Greedence Clearwater Revival Essay

Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) is nothing less than a defining musical icon of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Though only active for a short period of time, the group found success and prominence and went down as a staple of rock music. Emerging from El Cerrito, California (Wikipedia), the group wrote Fortunate Son as a response to the Vietnam war and political relations at the time it was written. The song is characterized by its twangy guitar lead and snare back beat as well as its raspy and expressive vocal performance. The song went down as an anthem for antiwar sentiment among American young adults at the time – those directly affected by the Vietnam war. This essay will unpack the lyrical content of the song Fortunate Son and how

I ain't no military son, son, Lord. 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. It ain't me, it ain't me.” The phrase “military son” hasn’t been used yet in this song and is most likely referring to high ranking military generals’ sons, again reinforcing the idea that the privileged are at an advantage by dodging the draft. The final unique phrase of the song happens to be the title, “fortunate son.” Fortunate Son has become an anthem for the Vietnam War, appearing in a plethora of movies and television shows about the war. The fortunate son climbed up to number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on it for four weeks (Billboard). Unfortunately, the group split up in 1972 due to disagreements about business. There were lawsuits filed against the company. Though the band broke up shortly after finding success, CCR and Fortunate Son will go down in history as one of the most successful bands and songs of the twentieth century. The band finally earned their spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 (Rock and Roll Hall of