'Hail to the Chief' is the song played when the US President enters the room. They are referencing the people that were able to get OUT of the Vietnam draft. 'It ain't me', because he's been sent to fight.
My read of this is that’s not just an anti war song; it’s a song about the economic disparities in America, and the hypocrisy of the aristocratic class. Timeless theme; applies today for different reasons. I think this one of the most powerful anthems in US rock history. Very punk rock.
My Cousin Was K.I.A. In 1968 !! Lots of My Cousins and Family Friends Son's Served in Vietnam !! R.I.P. To All Those Who Lost There Live's in Vietnam !! Bless All Those Who Served !!
And to add to the confusion, I believe the listed lyrics are wrong, I always heard it as "they point the *camera* at you", not cannon, which makes more sense in context. So, what Fogerty is saying, if I am correct about this, is that some folks are seen as natural candidates for leading the country, but that he has nothing like that kind of pedigree. I would point out that none of the actual presidents who were of military age during Vietnam served in the military (some of the challengers had military service in their backgrounds, but none of them won election), so there was some prescience there.
Hail to the chief is not,referring to Native Americans, it’s played at every Presidential event when u see military bands. And yes, the wealthy (many in govt. also) children were safe in college, while other young men were fair game for the draft. My late husband got a free tour of Asia, as he called it, in ‘69.
@Gerald H Odd how y’all are so obsessed with Trump going to Vietnam, but people like Cassius Clay are lauded for draft dodging and are seen as American heroes for “standing up to the man”. Which is it?
Draftee here... '68. Guys were disappearin' from the neighborhood. Then, that feelin' you get in your gut when you read the word, "Greetings" is surreal. "Really? Me?" But I gotta say, was the bes' thing ever happened to me. Yea, I did a tour in Nam (1970), but since I was lucky (and that is all it was), there is a sense of relief and a weird melancholy. CCR to me were the 'Anthem Makers' of our generation. Can't listen to any of their stuff without a wet cheek. To those who've seen the rain... Welcome Home, Brothers.
Fogerty has a great voice that has stood up well through the years. This song rips the plastic patriots waving the flag. And yeah, if you were a rich kid you didn't have to go die in Vietnam.
CCR's strength was that they sang to an Everyman audience, not specifically to a hippy subculture or an affluent, white suburb, with all the weight of blues and gospel in their rhythm. Try "Lodi" (about failure), "Long As I Can See the Light" (about love & faith), or "Run Through the Jungle" (again Nam and nightmares).
they were working class kids. my uncle worked with one or more of them (i forget) at PG & E, the northern california power company, before they hit it big
Part of the reason you had SO much great music then was that the first wave of baby boomers were coming of age….and so we dominated the culture just by shear numbers. Combine that with the opposition to the war by a good chunk of young people, the race riots and fight for civil rights…you had a culture in turmoil. Add to that the extremely high importance of music at that time to the youth culture as a means of expression and bonding of “the tribe” so-to-speak….and you get talented artists who seek to enter music as a career……and you get cultural “hot spots” like LA (Laurel Canyon) San Francisco in America….London….where these artists congregate and share ideas, riffs etc……and build upon each other’s ideas and sing on one another albums. And the music scene just explodes. It has been described as akin to a type of Renaissance if you will.
I think so. British invasion of 1964 by children born while bombs dropped or played in bomb craters in bankrupt exhausted economy with severe food rationing had a depth the US white boy pop singers didn't have. Vietnam fuelled WASP Americans catching up on the grittiness of life making deeper music, discovering American blues and white blue collar music
John Fogerty has one of my favorite voices in all music. So distinctive that it makes you pay attention to the lyrics. I love this song volume fully up.
I think you're correct that the great music at this time was partially inspired by the tumultuous times of the 60s with the Vietnam war and the the 60s cultural revolution. The young people weren't afraid to question authority as their lives were on the line due to the draft. There are many other forces responsible for the explosion of superb music in the 60s and 70s. We had no PCs, video games and social media to distract us from interacting with each other, master an instrument or collaborate on music. Another factor that fostering great music was that the music industry was not run like it is today.
