of backwards recorded guitar and piano.

"[6] Cash Box said that the double-sided single "takes the act out of its sustained bag of either Little Richard or 'bayou-tagged' music" but that compared to "Up Around the Bend", this song "presents a less-removed glimpse of the familiar Creedence.

"[7] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Bryan Wawzenek rated the lyrics of "Run Through the Jungle" as Fogerty's 8th greatest, saying "Fogerty has written many songs cloaked in ominous foreboding...But the danger in the song feels just a little more imminent, especially when you’ve got Satan on your tail.

"[8] The song was later the subject of controversy when Saul Zaentz, the boss of CCR's record label, Fantasy Records, which owns the distribution and publishing rights to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, brought a series of lawsuits against John Fogerty, including a claim that the music from Fogerty's 1984 song "The Old Man Down the Road" was too similar to "Run Through the Jungle."

In such (copyright) cases, prevailing defendants seeking recompense are bound to show that the original suit was frivolous or made in bad faith.

The song has been covered by The Gun Club, Bruce Springsteen, The Georgia Satellites, 8 Eyed Spy, Killdozer, Link Wray, The Cramps, Sacred Cowboys, Jeff Healey, Los Lobos, and Kamyaniy Gist.