Fortunate Son: How Creedence Clearwater Revival Talked About Privilege Before It Was Cool
The talk about privilege seems to be a hot topic since the turn of the millennium. Countless debates on the matter have sprung up on various internet forums. Things such as ethnic and racial background, sex/sexual orientation, and economy are pointed out to be some of the factors that give some people unfair advantages over others. However, is it true that the talk of privilege only surfaced recently?
The term “privilege” itself only became popular in the late eighties through a paper written by Peggy McIntosh. However, the concept of unfair advantages possessed by some people over others may have been as old as civilization itself. Since the dawn of civilization, people have been assigned roles in society that more or less get passed on to their future generations, with some roles possess advantages over others. The concern over these unfair advantages then became one of the focal points of a series of protests throughout the West during the 1960s. And for that, we may have Creedence Clearwater Revival to thank.
Creedence Clearwater Revival, or CCR if you find their name to be too mouthful, were an American rock band that were popular during the late 60s to early 70s. They were part of the 1960s counterculture generation, an anti-establishment movement that developed in the West during mid-1960s to mid-1970s, as a response to issues such as the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War (more on that in a later article). As part of the movement, many of the band’s works were social criticism of the era, with one of them being a song titled Fortunate Son.
Released during the heights of Vietnam War in 1969, the song quickly became a staple for US soldiers stationed in Vietnam. The song’s signature swampy sound, although influenced by swamp rock sounds of the Louisiana bayou, fits right in the humid jungles of Vietnam. The song was so popular that countless movies and other medias depicting the Vietnam War have incorporated this song in some way. Chances are, if you have watched a number of movies about Vietnam War, you may be familiar with this song without you knowing it.
Photo by US Army
However, it was not just the sound that defined the era. More than that, it was also the lyrics. Fortunate Son told a story about a classic tale of rich people sending the poor to war. Although the song did not specifically mention Vietnam War or any specific names of the US elites, it was crystal clear that the song was a jab to how the US government sent the poor, disadvantaged youths of the country to war while letting the children of the politicians and other elites stay safe at home. Just take a look at these lyrics:
Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they’re 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
From the lyrics above, we can see that the story of the song was told from the perspective of a disadvantaged man that was sent to war. He further lamented his bad luck for not being born as a “senator’s son”. At the time, people were guessing who the “senator’s son” might be. However, as John Fogerty — the band’s frontman — told Rolling Stone, it was clear that the “senator’s son” was a reference to Julie Nixon — the daughter of then-President Richard Nixon — and David Eisenhower — the son of former US former President Dwight Eisenhower — who was married in 1968. Although not technically “senator’s sons”, both were children of prominent politicians, and were exempt from serving in Vietnam.
In the second verse, the song took another jab towards another group of elites. If the first verse was a criticism towards the political elites, the second was reserved for the millionaires. Take a look at the lyrics below:
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don’t they help themselves, no
But when the taxman come’ to the door
Lord, the house lookin’ 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
The lyrics above took a jab towards the wealthy elite, or — as the song put it — people born with a silver spoon in hand. It is a common belief that the wealthy elites will hide or even sell their possessions when a taxman comes to audit their possessions in order to avoid being put into a higher tax bracket and paying more taxes. The “millionaire’s son”, although probably wasn’t intended as a jab towards a specific person, can only be intended towards a single person in a modern-day context. Former US President Donald Trump, who was in his twenties during the 60s, was recorded to have avoided the draft 5 times, once for alleged bone spurs and four times for college. Ironically, Trump used the song at a rally in his 2020 presidential campaign, despite probably being one of the most fortunate sons in America. Unsurprisingly, Fogerty issued a cease and desist order to the Trump presidential campaign team for the misappropriation of the song.
Photo courtesy of classmates.com
Although ironic, the answer to why Trump used the song may become clear if we take a look at how the song is perceived nowadays. As Fogerty put it: “He’s in his helicopter, hovering over a big crowd. It’s like a scene out of all the Vietnam War movies, and maybe he sees that scene in his head, even if it’s completely cuckoo”, and perhaps Fogerty was right. Fortunate Son has been featured in countless movies depicting Vietnam War — the most popular one probably being Forrest Gump — that perhaps its anti-war message has become overshadowed by its newfound image as a soundtrack for the war instead of criticizing it. As such, Fortunate Son has perhaps ironically become a song that glorifies Vietnam War.
Although the song’s image has probably reversed, we mustn’t forget that the song was created as a symbol of protest towards the injustice faced by the disenfranchised. And now, more than 50 years after the song was released, we can still see that the song’s message is still as relevant as ever.