Well said. I would add the new technologies associated with music and also, ironically, the free(d) market. Excellent artists could make money if mainly thanks to those who demanded a return i.e. the Stones, Beatles etc.
You are absolutely right! The turmoil of the age; the end of innocence; assassinations; racial conflicts; Detroit burning; and especially Vietnam. Vietnam. Vietnam! From the first time I was old enough to watch Walter Cronkite on the evening news until I was in eleventh grade, part of my nightly prayer was "please have the war in Vietnam stop". It all created powerful music that you just can't get in an age like today.
"Hail to the Chief" is a piece of music they used to play when the President was being introduced at events, like a fanfare. Fyi, he (John Fogerty) actually served in the Army before his music career.
Just about the perfect rock song. Great lyrics, great melody, great hooks, awesome vocal and a brilliant overall band performance. You can't go wrong with Creedence, man. It's just wall to wall great song after great song.
Songs like this serve as reminders that as crazy as things seem right now, they've been just as crazy (or crazier) in the not-too-distant past. Many of the same problems folks were working on solving are still problems that need solving.
I know a lot of folks who were born in the 30’s & 40’s. They grew up through these times & they all say they’ve never seen shit anywhere near as crazy as it is now.
At school in 1969-70, we had a junior study room, a record player, and two LPs: Beatles White Album and CCR Willie And The Poor Boys. Played constantly
The thing about this song that gets to me is its grace in a horrific situation. I don't know how they did it. When guys like Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon were literally murdering your friends and trying to send you to your death, how do you just rise above and sing a song like this? So amazing.
Although he did not want the U.S. to be DIRECTLY INVOLVED in the Vietnam 'civil war', the rumblings of U.S. involvement there started under Kennedy. L.B.J. eventually keyed up our involvement there. Nixon, somewhat to his credit, ended our involvement in Vietnam in 1973. ( although he did sign on to our hidden agenda of expanding that war into the fringes of Laos and Cambodia before '73 )
This song was released during the Vietnam war and many, many American citizens did not believe we should be over there. You should check out The Times They Are A-Changing, Blowing In The Wind and A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall by Bob Dylan.
The President is referred to as the Commander in Chief, Hail to the Chief is the musical flourish that is played when the president makes an appearance.
This song served as an anthem for those of us who opposed the Viet Nam conflict- hearing it still takes me back to '69, when I was 20 & 'draft-eligible'!
He’s talking about Vietnam, the draft, and hypocrisy of the whole situation. By ‘69 the US has been sending boys to die since the Kennedy Administration which ended in ‘63. Back then as well as today the majority of soldiers were boys straight outta high school. If you were in university you weren’t drafted, unless u dropped out. But if you’re family had the money you could stay in school or even go abroad to avoid the draft. The movie “Platoon” or “Born on the 4th of July” are great little snap shots of America during the war. ✌🏼💗🤗
Kids in College could in fact get drafted if they didn't stay in school full time, or maintain good grades. You had to apply for deferment though and would (theoretically) have to commit to service after getting out of College. The point of the "Senator's Son" line is that those with money or connections could easily attain these deferments or if enlisted could score a safer deployment. If you weren't in College you were S.O.L. I had a cousin who's Father (My Uncle) was a retired Army Colonel. He got drafted in 1970 and ended up enlisting but he never went to Vietnam, He was a "Military Son". He spent 2 years in Germany and 2 in So. Korea. That's what having connections could do for you. I missed being "draftable" by 2 years.
CCR was one of the best bands of the era. Their rendition of "Heard it Through the Grapevine" and their anti-Vietnam war songs "Who'll Stop the Rain", "Have you ever seen the Rain" & "Run though the Jungle" are terrific and their rendition of "American Band" is unforgettable. Thanks for playing this & your comments.
Rock and roll and also the blues comes from the struggle of black Americans in the South. Overcoming slavery, cruel discrimination, and horrible suffering. As bad as that is, we can thank them for most of the music we love today. You are correct. Great music often comes form great suffering. Sad but true.
Would love to see your reaction to Santana. "Soul Sacrifice" 1969 Woodstock is a real banger. The studio version of "Black Magic Woman" is another one.
