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Posted on 07/09/2025 2:23:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Creedence Clearwater Revival's eight-times-platinum anti-war song "Fortunate Son" was their fifth and final Top 40 smash of 1969. John Fogerty still isn't happy with it.
The band had rushed right back in the studio following the August 1969 release of Green River, and Fogerty was pushing himself to the limit. By October, Creedence Clearwater Revival had issued Willy and the Poor Boys, also home to the hit single "Down on the Corner."
"The basic tracks for 'Down on the Corner' and 'Fortunate Son' were both recorded, and one afternoon I went over to Wally Heider's studio to finish the songs," Fogerty told the Los Angeles Times. "For 'Down on the Corner,' I did the maracas and the middle solo part, then sang all the background vocals then sang the lead. So I'd been singing at the top of my lungs for probably an hour and a half, then I had to go back and finish 'Fortunate Son.'"
Some contemporary singers were known to have purposely worn down their voices to achieve the desired studio roughness, but Fogerty argues that his subsequent performance on "Fortunate Son" still feels off.
"I was screaming my heart out, doing the best I could, but later I felt that some of the notes were a little flat — that I hadn't quite hit the mark," Fogerty said. "I always sort of cringed about that."
'Fortunate Son' Soars Into the Top 5
Despite his misgivings, "Fortunate Son" would become a No. 3 hit – and a standard element of protest rallies and his many concerts.
"I know that in the case of the Beatles, John [Lennon] would just sit in the studio screaming and screaming until his voice got raw enough, then he'd record some takes," Fogerty acknowledged. "Perhaps the fact that it was a little out of tune made it — what's the word? — more pop-worthy. I don't know."
He took another shot at getting it right on Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years, a forthcoming 20-song collection featuring remakes of some of Fogerty's best-known songs. The LP follows his victory two years ago after a long legal battle over publishing rights.
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For later
Yeah, I like that about as much as born in the usa. 😂👍
I’m not satisfied with it either. Stop playing it.
Fogerty did great guitar!
Not fancy, but unforgettable riffs..
John “took over” the SiriusXM Classic Vinyl channel the entire week of the 4th. He may have some liberal leanings but he’s a good American patriot, like the kind many of us remember growing up with when you didn’t have to see every issue the same way to be friends with someone.
The band signed a horrible contract when they started out and John just recently finally got the rights to his own songs back, and he performs them now with his kids. Worth a listen.
An interesting comment he made - his most played song on Spotify with over 2 billion plays is “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”. There’s also a remixed version by some German guy on YouTube.
I don’t think those songs are remotely similar.
great song. every garage band i was in played CCR. as the son of blue collar/enlisted man who fought in 3 wars, i relate to that song more and more every year that goes by.
Politically perhaps. 🎸😂👍🇺🇸
When I hear “Proud Mary,” I imagine hippies lounging on the banks of the Russian River as they roll their joints.
I liked Rod Stewart’s rendition of “have you ever seen the rain”....pretty good. The studio version sounds like a full orchestra, strings and all.....
Rod did good remakes.....especially “this old heart of mine”....I think better than the original by the Isley Brothers.
Have you ever seen the rain...Rod Stewart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oX2FSv4Rys
I hated “Fortunate Son” from the first time I heard it in i970. I also hated “American Woman” by the Guess Who, which went to #1 a couple months later. It made me despondent to know that so many Americans were buying records that run down our country.
credence and canned heat- Blind Owl-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKaO9aLDYtc&list=PLf55CatqBj4WB1D6wMgoO3ydyqPT9_JyS
prolly my favorite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZXRWgKe1x8&list=PLf55CatqBj4WB1D6wMgoO3ydyqPT9_JyS&index=9
Rod Stewart is all or nothing - his songs are either really good or really bad. IMO his best cover is The First Cut Is the Deepest - blows Cat Stevens' original out of the water.
From what I heard, John Fogerty is such a perfectionist that I'm surprised he ever got any song finished to his satisfaction. That perfectionism drove his CCR bandmates crazy. While he was probably too critical of his bandmates, to be fair, he was hard on himself, too.
This EXACTLY. He basically trained all the other band members and rode them like rented mules.
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