Song 186: Today I posted Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival as this week's new song on the favorites playlist. I linked to a YouTube video of the song that features scenes from Tour of Duty, and certainly when John Fogerty wrote the tune, the Vietnam war set the background for those fortunate sons who wave the flag but make someone else fight the wars they start, and who fill their pockets with wads of taxpayer cash while some unfortunate sons dodge the bullets, but the songwriter covers a lot of other territory as well in his 3 short verses. Now nearly 4 and a half decades since CCR recorded this song, lines like I ain't no senator's son have taken on additional shades of meaning, in an era when average workers' salaries are declining but over half the members of Congress are millionaires. At the time this song rocketed up the charts, I knew a little bit about some of those folks who are born with a silver spoon in hand, and how they help themselves, but these days, they help themselves so much you really have to close your eyes if you want to see no evil. In the post-Reagan era, those silver-spoon types don't need to make the inside of the mansion look like a rummage sale because they've already bought off the taxman, along with a whole lot of politicians, and so the taxman very likely won't even come to the door. If anyone has a suggestion for a better song about our country's slouch towards plutocracy and foolish military adventures, I'd love to hear it, but for me, John Fogerty's song says it best, and I understand it very well, because, like him, It ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son.
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