A great song, and delivered brilliantly. Sadly, it's still a song with relevance, especially the verse about the rich and their (lack of) taxes. And yeah, right in the heart of the Vietnam war - it wasn't the rich and powerful who were forced into being drafted - there were always loopholes if you had enough sway. As Steve Earle sang in "Copperhead Road", "they draft the white trash first 'round here anyway". One of the great anti-Vietnam War songs.
You are correct, the people of means were able to escape the horrors of combat , but my big brother, Charles Nalley, wasn’t trash. He was from a working class family and joined the Marines just before he was drafted. My dad stormed the beaches of Normandy and shared some of his combat experiences with Chuck . Dad never talked about the war with the rest of the family, but warned his eldest son how brutal the Army was. Of coarse, being a Marine Grunt in Nam was no better. I sensed a condescending tone to your post. Please be mindful of your words, not everyone has the means to escape the controlling political forces.
@@susannalley5376 I had no intention of sounding condescending to any member of the military, past, present, or future. While I abhor war, I have nothing but the greatest respect for anyone willing to put their life on the line for the things they hold dear. Any distaste I have is - as I thought my post made clear - for those who use their social, political, or financial standing to avoid serving in the military.
Very insightful reaction. 52,000 young American men, 18-22, died in Vietnam with twice that many severely injured and poisoned with Agent Orange (herbicide) sprayed by the US Government to reduce foliage in the jungle. The public was constantly lied to by our government about how the war was going and our role to help the South Vietnamese people (who also hated us) against communism. The war couldn't be won the way the US decided to approach it. Very similar to Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. This song in particular conveys the sentiment of the US teens who were about to be drafted.
He was singing about the draft during the Vietnam war where the rich kids were sent to college avoiding the draft and the poor kids were drafted and sent to Vietnam.
“Hail to the Chief” is the music that is played whenever the American President comes into a room. Like playing God Save the Queen when she enters, I would assume.
Whats really sad is how young this men were. My husband was at this time the head of his unit at 21 and the men under him were 17, 18, 19. What a profound loss!!
BBC TV has a series about start of SAS, Rogue Heroes. Difficult to get actors young enough for WW2 films because they're still in drama school. The three who started SAS were born about 1915, mid 20s in desert campaign. A 19-year old in the first batch had already killed 21 men. My father was 19 when he joined army in 1939, fought Japanese in Burma mountainous jungles. Massive difference, as Pete Townshend has noted, despite British empire history of atrocities, WW2 fighting Germany and Japan, was, if anything can be, a just war. Vietnam was not, so GI grunts couldn't even be proud to have taken part and were not appreciated afterwards. Which was experience of Brits, like my father, who came home from the Burma war to find a country that had already moved on, done its celebrations, post war jobs all taken, politics wanted bad stories about Japan brushed under carpet
"It seems like great turmoil creates the best art." It ain't art unless you been through it. Without the personal experience there's no heart and soul to it. That's where commercialized pop music comes in.
John Fogerty is/was the master of the sub-3 minute song. And yes, 3 records…full on albums in less than a calendar year. He was an extremely prolific writer.
@@paulkane7771 plus, during their time, it was not a whole lot more than 6 months between any album. Incredibly prolific and consistent. One of the greatest American bands. John had the writing/recording process down probably better than any band in history. The Beatles also did it similarly. Their record company and George Martin had them on a schedule that kept producing music constantly. What is amazing is the quality of the music that both bands generated by their processes.
Just one of the reasons the 60's - 90's was such a great time for music was bands and record company's were allowed to make money. The big labels produced everything they could and put it out there and sold it for the public to decide. In this day of digital sharing there's no money in producing unknown artists because as soon as the music is recorded it's distributed across the internet. That's one reason today's music sucks.
One of the most misused tracks of all time - ironic, given the power and message of the lyrics. Definitely an iconic piece of music - I'd put it in a similar category with Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" as being emblematic of the Vietnam War era, thanks to (over)use in media depicting that time period. Anyway, it's hard to beat CCR for great music - give "Bad Moon Rising" a listen when you get a chance. Will definitely concur in regards to "struggle and art'; this was definitely one of the most creative periods in American music.
