Fortunate Son

Song Name: Fortunate Son

Year of Release: 1969

Written By: John Fogerty

Released By: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Key Lyrics: “It ain’t me, it ain’t me/I ain’t no senator’s son/It ain’t me, it ain’t me/I ain’t no fortunate one.”

“It ain’t me, it ain’t me/I ain’t no millionaire’s son/It ain’t me, it ain’t me/I ain’t no fortunate one.”

“Some folks are born, made to wave the flag/Ooh, they’re red, white, and blue.”

“Some folks inherit star-spangled eyes/Ooh, they send you down to war.”

Description: Creedence Clearwater Revival lead singer John Fogerty stated that he was thinking about Dwight Eisenhower’s grandson and Richard Nixon’s son-in-law, David Eisenhower, when he wrote the song. David served 3 years as an officer aboard the USS Albany in the Mediterranean and never saw combat, something Fogerty attributed to nepotism, as he was the grandson of a general AND a president. In Fogerty’s words, “You'd hear about the son of this senator or that congressman who was given a deferment from the military or a choice position in the military.” This story became the catalyst for him writing the protest song.

Why It Was Important: It is perhaps one of the most famous songs of the era and openly calls out the inequality in the draft, where the sons of the wealthy and powerful could avoid being sent off to fight just because of who their fathers were. In modern times, the song has remained a staple of protest culture. The US Army Band Downrange performed it at the 250th anniversary parade of the US Army. Some speculate that it was done to protest Donald Trump’s scheduling of the parade on his birthday despite him never serving in the military. Trump also received a cease and desist order from Fogerty for playing the song at one of his rallies, with the latter noting that Trump received a draft deferment. On the flip side, Fogerty, himself a veteran, defended the performance of the song at the 2014 Concert for Valor in Washington DC by Bruce Springsteen, Zac Brown, and Dave Grohl.

Recordings

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son (Live At The Royal Albert Hall) (live performance)

Fortunate Son (studio version)