50 years ago: Creedence Clearwater Revival “Fortunate Son” charted

Fortunate Son Creedence Clearwater Revival

Writer(s): John Fogerty (see lyrics here) First Charted: October 25, 1969 Peak: 3 US, 6 CB, 2 GR, 4 HR, 1 CL, 2 CN, 2 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.6 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 351.9 video, 1027.11 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Although Creedence Clearwater Revival were from the Bay area, the band didn’t fit the San Francisco scene. Instead of “unfocused and rambling jams” TC CCR were knocking out “astounding, powerful 45s.” TC Lead singer John Fogerty was from a dysfunctional working-class family, so when he wrote “Fortunate Son” it wasn’t “just another hippie anti-war song” TC but “one of the greatest class-consciousness songs to ever become a hit record.” NRR It “was written with middle finger in full flight to the Nixon administration, the legacy of the ‘silver spoon in hand’ kids, and the contradictions and struggles of a wartime America.” UCR The band’s audience “was precisely the kind of white kids who were in the Vietnam jungles.” TC “In just two and a half minutes, Creedence Clearwater Revival spit out enough venom via ‘Fortunate Son’ to disarm, or at least disorient the enemy.” UCR “The simplicity, urgency and direct message of ‘Fortunate Son’ speaks volumes. In its own way, it’s as punk rock as punk rock ever got.” UCR “That being said, even if you take the politics out of it, ‘Fortunate Son’ remains one hell of a record.” UCR “One of John Fogerty‘s best vocals sends the song through the roof.” UCR “John practically spits out the words ‘It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one.’” NRR John has said he could have done better on the song. “I always thought my singing was a little lacking…I went in to do two songs that day. The first one was ‘Down on the Corner.’ I sang all of the background parts, and then sang the lead. Then with the time we had left at that session, I said: ‘OK, let ‘er rip!’ and I sang the lead on ‘Fortunate Son.’ I’ve just always thought that I maybe should have started with that one that day.” NRR The song was released as a double-A-sided single with “Down on the Corner” and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It wasn’t their first trip to the upper eschelon of the charts; they’d previously reached #2 on three occasions with “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Green River.” The song appeared on Willy and the Poor Boys, the band’s third album release in 1969 and third consecutive multi-platinum, top-10 album. Resources: TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 847-8. NRR National Recording Registry essay by Hank Bordowitz UCR UltimateClassicRock.com (6/20/2013). “Top 100 Classic Rock Songs” Related Links: First posted 8/3/2022; last updated 7/14/2023.

On This Day (1969): Creedence Clearwater Revival “Bad Moon Rising” released

Bad Moon Rising Creedence Clearwater Revival

Writer(s): John Fogerty (see lyrics here) Released: April 16, 1969 First Charted: May 2, 1969 Peak: 2 BB 2 CB, 11 GR, 11 HR, 1 CL, 13 UK, 5 CN, 3 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.6 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 121.15 video, 683.45 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Creedence Clearwater Revival was formed in 1968 by John Fogerty. Rock and roll may have been in its adolescence, but it was already old enough for roots revival music like CCR’s that “turned to bluegrass, mountain music, rockabilly, and honky-tonk for inspiration.” MM The band’s first two hits were covers of Dale Hawkins’ “Suzy Q” and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You.” Between those and their third single, the original Mississippi-steamboat-themed “Proud Mary” the band established themselves as the band with a swampy-vibe that sounded like they were from New Orleans – even though they’d never been there. They extended that feeling with their next single, “Bad Moon Rising,” and its suggestion of down-south voodoo. The song was considered a reflection of “the cosmic ethos of the hippie movement and the foreboding late 1960s. In truth, the song poked fun at astrology and had little to do with current events.” MM Still, it was “a dark song for dark times, with the Vietnam war riaging and Richard Nixon in power – but all set to a bouncy, jangly beat; a vision of Doomsday with a smile.” SS Author Dave Thompson describes it as “the end of the world set to music. It is every horror film you’ve ever seen and every nightmare you’ve ever had.” DT It was inspired more by the 1941 The Devil and Daniel Webster about a farmer who sells his soul to the devil. As Fogerty said, “What I remembered most is this furious storm the town endures. All of my lyrics for the song were inspired by that scene.” MM Of course, the title of the song has evoked one of the most misunderstood lyrics of all time as people have mistakenly thought Fogerty to be singing, “There’s a bathroom on the right.” Fogerty has said he purposely pokes fun at the song now by singing the incorrect lyrics. MM Fogerty also shared that the instrumental arrangement was influenced by “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” by Elvis Presley, MM particularly Scotty Moore’s guitar licks. SS The recording technique was inspired by Gene Vincent, who recorded vocals and instrumentals separately. MM It worked. As rock critic Dave Marsh said, “The jangle of the guitar isn’t simply evoking old rockabilly singles, just vibrating at the same damnable frequency as your nerves.” DM Resources: DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Page 138. MM Marc Myers (12/6/2022). Anatomy of 55 More Songs. Grove Press: New York, NY. Pages 63-6. SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 862-3. DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 165. Related Links: First posted 9/12/2023; last updated 9/15/2023.

