Entertainment
Move Over ‘Born in the USA’, This is the 4th of July’s Real Misunderstood Anthem
Protest music has been a constant in the industry since its beginning. Just like any art, music is a form of expression, and the thoughts and feelings expressed often stem from the situations in the world around us. Like any piece of art, music is up for interpretation, and this is part of its beauty. However, this means that some people will interpret music without fully understanding it. Ascribing a meaning to a song without fully dissecting the lyrics. This is the case for many political anthems throughout rock music. “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen often gets discussed around the Fourth of July, as it stands out as a prime example of a critique of America that gets propped up as patriotic. Another great example of this, however, comes from earlier in rock’s history. A song often associated with American forces descending into the Vietnam War, that’s really advocating for anything but, “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR).
The True Meaning of “Fortunate Son”
“Fortunate Son,” like many CCR songs, is the product of legendary songwriter John Fogerty. What makes “Fortunate Son” so resonant is its raw simplicity and vitriolic anger. The track’s first verse establishes people “born to wave the flag” who are “red, white, and blue,” However, when the government arrives (“the band plays Hail to the Chief,”) these same people throw you into danger for their own personal gains, or for the “greater good of the country” (“They’ll point the cannon at you.”)
In this case, Fogerty is referencing the Vietnam War draft and “draft dodgers”. From 1964 to 1973, all men between the ages of 18 and 26 had to register to be drafted. This was a lottery system where, by birthdate, men were forced to enlist in the United States Military to fight the Vietnam War. Many men attempted to avoid military service by any means possible, but this was easiest for those who had an immense amount of privilege and power. Some of these men were allegedly able to use financial and political connections to stave off military service altogether or join the military in a role that’d exclude them from the frontline conflict of Vietnam.
The Real Target of “Fortunate Son”
Due to the popularity of “Fortunate Son,” there has been a lot of speculation about the “true subject” of the song. These theories have not been helped by the fact that the most direct hint Fogerty drops in the song “I ain’t no senator’s son” is a red herring. According to Fogerty himself in an interview for the book Bad Moon Rising, “During the Vietnam War, these were the people who didn’t have to go to war. I was thinking about David Eisenhower, the grandson of (former President) Dwight, who married Julie Nixon.
This condemnation of one man can be extended to the entire role of class privilege in the Vietnam war. In an interview for Up Around The Bend: An Oral History of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty said, “I was mad at the specter of the ordinary kid who had to serve in an army in a war that he was very much against. Yet the sons of the well-to-do and powerful didn’t have to worry about those things. They were fortunate. I thought all these guys were running around saying, “It’s good for America,” — Nixon or whoever was saying this. Yet their kids ain’t going.” Eventually, Eisenhower did join the military in 1970, a year after the release of “Fortunate Son,” but was stationed aboard a ship in the Mediterranean as an officer.
The 10 Greatest Anti-War Songs of All Time, Ranked
These protests of war feel unfortunately timeless.
Pop Culture Dull’s the Edge of “Fortunate Son”
The popularity of the track at the time of release, being used to condemn the war, made it an overall standout of the era. Therefore, it came first of mind for directors wanting to invoke the time period musically. Most famously, the track features in Forrest Gump, as Gump, played by Tom Hanks, touches down to begin his service in Vietnam. The film does showcase some of the horrors of the Vietnam War, most notably with the death of Gump’s friend Bubba later on. When the song is used, though, it’s as a transition between a somber scene of Gump and his mother before he leaves for service to Gump’s arrival at camp. The scene is mostly accompanied by shots of helicopters, guns, and the fellow service members at the camp. This gives the track more of a set dressing feel, rather than addressing it’s commentary.
Due to the popularity of Forrest Gump, “Fortunate Son” has become known as the “Vietnam movie song,” even if it’s actual appearances in films are far fewer than that reputation would imply. The track’s first film appearance was in the documentary Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1987), which predates Forrest Gump by three years. It would then be used in films like Die Hard 4.0 (2007), Battleship (2012), Suicide Squad (2016), War Dogs (2016) and Logan Lucky (2017). While some of these are war movies, none of them are about Vietnam. Still, the song became associated as a soundtrack for the war. It was used in Battlefield: Vietnam which can be seen in a gag in Season 16, Episode 16 of Family Guy where Glen Quagmire tells Peter Griffin that the thing he was most unprepared for in Vietnam was the non-stop playing of “Fortunate Son.” This then cuts away to Quagmire in agony as the song plays in every waking, and sleeping moment of his time in Vietnam.
Misunderstanding of the Song in Modern Politics
“Fortunate Son” has continued to make headlines this decade, as in 2020, President Donald Trump used the song at a rally. The choice came under scrutiny because of how the song’s lyrics relate to Trump, not only in terms of his generational wealth, but also in how Trump has been accused of faking bone spurs in his feet to avoid serving in Vietnam. Fogerty commented on Trump’s use of the song, saying, “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.” The discourse around this use by Trump and his team shows that there is still a misunderstanding of the track that survives to this day.
The song still remains a Fourth of July classic. In some ways, protest rock, calling out the flaws in the system with the intent of fixing them, is exactly what the Declaration of Independence served to do 250 years ago. However, using the track as a blatant pro-America anthem is disingenuous to the original point of the song.
Forrest Gump
- Release Date
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July 6, 1994
- Runtime
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142 minutes
- Director
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Robert Zemeckis
- Writers
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Eric Roth, Winston Groom
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