@Gerald H Yeah, I'm aware of that now, but it's used so frequently in Vietnam movies that I automatically associate the opening chords with helicopters and agent orange.
"It seems that great turmoil creates the best art..." -- That's the HOPE because that is one of art's true roles in society -- to help people make better sense of events around them. This only works when art is nourished and rewarded for the sake of art. Today art is seen as more valuble for building a brand for cars or ED drugs, etc. Many comment that music (art in general) today sucks. It isn't because our times aren't difficult enough to generate meaningful art. Art today sucks because we have multiple generations with zero exposure to playing an instrument or who are unable to distinguish by name the instruments in an orchestra or a four piece rock band. I think that's the goal... To water down music education and anesthetize the masses with bland, indistinguishable mush so that no artist ever calls BS on the powers that be by releasing songs like Fortunate Son, For What It's Worth or Masters of War.
They actually got this on the Ed Sullivan show, middle America's (highly rated) Sunday night variety TV show. Ed was famous for fighting off drug references by the acts he featured.
They were always standing up for the little people, not the rich and powerful. Born on the Bayou: 'When I was just a little boy standin' to my daddy's knee, my papa said son, don't let the man get you, and do what he done to me.' The Midnight Special: 'Ain't no food upon the table, and no pork up in the pan, but you better not complain boy, you get in trouble with the man'. (know your place)
Insightful reaction as usual. And it's interesting that he did actually serve in the Army, although not in a combat situation. It's not just that his voice tears through things with that edge, this guy had one of the greatest singers four months, when he hits that resonance oh my God. There's so many you need to check out that really illustrate that. Also they illustrate the complete variety of what he's capable even though the band had this fairly nice sound which was always immediately recognizable. But I mean check out, Hideaway. Check out, feeling blue. Check out, every Mother's Son. Check out, it came out of the sky. Each one of these are brilliant songs in the band is great and his singing is just so incredible. I would also say go back to some of the very early stuff like, crosstie Walker, or he's talking about traveling the railroads and being disenchanted with Society. There's just such a wealth of amazing stuff here. But I love the fact that you're reviews are so intelligent. Man I love it man I'm a musician myself and it's great to have someone that can speak the same language.
If you want to hear some of their way over 3 minute really great blues tracks try 'Born on the Bayou' and 'Graveyard Train'. Other long songs are 'Heard it thru the Grapevine'(cover of Marvin Gaye - have to play the 11 min album track not the edited for single track), 'Susie Q' and 'Keep on Chooglin''.
I mean this with all respect, you got Hail To The Chief totally wrong, but that was one of the best, most insightful, intellectual, educated wrong guesses I’ve ever heard. I love your channel.
john fogerty was actually in the army. "During his time in the Army Reserve, Fogerty attended training at Fort Bragg, Fort Knox, and Fort Lee. He completed his active duty for training in July 1967, then served as a part-time reservist until being discharged in 1968.
You wil want to hear CCRr cover of Screaming' Jay Hawkins' song, "I Put A Spell Cn You."' Hawkins said that CCR "Owned" that song after he heard it. It is one of my personal favorites of theirs (and a favorite of many other fans). As for the lyrics to this song, as others have said, "Hail to the Chief" is the fanfare played whenever the President appears in public. The President is called the Commander in Chief of the US miliatry. The term "fortunate son" also refers to the fact that while the sons of the wealthy and US politicians were able to avoid the draft, the average 18 year-old male was immediately subject to the military draft on his 18th birthday.
John Fogerty was my first concert ever when I was 14. Saw him with Aaron Neville in Atlanta back in the 90s. I had just started learning guitar and was obsessed with CCR and Fogerty. Check out "Long as I can See the Light" by CCR
Speaking of conflict creating art, there is a great statement by Orson Welles’ character Harry Lime from The Third Man who says, “In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
John Fogerty and drummer Doug Clifford actually were in the Army reserves. They volunteered for it because it meant they could avoid being drafted into the regular army and sent to Vietnam. Various young American men of that time came up with various ways to avoid being drafted (military service was compulsory until the early 70s). Some went to college and got a deferment, some fled to Canada, some went to the induction centre stoned out of their gourd to get rejected on health grounds, others feigned nervous breakdowns as part of the same tactic. Those who didn't have the means to do any of this (mainly blacks and poor whites) were the ones who got shipped over to Vietnam.