Today in Music (1969): “Proud Mary” set sail on the charts

Proud Mary Creedence Clearwater Revival

Writer(s): John Fogerty (see lyrics here) First Charted: January 18, 1969 Peak: 2 US, 2 CB, 11 GR, 11 HR, 8 UK, 2 CN, 5 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 5.0 radio, 31.1 video, 140.04 streaming

Proud Mary Ike & Tina Turner

First Charted: January 30, 1971 Peak: 4 US, 5 CB, 6 HR, 5 RB, 3 CL, 62 UK, 11 CN, 4 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 5.0 radio, 117.46 video, 47.50 streaming

Awards (CCR): Click on award for more details.

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Awards (Ike & Tina Turner):

About the Song: “Proud Mary” established Creedence Clearwater Revival as the best act out of New Orleans since Fats Domino, an impressive feat since they’d never been there! SJ In fact, singer/songwriter John Fogerty had never been to the South period, but said “I was drawn to that my typical world of Mark Twain…Stephn Foster, Howlin’ Wolf…The South seemed to exist in another time – a slower, more leisurely time. It seemed exotic as if it were someplace far away, and yet very American at the same time.” SS The band’s signature swampy sound understandably gave them a Louisiana vibe, but a guitar solo which Fogerty said was influenced by Booker T & the MG’s Steve Cropper helps tie the song to the musical South as well. The fact that it also sounds “like an ancient gospel song in its rousing rallying cry” AMG doesn’t hurt either. Music critic Dave Marsh called it “a riff and a rhythm that roll along as mighty as the Mississippi itself.” DM Add in steamboat-themed lyrics and the connection is complete. Fogerty called “Proud Mary” “the first really good song I ever wrote.” RS500 Bob Dylan called it his favorite song of the year. SS Fogerty had the title first, thinking it might be a song about a maid in a rich household. SS When he started singing about the river, he decided to make the song about a boat, RS500 a “story of a Mississippi paddle steamer as she plies the waters from Memphis to New Orleans, a reminder of the days when the river was alive with traffic.” DT This blossomed into a tale of a man abandoning the city for work on a steamboat, a theme which fit well with the 1969 back-to-the-country counterculture movement, even if Fogerty’s message was really about “a working man finding release, not a middle-class hippie yearning for a pastoral ideal.” AMG Some people interpreted the line “keep on rolling” as a drug reference. DT As the band’s first U.S. top ten, “Proud Mary” has also become the definitive CCR song, blending Americana, swamp rock, blues, country, rockabilly, gospel, and soul. AMG The song gave the band a dubious record – as the first of five CCR singles to peak at #2, the band gained the distinction of hitting the runner-up slot the most times without ever going to #1. WK While it didn’t go to the top, it pulled off a rare feat in becoming the signature song for not one, but two major recording acts. Ike and Tina Turner enhanced the song’s gospel and soul vibe to create “a raveup with the feel of a church revival.” AMG It landed the duo at #4 on the pop charts and #5 on the R&B charts in 1971. Resources: AMG All Music Guide DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Page 60. RS500 Rolling Stone (2011). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” SJ Bob Shannon and John Javna (1986). Behind the Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. Warner Books, Inc.: New York, NY. Page 72. SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 561-2. DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 124. WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 9/15/2023.