Radio 74, side B, track 8: “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Oh, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Merry Christmas?  Maybe this isn’t the best song to play on Christmas Day, but this is the next song I recorded off the radio, so there you go.  And it’s not like this song isn’t all kinds of awesome.  I was actually pretty excited to have two of your songs on the same “tape”.

This isn’t a political blog by any means, and it’s not going to start any time soon.  But this song is a good reminder that there isn’t anything new under the son (see what I did there?).  I know a lot of people are freaking out over the current political climate.  Hell, Creedence Clearwater Revival, I’m actually reading the news again as a result of the election, despite my better judgment.  14 years ago, at the height of the Bush II era, I’d have been freaking out right along with everyone else.  But I’ve mellowed since then.  Sure, things are starting to look a little like the prequel to “The Purge”, but it’s not like this kind of thing is new.  This song is almost 50 years old, and boils down to “rich people can do what they want”.  We’ve made some gigantic societal leaps, but at the same time, humans are going to keep being humans, so for every “Put A Little Love In Your Heart”, there are going to be songs like this one.  Thanks for trying to keep us honest, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and merry Christmas!

lyrics to “Fortunate Son”