Peak
3
Weeks
14
Score
3,146
Chart Year
1969
///
This is an antiestablishment song of defiance and blue-collar pride, both anti-Washington and against the Vietnam War. John Fogerty and Doug Clifford both enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1966 (to avoid being drafted and shipped to Vietnam) and were discharged in 1968 after serving their military commitments. "The song speaks more to the unfairness of class than war itself," Fogerty said. "It's the old saying about rich men making war and poor men having to fight them." This is one of three political songs on the Willy And The Poorboys album. The others were "It Came From the Sky" and "Don't Look Now (It Ain't You or Me)." Richard Nixon was president of the US when group leader John Fogerty wrote this song. Fogerty was not a fan of Nixon and felt that those close to him were receiving preferential treatment to avoid military service. This song spoke out against the war in Vietnam but was supportive of the soldiers fighting there. Like many CCR fans, most of the soldiers came from the working class and were there because they didn't have connections that could get them out. The song is sung from the perspective of one of these men, who ends up fighting because he is not a "senator's son." On November 16, 1969, Creedence performed "Fortunate Son" on The Ed Sullivan Show, probably because the show's producers didn't realize it was a protest song. The show tried hard not to offend anyone, and usually had bands perform their least-controversial songs or alter the lyrics for the show (see "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Light My Fire"). Report this ad Fogerty recorded a bunch of vocal takes for "Down On The Corner" before singing this. As a result, his voice was strained, which he thinks is apparent on the song. This is one of those songs that came together very quickly. Fogerty recalled to American Songwriter magazine in January 2013: "When I felt it was about ready to hatch, I went into my bedroom and just sat down to write. The whole thing happened in about 20 minutes. That just poured out." Like Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A.," this is often misinterpreted as a patriotic anthem, when it is the opposite. Wrangler jeans used this in commercials in 2000, taking only the first two lines: "Some folks are born, made to wave the flag, Ooh, that red, white and blue," implying the patriotic misinterpretation. The next lines are: "And when the band plays 'Hail to the Chief,' ooh, they're pointin' the cannon at you," but those lyrics aren't appropriate for selling jeans. John Fogerty was furious, but there was nothing he could do about it because he didn't own the rights to the song. Wrangler's director of advertising responded by saying the brand heard the song as "more an ode to the common man. The common man is who we have been directing Wrangler toward." The ads ran through 2002, when Fogerty voiced his displeasure in a Los Angeles Times article and the company pulled the spots. Fogerty later explained that it touched a nerve because the ad distorted the meaning of the song. "If there's some other song that was probably just a simple rock 'n' roll song, maybe I wouldn't feel so strongly, but 'Fortunate Son' has a real point to it," he said. In 2016, Wrangler again turned to CCR to soundtrack a spot, this time using "Up Around the Bend." Until 2023, Fogerty didn't own the publishing rights to this song. He lost them, along with all the other songs he wrote for CCR, in his contract with Fantasy Records, which the band signed when they were struggling. Fantasy's boss at the time, Saul Zaentz, controlled the rights and could use the songs as he pleased, as long as they weren't performed by any member of CCR. Fogerty seethed over how "Fortunate Son" shilled out and misrepresented, but he had no choice. He expressed this frustration on his solo track "Vanz Kant Danz." Fogerty was finally able to purchase his catalog in 2023 when he was 77. By then, Fantasy had been acquired by Concord Music. This has been covered by U2, Bruce Springsteen, Kid Rock, Dropkick Murphys, Sleater-Kinney, Corrosion Of Conformity, Minutemen, Uncle Tupelo, Bob Seger, Circle Jerks, Joe Lynn Turner, Bunny Foot Charm, Death Cab For Cutie, Undead, Raccoon, and 38 Special. When interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine, John Fogerty was asked what inspired this song. His response: "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 80% 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." >> Wyclef Jean's slow, passionate cover was the theme song for the 2004 political thriller The Manchurian Candidate. Another popular political film from the summer of '04 was the controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, of which John Fogerty remarked: "With the Michael Moore movie, certain conservative talk show hosts call him un-American. Him and anybody else who says anything about the war... To question your country's policy, especially in a war that kills people, is definitely not un-American. It's probably the most patriotic thing you can do." >> This is one of the first protest songs that makes the point that it's the poor who are most likely to fight the wars. During the Iraq war, System Of A Down covered this topic with their song "B.Y.O.B.." Former United States President George W. Bush is often considered a "Fortunate Son," as he reaped the benefits that came with growing up in a powerful political family, which may have helped him avoid combat. This is covered in a book called Fortunate Son. >> On November 6, 2014, Fogerty performed this at the White House as part of the A Salute to the Troops concert that was broadcast the next day on PBS ahead of Veteran's Day. Fogerty wasn't sure how the song would be received at an event honoring military personnel, but it got a great reaction from the crowd, including many of the veterans and President Obama. This was featured in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump as the title character, played by Tom Hanks, is en route to serve in Vietnam. On September 11, 2020, after President Donald Trump used this song at rallies for his re-election campaign, John Fogerty took to Facebook to offer commentary and explain the true meaning of the song. Said Fogerty: "Recently, the President's been using my song 'Fortunate Son' at his rallies, which I find confounding to say the least, so I thought I'd explain a little bit about what 'Fortunate Son' is about. I wrote the song back in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam War. By the time I wrote the song I had already been drafted and had served in the military. I've been a lifelong supporter of our guys and gals in the military probably because of that experience. Back in those days we still had a draft, and something I was very upset about was that people of privilege - in other words, rich people or people that had position - could use that to avoid the draft. I found that very upsetting, and that's why I wrote 'Fortunate Son.' That was the whole intent of the song, the inspiration for the song. The very first lines are: Some folks are born made to wave the flag Ohh, they're red, white and blue But when the band plays "Hail to the chief" They point the cannon at you Well, that's exactly what happened recently in Lafayette Park. When the President decided to take a walk across the park, he cleared out the area using federal troops so that he could stand in front of St. John's Church with a bible. It's a song I could have written now, so I find it confusing that the President has chosen to use my song for his political rallies when in fact, it seems like he is probably the Fortunate Son."
Some folks are born, made to wave the flag Ooh, their red, white and blue And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief" Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord It ain't me It ain't me I ain't no senator's son, son It ain't me It ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, no Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand Lord, don't they help themselves, y'all But when the taxman comes to the door Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yeah It ain't me It ain't me I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no It ain't me It ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, no Yeah, yeah Some folks inherit star spangled eyes Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?" Ooh, they only answer "More! More! More!", Y'all It ain't me It ain't me I ain't no military son, son It ain't me It ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, one It ain't me It ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, no, no, no It ain't me It ain't me I ain't no fortunate son, no, no, no
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 1, 1969 | 58 | 68 |
| 2 | Nov 8, 1969 | 33 | 93 |
| 3 | Nov 15, 1969 | 16 | 110 |
| 4 | Nov 22, 1969 | 14 | 112 |
| 5 | Nov 29, 1969 | 9 | 117 |
| 6 | Dec 6, 1969 | 5 | 121 |
| 7 | Dec 13, 1969 | 5 | 121 |
| 8 | Dec 20, 1969 | 3 | 123 |
| 9 | Dec 27, 1969 | 4 | 122 |
| 10 | Jan 3, 1970 | 4 | 122 |
| 11 | Jan 10, 1970 | 7 | 119 |
| 12 | Jan 17, 1970 | 9 | 117 |
| 13 | Jan 24, 1970 | 21 | 105 |
| 14 | Jan 31, 1970 | 28 | 98 |