Run Through the Jungle Born On the Bayou Have You Ever Seen the Rain Up Around the Bend Green River Heard it Through the Grapevine (extended version) There are tons more. That's a good starting point.
The Chief part itself is referring to the songs that plays when the President enter a building and the chief comes from the Commander in Chief which is also called our president
BTW - a few suggestions: We've Got To Get Out Of This Place - Animals Fountain Of Sorrow - Jackson Browne Every Picture Tells A Story - Rod Stewart Tomorrow Never Knows - Beatles And Your Bird Can Sing - Beatles, A blatantly anti-materialism song with maybe the best lead guitar solo ever. A solo that continues to drop in volume and yet run under the verses. Burn Down The Mission (Incl. My Baby Left Me / Get Back) - (18:00 min) - Elton John. Forget that pathetic "Crocodile Rock" from the movie. (He never played it) THIS is what blew away music industry insiders at that concert. I know - I was there. The Music industry folks would have laughed him off the stage had he played "Crocodile Rock". Play this LOUD. Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix - Ecstasy in 2-1/2 minutes
It's a combination of a great awakening and freedom of expression. The youth revolt against the establishment (Vietnam, civil rights movement and wealth disparity) with the freedom of expression. The freedom of expression, right to protest the war, the supposed freedom and justice for all and the common welfare of the people all being part of what had been established while it being anti-American to be expressing the fact that it was never established and the establishment was against establishing it. Throw in a new, powerful form of music and the floodgates of creativity were opened.
During the late sixties there was the draft. Your number came up you were drafted into military duty. On your way to Vietnam. Some youth burned there draft card and left for Canada
You are great at interpreting musical meaning and the meaning of the music as well as the lyrics. How do you do that? You seem like a writer at heart, as writers are researchers too.
@@pingasblobfish97 Disagree completely. Some are off bc he knows nothing about the songs, having never heard them before. But oftentimes, he is right on. IMO
The U.S. President holds the military title "Commander in Chief" (commander of the military). "Hail to the Chief" is the song military bands play in the presence of the President.
"Born in the USA" is the Springsteen song you're looking for; You're definitely right about the misuse of this song. I remember seeing a Tommy Hillfiger commercial a while back where they played this song over the top of models strutting around in red-white-and-blue. They cut the song off right before the chorus, and I remember thinking "Hey, wait - isn't the next line "IT AIN'T ME??" It was a pretty surreal experience.
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
'Hail to the Chief' is the song played when the US President enters the room. They are referencing the people that were able to get OUT of the Vietnam draft. 'It ain't me', because he's been sent to fight.
My read of this is that’s not just an anti war song; it’s a song about the economic disparities in America, and the hypocrisy of the aristocratic class. Timeless theme; applies today for different reasons. I think this one of the most powerful anthems in US rock history. Very punk rock.
@@Dan-zq5wt yes because if he were a senators son he’d not be sent off
My Cousin Was K.I.A. In 1968 !! Lots of My Cousins and Family Friends Son's Served in Vietnam !! R.I.P. To All Those Who Lost There Live's in Vietnam !! Bless All Those Who Served !!
And to add to the confusion, I believe the listed lyrics are wrong, I always heard it as "they point the *camera* at you", not cannon, which makes more sense in context. So, what Fogerty is saying, if I am correct about this, is that some folks are seen as natural candidates for leading the country, but that he has nothing like that kind of pedigree. I would point out that none of the actual presidents who were of military age during Vietnam served in the military (some of the challengers had military service in their backgrounds, but none of them won election), so there was some prescience there.
@@CombinatorialImplosi
Listen with your headphones on, he clearly sings “cannon.”
Hail to the chief is not,referring to Native Americans, it’s played at every Presidential event when u see military bands. And yes, the wealthy (many in govt. also) children were safe in college, while other young men were fair game for the draft. My late husband got a free tour of Asia, as he called it, in ‘69.
