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Fortunate Son (song)
Fortunate Son (song)
“Fortunate Son”
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival from the album Willy and the Poor Boys A-side Released Recorded Genre Length Label Writer(s) Producer Down on the Corner November 2, 1969 Fall 1969 Rock 2:21 Fantasy John Fogerty John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology "Green River" (1969) "Fortunate Son" (1969) "Travelin’ Band" (1970)
the daughter of President Richard Nixon in 1968 (Eisenhower later enlisted in the Navy Reserve).[2]. Fogerty told Rolling Stone: "Julie Nixon was hanging around with David Eisenhower, and you just had the feeling that none of these people were going to be involved with the war. In 1969, the majority of the country thought morale was great among the troops, and like eighty percent of them were in favor of the war. But to some of us who were watching closely, we just knew we were headed for trouble." [3] This song was popular during the Vietnam War and is included in several Vietnam films and computer games. The song symbolizes the thoughts of a man who is being drafted. This spoke out against the war in Vietnam. It is sung from the perspective of one of these men (who is not the son of a Senator, millionaire, or military leader, thus not a "fortunate son"), who ends up fighting in the Vietnam War. Fogerty performed the song in front of President Bill Clinton and a national TV audience on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the "America’s Millennium" show on December 31, 1999. Rolling Stone ranked the song #99 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." On Fogerty’s 2007 album Revival, the song "I Can’t Take It No More," which speaks out against the Iraq War, implicitly links the Iraq and Vietnam wars by referring to George W. Bush as a fortunate son.
Cover versions
The song has since been recorded or notably performed by Bob Seger, Cat Power, Gordon Downie and the Country of Miracles, Brandi Carlile, Pearl Jam, U2, Sleater-Kinney, Corrosion of Conformity, The Dropkick Murphys, .38 Special, Circle Jerks, Minutemen, Kid Rock, W.A.S.P., Todd Snider and Patty Griffin, and Bruce Springsteen. The Screaming Jets recorded a cover of "Fortunate Son" and released it as a B-side to their 1996 single, "Sacrifice". Wyclef Jean’s cover of the song was played over the beginning and
"Fortunate Son" is a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their album Willy and the Poor Boys in 1969. It was released as a single, together with "Down on the Corner," in September 1969.[1] This song reached #14 on the United States charts. The song was inspired by David Eisenhower, the grandson of President Dwight David Eisenhower who married Julie Nixon,
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ending credits of The Manchurian Candidate (2004). Sleater-Kinney also performed a cover of the song, which they dedicated to George W. Bush, during the WedRock benefit concert on April 28, 2004. That version also appeared on the subsequent live album release. Ivan Neville recorded an all-star funk version on the benefit album Our New Orleans following the Katrina-related flooding in 2005. American pop punk band Fenix*TX also included a live version of "Fortunate Son" on their 2005 album Purple Reign in Blood. My Chemical Romance are also known to play a version of "Fortunate Son" in their 2007 Black Parade Tour. Pro surfer Donavon Frankenreiter performs a slow acoustic version of the song on his 2007 EP "Recycled
Fortunate Son (song)
Recipes" and 5 Amp Blues included it in their set list in October 2008. Todd Snider recorded this song on his 2008 EP "Peace Queer."
References
[1] Creedence Clearwater Revival [2] http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/ fortunate.asp The story behind the lyrics and the identity of the "Fortunate Son" [3] Fortunate Son Songfacts
External links
• Classic Tracks: Creedence Clearwater Revival "Fortunate Son"
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortunate_Son_(song)" Categories: 1969 singles, Creedence Clearwater Revival songs, Bob Seger songs, Anti-war songs, Protest songs, Songs of the Vietnam War This page was last modified on 20 May 2009, at 02:53 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
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