Fortunate Son: CCR and the Vietnam War

In September 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty penned what has come to be considered the Anthem of the 1960’s era of Counterculture and anti-war sentiments commonly found among American people. ‘Fortunate Son’ is a song synonymous with the Vietnam War, famously written as an attack on the rich and privileged, whose sons were spared from the horrors of the ongoing conflict. Throughout the chorus Fogerty bellows ‘It ain’t me, it ain't me’ claiming, ‘I ain’t no senators son’. While possibly referring to any and all children of wealthy, entitled families, Fogerty himself has shed light on the origins of his lyrics in interviews, claiming them to be fuelled by anger harboured against the newly elected Richard Nixon and the entitled lives of his children, whom naturally received a free pardon.

Julie Nixon was married to David Eisenhower by 1968, the grandson of President Dwight Eisenhower. He served 3 years in the naval reserves but was never officially deployed, which only served to strengthen the relevance of Fogerty’s lyrics.

The passion in Fogerty’s words comes from his unique perspective on the corruption of governmental officials, who sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands in order to make advancements in a war while providing excuses for their own children. Thomas M. Kitts has stated that ‘Fogerty himself, identifies with the have-nots, the lower and working classes who received no preferential treatment.’

The popularity and increasing relevance of the 1969 September release ‘Fortunate Son’ reached new heights on November 12^th when the atrocities committed by American forces and their allies in Mai Lai, known aptly as the Mai Lai massacre were revealed to the public. Retaliation took the form of a formidable force of protesters, more than half a million strong, who marched on Washington in protest. The influence of rock music to incite protest within the public was clear, and the stark contrast of anger and frustration found in Fogerty’s ‘Fortunate Son’ in comparison to songs of the early sixties  embodied the opinions of the masses, undoubtedly stimulating them to further protest against the government and proving that rock n’ roll music had the ability unlike any other genre to empower the people.

Such fierce protest songs were practically unprecedented at the beginning of the decade; the likes of The Kingston Trio who criticised for their political neutrality and soft lyrics in the early 60’s were completely blown out of the water by 1969.

Sam Aldorino Flett

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Thomas M. Kitts, John Fogerty: An American Son (Routledge 27, August 2015) p.99

Sarah Baker, Redefining Mainstream Popular Music (Routledge, 2003)