Fantasy Records promo photo.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of CCR, the band released their first official music video for their 1969 protest classic “Fortunate Son”.
John Fogerty composed the Vietnam War era tune as an indictment of elitism in connection with the draft. It was partly inspired by former US President Dwight Eisenhower’s grandson David, who ended up marrying then US President Richard Nixon’s daughter Julie. In a 1969 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Fogerty made the following statement: “Julie Nixon was hanging around with David Eisenhower, and you just had the feeling that none of these people were going to be involved with the war. In 1969, the majority of the country thought morale was great among the troops, and like eighty percent of them were in favor of the war. But to some of us who were watching closely, we just knew we were headed for trouble.”
The video doesn’t contain any Vietnam War imagery, instead it focuses on the tunes timeless message about elitism. It is a true celebration of the 99%.
The video was directed by Ben Fee who said the following about the concept: “For me, protest right now is just showing pure positivity in the face of division and anger. I wanted to highlight the community and positivity that everybody shares… I met so many beautiful people. I went to the Taos Pueblo people, into their land, and met with the war chief, and they were very big fans of CCR. They were so welcoming because they knew the song and the band, and they really loved the idea of protest through positivity.”
Even though the Vietnam War is long pass, the song remains relevant. It is a powerful anthem to rally against the system that exploits the 99 for the benefit of 1.