and a representation, however stylized, of the Americans who aren't in the top one percent.Ĭreedence's anti-Vietnam War anthem was originally released as a critique of elitism and class privilege: "It made me so angry that the rich old men make the war, and the poor young men have to fight it," frontman John Fogerty reiterated to Pitchfork in 2007. It's an idyllic picture of the pool halls, river rope swings, vintage cars and beguilingly worn-out cities of the U.S. The first official music video for Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1969 hit "Fortunate Son" is, appropriately, exactly that - taking you down the Pacific coast and across the South.
Green Day pretty much nailed the physical, emotional, and mental feelings of an entire nation in their hit song.Summertime usually stirs up the urge to leave work behind and hop in the car, top down and windows open, to speed through the desert, mountains and along the coast. This is easily interpreted as the heightened terror alerts that were put in place across all the major cities is “the alien nation”, easily interpreted as the USA. Green day also sarcastically says: “Welcome to a new kind of tension.
This was proving the power of his propaganda in removing kinks in his armor, and the fact that that time was a time of terror, war and death certainly added to the country’s feeling of paranoia. This song was so popular in its time that President Bush actually banned it for a while, claiming that it was a threat to national security due to it Anti-American tone. Bush (him being the redneck with an agenda). The lyrics: “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda Now everybody do the propaganda And sing along in the age of paranoia”, poke fun at the former Republican President George W. The lyrics: “Don’t want a nation that doesn’t know media And can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mind f- America” are meant to encourage Americans to break the trend of listening to what they are told, and instead ask questions and investigate what they have been told. American idiot is a song that brings light to the fact that the media controls what Americans know about the world events, whether it is true or not. In 2004 the band Green Day released the song “American Idiot” and it instantly catapulted them into the stratosphere and made them one of the world’s most prominent rock bands. Once the president called you into service, you were soon to be sent to the battlefield, it was essentially a death notice. The moment a boy became a soldier and was sent off to war is captured by the lyrics “And when the band plays “Hail to the chief”, Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord”. America embraced the song because it was saying what everyone was thinking, the fear of unjust death. The draft is portrayed as an inevitable and horrendous event that can’t be avoided unless you have power or influence in government. It ain’t me, it ain’t me I ain’t no fortunate one, no …It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no millionaire’s son,It ain’t me, it ain’t me I ain’t no fortunate one, no”. This is shown by the lyrics “It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, son There were some instances of high powered government officials who allegedly got their sons draft numbers not called, sparing their child’s life and sending another person in his place.
Its main message was that American men were forced to go to war in Vietnam against their will, due to the reinstatement of the Military Draft.
Fortunate Son became known and embraced as an anthem to protest the war in Vietnam.
In 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival, better known as CCR, released the song “Fortunate Son”.