Song Analysis of "Fortunate Son"

Evaluation of “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival Following World War Two, the two legitimate world powers were the United States and the Soviet Union. With the Soviet Union under a communistic government and the United States being a nation founded in Capitalism, tensions between the two nations rose, resulting in the Cold War. Against the wishes of the United States, small countries in East Asia began to turn communist. Fear that one country turning would have a chain reaction turning many more, the United States turned to a policy of ‘containment’. This policy was tested in the Korean War and would be again tested in the Vietnam War. Starting as a War with the communist North Vietnam against South Vietnam and the French, with the French’s withdraw from the War, the United States intervened to preserve democracy. This would prove to be the most controversial war in American history which spawned large scale protest including the rock group, Creedence Clearwater Revival and their song, “Fortunate Son”. Creedence Clearwater Revival was a prominent rock band in the late 1960’s and early 70’s during the peak of fighting in Vietnam. “Fortunate Son” was originally released in 1969 as a song to protest the United States’ involvement in Vietnam and the class discrimination in the selection process of the draft. The song begins with the line, “Some folks are born made to wave the flag, Ooh, they’re red, white and blue”. These opening lines give off the false impression that the song is patriotic and many people falsely interpret it as thus. The real meaning behind these lyrics is revealed in the following lines which read, “And when the band plays “Hail to the Chief”, oh they point the cannon at you, Lord”. Fogerty is actually saying how people with political influence are willing to “wave the flag” as put on a false appearance of being patriotic but they are often not the ones doing the fighting, instead, they “point the cannon at you”. This may be an