John Fogerty Confused About President Trump’s Use of ‘Fortunate Son’
John Fogerty took to Facebook to respond to the use of “Fortunate Son” at a recent rally for President Donald Trump.
The Creedence Clearwater Revival song written by Fogerty was used at President Trump’s September 10 rally in Freeland, Michigan. In the video below, Fogerty acknowledges the use and says he finds it “…confounding, to say the least.”
“I wrote the song back in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam War,” said Fogerty. “By the time I wrote the song, I had been drafted and served in the military, and I’ve been a lifelong supporter of our guys and gals in the military probably because of that experience, of course. Back in those days, we still had a draft.”
In the 1960s, President Trump received five draft deferments: Four from being a student enrolled in college and a fifth following graduating from college in the spring of 1968 after being diagnosed with bone spurs in his heels.
Fogerty continued, “Something I was upset about was that people of privilege – in other words, rich people – or people of position could use that to avoid the draft and not be taken into the military. I found that very upsetting that such a thing could occur, and that’s why I wrote ‘Fortunate Son.’ That was the inspiration of the song.”
Fogerty continued, “It’s a song I could’ve written now, so I find it confusing, I would say, that the president has chosen to use my song for his political rallies, when in fact it seems like he is probably the ‘Fortunate Son.'”
Fogerty’s complete statement can be viewed below.
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