My mother was there in '67 and '69
Or the either bought their son’s way out of the war one way or another!
That's how Trump got out of it
@Gerald H Odd how y’all are so obsessed with Trump going to Vietnam, but people like Cassius Clay are lauded for draft dodging and are seen as American heroes for “standing up to the man”. Which is it?
President Kennedy was asked once what kind of music he liked. He replied that he thought "Hail to the Chief" was pretty catchy.
Draftee here... '68. Guys were disappearin' from the neighborhood. Then, that feelin' you get in your gut when you read the word, "Greetings" is surreal. "Really? Me?" But I gotta say, was the bes' thing ever happened to me. Yea, I did a tour in Nam (1970), but since I was lucky (and that is all it was), there is a sense of relief and a weird melancholy. CCR to me were the 'Anthem Makers' of our generation. Can't listen to any of their stuff without a wet cheek. To those who've seen the rain... Welcome Home, Brothers.
It was a protest song about the Vietnam war. There were 490 thousand US troops there when this song came out.
We were sick of the war.
Fogerty has a great voice that has stood up well through the years. This song rips the plastic patriots waving the flag.
And yeah, if you were a rich kid you didn't have to go die in Vietnam.
Like that Trump kid with his phantom bone spurs.
Exactly, you went to college or Canada-those were the fortunate sons. Daughter of Viet Nam vet. I grew up listening to this group.
CCR's strength was that they sang to an Everyman audience, not specifically to a hippy subculture or an affluent, white suburb, with all the weight of blues and gospel in their rhythm. Try "Lodi" (about failure), "Long As I Can See the Light" (about love & faith), or "Run Through the Jungle" (again Nam and nightmares).
Long As I Can See the Light is my very favorite CCR song
they were working class kids. my uncle worked with one or more of them (i forget) at PG & E, the northern california power company, before they hit it big
I think the best 10 years of rock music are from 1967 to 1977
62-72
I would add 10 more years to that
Agreed. Absolutely right choice to start it off with Sgt Pepper too. It changed so much.
Congrats. You nailed it.
Part of the reason you had SO much great music then was that the first wave of baby boomers were coming of age….and so we dominated the culture just by shear numbers. Combine that with the opposition to the war by a good chunk of young people, the race riots and fight for civil rights…you had a culture in turmoil. Add to that the extremely high importance of music at that time to the youth culture as a means of expression and bonding of “the tribe” so-to-speak….and you get talented artists who seek to enter music as a career……and you get cultural “hot spots” like LA (Laurel Canyon) San Francisco in America….London….where these artists congregate and share ideas, riffs etc……and build upon each other’s ideas and sing on one another albums. And the music scene just explodes. It has been described as akin to a type of Renaissance if you will.
I think so. British invasion of 1964 by children born while bombs dropped or played in bomb craters in bankrupt exhausted economy with severe food rationing had a depth the US white boy pop singers didn't have. Vietnam fuelled WASP Americans catching up on the grittiness of life making deeper music, discovering American blues and white blue collar music
John Fogerty has one of my favorite voices in all music. So distinctive that it makes you pay attention to the lyrics. I love this song volume fully up.
I think you're correct that the great music at this time was partially inspired by the tumultuous times of the 60s with the Vietnam war and the the 60s cultural revolution. The young people weren't afraid to question authority as their lives were on the line due to the draft. There are many other forces responsible for the explosion of superb music in the 60s and 70s. We had no PCs, video games and social media to distract us from interacting with each other, master an instrument or collaborate on music. Another factor that fostering great music was that the music industry was not run like it is today.
Well said. I would add the new technologies associated with music and also, ironically, the free(d) market. Excellent artists could make money if mainly thanks to those who demanded a return i.e. the Stones, Beatles etc.
I have heard that the Fogerty brothers were Vietnam vets and this was one of their protest songs. "Hail to the Chief," is played for US Presidents.
