These members played together since 1959, first as The Blue Velvets, then as The Golliwogs. Their musical style encompassed the roots rock, swamp rock, and blues rock genres. They played in a Southern rock style, despite their San Francisco Bay Area origin, with lyrics about bayous, catfish, the Mississippi River, and other popular elements of Southern United States iconography, as well as political and socially conscious lyrics about topics including the Vietnam War. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Upstate New York.
The group disbanded acrimoniously in late 1972 after four years of chart-topping success. Tom Fogerty had officially left the previous year, and his brother John was at odds with the remaining members over matters of business and artistic control, all of which resulted in subsequent lawsuits among the former bandmates. Fogerty's ongoing disagreements with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz created further protracted court battles, and John Fogerty refused to perform with the two other surviving members at CCR's 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Creedence Clearwater Revival's music is still a staple of US radio airplay; the band has sold 26 million albums in the United States alone. Rolling Stone ranked them 82nd on its Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list.
John Fogerty, Doug Clifford, and Stu Cook met at Portola Junior High School in El Cerrito, California. Calling themselves the Blue Velvets, the trio began playing instrumentals and "juke box standards", as well as backing Fogerty's older brother Tom at live gigs and in the recording studio. Tom soon joined the band, and in 1964 they signed with Fantasy Records, an independent jazz label in San Francisco that had released Cast Your Fate To The Wind, a national hit for jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. The record's success was the subject of a National Educational Television special, which prompted budding songwriter John Fogerty to contact the label. For the band's first release, Fantasy co-owner Max Weiss renamed the group the Golliwogs (after the children's literary character, Golliwogg).
Bandmembers' roles and the instruments they played changed during this period. Stu Cook switched from piano to bass guitar and Tom Fogerty from lead vocals to rhythm guitar; John became the band's lead vocalist and primary songwriter. In Tom Fogerty's words: "I could sing, but John had a sound!".
Fortunate Son
Creedence Clearwater Revival Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
The song “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival has become a timeless anti-war anthem. The lyrics speak about the privilege of the wealthy and their lack of accountability in times of national conflict. The first verse speaks to the privilege of those who are born to wave the flag, who wear the red, white and blue with pride, and align themselves with those in power. They point the cannon at those who do not have the same privilege as them. The song emphasizes that these privileged people never have to suffer the consequences of war themselves.
The chorus of the song emphasizes that the singer cannot relate to these privileged individuals, as he is not a senator’s son, a millionaire’s son or a military son. He is none of these fortunate individuals. The second verse furthers this argument, as the writer points out how the wealthy are only too happy to help themselves during times of peace, but when the taxman arrives, the house looks like a rummage sale. They do not pay their fair share. Finally, the third verse speaks to the wealthy who have the power to make decisions about going to war, but they do not have to suffer the consequences themselves. They send down those who do not have the advantages they enjoy and always ask for more.
Line by Line Meaning
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
Some people are inherently patriotic and privileged, born with the full support of their country's government. But when it comes to conflicts or wars, they do not hesitate to use violence to suppress those who question their power.
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
I am not a son of a powerful politician, therefore, I am not privileged to receive any special advantages from the system. I am not one of the lucky ones who are born with a silver spoon in their mouths.
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
Some people are born into wealthy families and take advantage of their privileges without being aware of their actions. When the authorities attempt to collect taxes from them, they react in desperation due to their incompetence in handling their finances properly.
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
Some people are born into influential families that perpetuate the idea of patriotism, often leading to an involvement in the military. Those same families expect the military to fight without question, giving all they have to support their agenda without compromise or concern for the consequences.
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
I am not someone who either thinks that the government knows best or a person who is born into a privileged life by having political and/or monetary power. I do not blindly support war or violence just because it reinforces a flag waving nationalistic sentiment that will ultimately sacrifice the life, liberty, and happiness of so many in the process.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: John Cameron Fogerty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LUCIANO LOVITO
Some folks are born made to wave the flag
They're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"
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
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't they help themselves, yeah
But when the taxman comes to the door
The house look a like a rummage sale
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
Yeah, 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"
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military 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
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Willy and The Poor Boys album.
Spyder Logan
I saw this live broadcast 4 days before I was inducted, as a 19 year old draftee, into the U.S. Army...things like this you don't forget, ever...
Jack Wynne
That's amazing
Eli Foust
Thanks for joining,and serving,I joined in 1974,honorable American
Jack Wynne
@Eli Foust I'm British but thank you for you're service
Eli Foust
@Jack Wynne your welcome Cousin
Spyder Logan
@Eli Foust I didn't 'join'...I was drafted against my will...'hell no, we won't go', but we did anyway: No deferment like the 'Fortunate Sons' sung about, right?
Yesterday Productions
That high pitched rock tenor voice of Fogerty with that rasp is just absolutely fantastic & unmistakable. What a great songwriter, singer/guitarist. A great natural talent.
Elias Oviedo
Que buena definicion de la voz de J Fogerty es genial y verdadera😊👍
CARLOS EUGENIO CARLOS
This riff is KILLER! John Fogerty is a legend Alive!
Johnathan Davis
His left hand is blocked for most of the video🤬