It’s hard to believe that Creedence Clearwater Revival was only together for a few short years. They released some of the most enduring music of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Songs like “Down on the Corner,” “Proud Mary,” “Born on the Bayou,” and “Fortunate Son” assured that they would be forever enshrined in the classic rock canon.
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Creedence Clearwater Revival was massively popular for their entire short run. They played Woodstock, dominated the charts, and performed on one of the most important television shows of the day. On November 16, 1969, the band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and performed “Fortunate Son.” Watch the televised performance below.
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Foreboding” Bad Moon Rising”]
The team behind The Ed Sullivan Show tried to keep the broadcast as inoffensive as possible. Acts like the Rolling Stones and The Doors were asked to change their lyrics for the show. Bob Dylan turned down an early appearance on the show because producers asked him not to perform “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues.” However, it seems that they didn’t study the lyrics of “Fortunate Son” before allowing Creedence Clearwater Revival to perform it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival Highlights Class Inequality with “Fortunate Son”
Today, many people connect the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic with the Vietnam War. After all, it appears in several movies and TV shows about the conflict. It’s fitting, though, because it was a Viet Nam-era protest song.
However, unlike most protest songs, “Fortunate Son” isn’t particularly anti-war. Instead, the song’s lyrics highlight the disparity between the rich and poor when it comes to fighting wars. As the old saying goes, rich men make wars and poor men fight them.
The song’s final verse nails the experience of working-class Americans during wartime. Some folks inherit star-spangled eyes / They send you down to war / And when you ask ‘em “how much should we give?” / They only answer “More, more, more, more.”
So, it seems that the producers of The Ed Sullivan Show didn’t realize “Fortunate Son” was a protest song. They’re not alone, though. Over the years, many listeners have mistakenly assumed that it’s a patriotic anthem. For instance, Donald Trump used the song during his rallies in 2021. “I find it confusing, I would say, 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,” songwriter John Fogerty said at the time.
Featured Image by Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images
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