Classic Pop Icons

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s rock classic “Fortunate Son” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons. “Fortunate Son” was released in November 1969 as the B-side of the single “Down on the Corner.” It also opened side two of “Willy and the Poor Boys,” which was the band’s third album of 1969.

Written at the height of the Vietnam conflict, “Fortunate Son” is a protest song about how the burdens of war are most keenly felt by the least privileged. The “fortunate son” is the young man who uses the connections of his wealthy and influential family to avoid the draft or receive a safe assignment. “Fortunate Son” is not about one particular person, but Fogerty has noted that the idea for the song came to him when Dwight Eisenhower’s son, David, married President Nixon’s daughter, Julie. It occured to Fogerty that these are not the kind of people who have to serve on the front line. Eisenhower did subsequently join the Navy.

More recent suggestions that the song was written specifically about the young Al Gore, Jr or George W. Bush are politically motivated and do not survive scrutiny.

Fogerty’s powerful vocals are full of screaming indignation, and he is superbly backed by memorable guitar riffs, pounding drum work and a powerful bassline. Creedence Clearwater Revival often offered a nod to blues and early rock ‘n’ roll, but “Fortunate Son” saw the band embracing a more modern rock sound – more Rolling Stones than Sun Studios. The result is one of the hardest rocking tracks in the Creedence catalogue and a timeless recording.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Fortunate Son”

Authorship

“Fortunate Son” was written by Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman, John Fogerty.

Recording date/location

“Fortunate Son” was recorded in the fall of 1969 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California.

Musicians

The following musicians played on “Fortunate Son”:

• John Fogerty – vocals, lead guitar
• Tom Fogerty – rhythm guitar
• Stu Cook – bass
• Doug Clifford – drums.

Chart performance

“Fortunate Son” was the B-side of “Down on the Corner,” but charted independently, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The A-side had reached number three.

The album “Willy and the Poor Boys” reached number three on the Billboard 200 album chart and number 10 in the UK.

Covers

Cat Power – “Fortunate Son”

The sparse, folk arrangement on Cat Power’s cover of “Fortunate Son” is well suited to the themes explored by the song. It’s a very different approach to the Creedence original, but highly listenable. Power’s cover is included on her 2008 EP “Dark End of the Street,” which features six leftover songs from the sessions that produced her eighth album “Jukebox.”

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band – “Fortunate Son”

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s live cover of “Fortunate Son” appeared as a bonus track on the CD version of their “Like a Rock” album in 1986. This is far closer to the original and it’s an enjoyable recording with Seger clearly inspired by Fogerty’s vocals.

There will be a new Song of the Week on May 9.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” is available on “Willy and the Poor Boys” and a number of compilations, including the excellent 2 CD/DVD set “Creedence Clearwater Revival – The Singles Collection.”

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Creedence Clearwater Revival – The Singles Collection (2 CDs/DVD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now