Maybe in this sense, the song itself is an apt metaphor for America's role in the Vietnam War. 'Some folks are born, made to wave the flag', meaning once a child was born of a poor family, that was it, you were bound to go to war, no dispute. It was memorable mostly for that repeated hook that was pounded into listeners’ heads on its way to becoming part of our social consciousness. "Fortunate Son" represents what you might call a great, big grumble from below—a perfect anthem for the ever-growing share of Americans in the late 1960s who were coming to see the war in Vietnam as a terrible mistake. This song could also be ta… On October 15th, 1969, two million Americans participated in a nationwide protest known as the Moratorium. Protected by class privilege and a discriminatory military draft system that favored the wealthy and well educated, they will never have to serve a tour of duty in Vietnam. John Prine's longtime guitarist on three essential Prine lines Jason Wilber. President Nixon (elected in 1968) attempted to portray the antiwar protestors as mere " This is punk rock before punk rock was even invented as a musical genre. And "Fortunate Son" was their anthem. "Fortunate Son" is 100% a protest song (although Creedence frontman John Fogerty would argue, of course, that there's nothing unpatriotic about protest). It's the old saying about rich men making war and poor men having to fight them." For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. But Fogerty's assumptions, even if wrong, reveal the class tensions coming to the fore at the time. "Fortunate Son" is a strong, impassioned statement against the Vietnam War and the political establishment in late-1960s America. Home Rock is all about breaking the rules, and in "Fortunate Son," Creedence Clearwater Revival doesn't only break the rules of grammar again and again, but they defy American political authority. Even decades after its release, "Fortunate Son" remains a song that makes you want to pump your fist. But for the unfortunate sons of America, who have no inherited wealth or privilege to protect them, the draft is likely to send them off to the jungles of Vietnam to fight and maybe die in a seemingly pointless war against an intractable enemy. Instead, there may have been more of a "great angry majority." Bill Clinton is a fortunate son. The vocal melody kicks in with a kind of power and verve that leaves you feeling like all hell has broken loose for the next two minutes. "Humor and sadness; joy and sorrow;...Behind the Song: “Me and Bobby McGee” by Kris Kristofferson &... ​​Listen & Subscribe to BiB We had the pleasure of interviewing Joe Avio over Zoom video!“To my mind, if I’m writing a song, it probably means there’s going to be some work to it,” he recounted in his 2015 biography, The Zen of John Prine (In Three Lines) by Jason WilberBringin’ it Backwards: Interview with Joe AvioBringin’ it Backwards: Interview with Gracie and Rachel Do you ever daydream about a huge pop star discovering you? In the first years of American intervention in Vietnam, the vast majority of the American people supported the war effort. From what I understand, this song is about Vietnam and how it was opposed in America and how so many young men (and some women) were getting shipped over seas to fight a senseless war while many of the countries leaders and more well off people were keeping their sons/daughters home and essentially dodging the draft because they were in high positions. The song was incredibly critical of the Selective Service System, which produced a military that was disproportionately composed of minorities and the poor. While some antiwar sentiment existed pretty much from the outset of the war, it really came to a head around the time that Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded "Fortunate Son" in November of 1969. 'Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand', meaning the rich, born with a bit of money in your back pocket and you were safe from the horrors of war. (Now that's pretty punk rock.) Creedence Clearwater Revival, even more than other antiwar musicians of the era, were able to give voice especially to the class-based grievances let loose by the Vietnam War. Creedence Clearwater Revival, a band with an unimpeachable blue-collar background and perspective, called into question Nixon's notion that the antiwar movement was composed only of bums, burnouts, and campus elitists. If you’re a songwriter, you’ve probably at least...A person hearing “Fortunate Son” for the first time in 2020, especially someone who wasn’t around in the days when young men were being drafted to go to war, might have to ponder the lyric for a minute to get the full meaning. Where there’s been dissent there’s been music, and the Vietnam War era helped give birth to a lot of what is today’s classic American rock and folk, because a good protest song never dies.Bruce Springsteen Announces Special COVID-19 Relief Concert, “Jersey 4 Jersey”With a simple but iconic guitar lick and a typical Fogerty scorching vocal, “Fortunate Son” had a simple structure of three verses and no chorus or a real guitar solo. But oh no, folks. For the fortunate sons, "born with silver spoon in hand," life is good. This intro sets the stage perfectly for Fogerty's raspy, unrestrained vocals. "Fortunate Son" is a strong, impassioned statement against the Vietnam War and the political establishment in late-1960s America. Music In this line, Fogerty calls out the American political establishment, claiming that the sons of the elite were not the ones serving and dying in Vietnam. It has a heavy twang that resonates in your ears for days. During this period, over half a million young men defied the Selective Service draft, some of them burning their draft cards in large protest demonstrations. When asked what inspired him to write "Fortunate Son" during an interview with The entire song is built upon the idea that there is as unbridgeable divide that splits the fortunate sons and the unfortunate sons in America. Both artists also work in a style drenched in Americana, making it easy to assume that the lyrics contain messages that are patriotic or even jingoistic in viewpoint. Fogerty said it came to him quickly.Cyn Reimagines Debut EP With Follow-Up, “Mood Swing (even moodier)”In a testament to its power to bridge generations, Wyclef Jean, Cat Power, Dropkick Murphys and others have covered the song, and Fogerty himself re-cut it in a performance with the Foo Fighters for his 2013 album ​​Listen & Subscribe to BiB We had the pleasure of interviewing Gracie and Rachel over Zoom video!