“ Fortunate Son ” (literally “Minion of Fate” ) is an antiwar song by the American group Creedence Clearwater Revival from their 1969 album Willy and the Poor Boys . The single was released in conjunction with the song “ Down on the Corner ” in September 1969. [1]
| Fortunate son | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single Creedence Clearwater Revival from the album Willy and the Poor Boys | ||||
| Side “A” | "Down on the Corner" | |||
| Released | September 1969 | |||
| Recorded by | 1969, Berkeley (California) | |||
| Genre | Hard Rock , Northern Rock , Blues Rock | |||
| Duration | 2:21 | |||
| Producer | John Fogerty | |||
| Songwriter | John Fogerty | |||
| Label | Fantasy records | |||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival Singles Timeline | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| R s | Position No. 99 in the list 500 greatest songs of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine |
John Fogerty was inspired to write the song in 1968 by , the grandson of Dwight Eisenhower and the son-in-law of President Richard Nixon. [2] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Fogerty said:
Julie Nixon hung out with David Eisenhower, and you had a clear feeling that none of them was going to take part in the war. In 1968, the majority of the population believed that the morale in the troops was high, and eighty percent of them supported the war . But for some of us who were closely following [the events], we simply understood that we were in trouble [3] .
Original textJulie 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 1968, the majority of the country thought morale was great among the troops, and 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
On November 22, 1969, the song reached number 14 on the US charts, a week before Billboard changed the calculation method for "double-sided singles." The following week, both songs reached the 9th, and on December 20, 1969 - the 3rd position [4] . In December 1970, the song received the Gold Disc Award from the American Recording Association [5] . Pitchfork Media magazine placed it at number 17 on the list of “ The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s ” [6] . The song is also ranked 99th on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of “ 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ” [7] .
Covers and remixes of the song were subsequently recorded by such musicians and bands as Joe Lynn Turner , U2 , Dropkick Murphys , 38 Special , Circle Jerks , Pearl Jam , Corrosion Of Conformity , Cat Power , Minutemen , WASP , Kid Rock , Bruce Springsteen , Scott Steppp , Bob Seeger and Brandy Carlisle .
The song sounds in such films as Forrest Gump , Die Hard 4.0 and Suicide Squad , Manchu Candidate , episodes of the television series Sons of Anarchy and Chuck , as well as in many computer games.
Notes
- ↑ Creedence Clearwater Revival . telus.net (2 January 1971). Date of treatment June 2, 2013. Archived June 2, 2013.
- ↑ The story behind the lyrics and the identity of the "Fortunate Son" . Snopes.com. Date of treatment July 21, 2010. Archived June 2, 2013.
- ↑ Fortunate Son Songfacts . Songfacts.com. Date of treatment June 2, 2013. Archived June 2, 2013.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Sixties (October 25, 1969 through December 27, 1969). - Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc., 1990. - ISBN 0-89820-074-1 .
- ↑ Murrells, Joseph. The Book of Golden Discs. - London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd., 1978. - P. 257.
- ↑ Staff Lists: The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s . Pitchfork (August 18, 2006). Date of treatment June 2, 2013. Archived June 2, 2013.
- ↑ Creedence Clearwater Revival, 'Fortunate Son' . rollingstone.com . Date of treatment June 2, 2013. Archived June 2, 2013.