Fortunate Son--Creedence Clearwater RevivalSome 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, Yeah! Some folks are born silver spoon in hand, Lord, don't they help themselves, oh. But when the taxman comes to the door, Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes, It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no. It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no. Some folks inherit star spangled eyes, Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord, And when you ask them, "How much should we give?" Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh, 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, | Commentary
Creedence Clearwater Revival's iconic song, Fortunate Son, became popular around the time of the Vietnam War. The song, released in 1968, comes from the perspective of a man that was drafted into the war. The lyrics, "It ain't me, it ain't me/ I ain't no fortunate one," stand out and define the songs meaning, which was that because this man was not born rich or into a politician's family, he was not "fortunate" and was sent to war. Although the song was written and released around the time of the Vietnam war, the meaning behind it speaks volumes for wars in general. The message within the song is very anti-war. It was speaking out against the fact that those who were most likely to fight in wars were the middle to lower class citizens, who weren't, "...no millionaire's son." It's a song about the frustration of the working class citizens of the United States who did not have money to buy their way out of the draft. The song is not supportive of the foreign policy instilled during the Vietnam War. The whole song is in opposition of the draft, that was put in place because the country chose to engage in a war based on the Truman Doctrine, which stated that the country would help other nations that are threatened by communist forces. The driving question, "How does war affect society?" can easily be answered by this song, as it addresses the misfortunes of the working class Americans who are forced to enter the Vietnam war-- a war they don't want to necessarily fight in. Also, the lines, "Some folks are born silver spoon in hand/Lord, don't they help themselves, oh." addresses the fact that during wartime, a large wedge is driven between societal groups. The nation becomes separated into two distinct groups; the few who belonged to a family of influence that were given their everything they want and need not fight for anything, and the majority who must fight for what they want. I strongly agree with the message of the song. It highlights the political unjustness of what goes on during war, and how people in power and of influence are not the ones that are directly affected by their decisions, instead it is the people that are doing the actual fighting that must suffer. -Olivia “Some folks inherit star spangled eyes, Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord, And when you ask them, "How much should we give?" Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,” These last several lines of the song best summarize its message. It is for this reason that they initially captured my attention, as it made apparent to me the overall theme, which I found to be unclear at first, due to the ambiguity of the song. My attention was also caught by how these lyrics were able to capture the feelings of a generation towards a war that they did not want to be fighting without explicitly describing the war itself, but instead, addressing the social issues that accompanied it. The Vietnam War is presented by “Fortunate Son” as being negative, not simply because of the deaths that resulted from it, but because the people that found themselves engaging in the very real part of it did not know what they are fighting for, and/or perhaps they did not believe in what they are fighting for. The song discusses how those that are fortunate enough to possess power and prestige were abusing it and continuously asking those less fortunate to sacrifice everything, without even giving them a say in what they were sacrificing for. This is a very appropriate critique, as the foreign policy of the time, such as the Truman Doctrine, was not created with the best interests of the average American citizen in mind. The purpose of the Truman Doctrine was to spread the influence of democracy throughout as much of the world as possible, whether or not that part of the world wanted to be democratic. The execution of this policy was frighteningly reminiscent of Imperialism, and extremely hypocritical. The USA was asking its citizens to fight for beliefs that, as is expressed by “Fortunate Son,” were held by the few “fortunate ones,” or “senators’ sons,” not by the majority, which is the opposite of democracy. Creedence Clearwater Revival addresses the question of how the Vietnam War impacted society by criticizing the polarization that occurred when the people who were asking for “More! More! More!” were giving nothing in return. That is what war does, it polarizes different areas of a society, because everybody has different things that they value enough to die for, or see those that they love die for. War allows an opportunity for the “fortunate ones” to subject everybody else to their will. Society can’t function this way; revolution, protest is inevitable. I both agree with the message of this song, and find it to be tastefully conveyed. It is an excellent example of a tastefully done protest song which gives a voice to the people in a way that is likely to be listened to.-Katasha |