Welcome to CCR land. For a period of about 4 yrs they were unbelievable
You are absolutely right! The turmoil of the age; the end of innocence; assassinations; racial conflicts; Detroit burning; and especially Vietnam. Vietnam. Vietnam! From the first time I was old enough to watch Walter Cronkite on the evening news until I was in eleventh grade, part of my nightly prayer was "please have the war in Vietnam stop". It all created powerful music that you just can't get in an age like today.
"Hail to the Chief" is a piece of music they used to play when the President was being introduced at events, like a fanfare.
Fyi, he (John Fogerty) actually served in the Army before his music career.
Yeah, it’s basically like “God Save the Queen” is played when Elizabeth enters a place.
Just about the perfect rock song. Great lyrics, great melody, great hooks, awesome vocal and a brilliant overall band performance.
You can't go wrong with Creedence, man. It's just wall to wall great song after great song.
Great point on the conflict between the message of this song and the way it is used.
You're right. Best music in my era. 😊
Well said bro... Kicking back to this video was worthy of rolling up a blunt.
Songs like this serve as reminders that as crazy as things seem right now, they've been just as crazy (or crazier) in the not-too-distant past. Many of the same problems folks were working on solving are still problems that need solving.
I know a lot of folks who were born in the 30’s & 40’s. They grew up through these times & they all say they’ve never seen shit anywhere near as crazy as it is now.
CCR is from Berkeley, CA. YET, they sound pure swampy Louisiana! A must listen is “ Born On the Bayou”- it’s so swampy you can feel it!
At school in 1969-70, we had a junior study room, a record player, and two LPs: Beatles White Album and CCR Willie And The Poor Boys. Played constantly
The thing about this song that gets to me is its grace in a horrific situation. I don't know how they did it. When guys like Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon were literally murdering your friends and trying to send you to your death, how do you just rise above and sing a song like this? So amazing.
And then the Pentagon Papers and the expansion of the war into Cambodia😡
Although he did not want the U.S. to be DIRECTLY INVOLVED in the Vietnam 'civil war', the rumblings of U.S. involvement there started under Kennedy. L.B.J. eventually keyed up our involvement there. Nixon, somewhat to his credit, ended our involvement in Vietnam in 1973. ( although he did sign on to our hidden agenda of expanding that war into the fringes of Laos and Cambodia before '73 )
This song was released during the Vietnam war and many, many American citizens did not believe we should be over there.
You should check out The Times They Are A-Changing, Blowing In The Wind and A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall by Bob Dylan.
this was a time that required real singing and musicianship, REAL TALENT
References to Vietnam were sometimes hidden in songs "last train to Clarksville" by Monkees and "Galveston" by Glenn Campbell. for example.
The President is referred to as the Commander in Chief, Hail to the Chief is the musical flourish that is played when the president makes an appearance.
It was the best time in music! I was fortunate enough to grow up during this time. Loved your reaction. Another CCR song is Run Through the Jungle.
This song served as an anthem for those of us who opposed the Viet Nam conflict- hearing it still takes me back to '69, when I was 20 & 'draft-eligible'!
FO GER TEE(ty)
Awesome reaction and understanding.
This is an anti-war song. Others have already explained, but, I thought I'd chime in. Excellent reaction. Thank you.
He’s talking about Vietnam, the draft, and hypocrisy of the whole situation. By ‘69 the US has been sending boys to die since the Kennedy Administration which ended in ‘63. Back then as well as today the majority of soldiers were boys straight outta high school. If you were in university you weren’t drafted, unless u dropped out. But if you’re family had the money you could stay in school or even go abroad to avoid the draft. The movie “Platoon” or “Born on the 4th of July” are great little snap shots of America during the war. ✌🏼💗🤗
Kids in College could in fact get drafted if they didn't stay in school full time, or maintain good grades. You had to apply for deferment though and would (theoretically) have to commit to service after getting out of College. The point of the "Senator's Son" line is that those with money or connections could easily attain these deferments or if enlisted could score a safer deployment. If you weren't in College you were S.O.L. I had a cousin who's Father (My Uncle) was a retired Army Colonel. He got drafted in 1970 and ended up enlisting but he never went to Vietnam, He was a "Military Son". He spent 2 years in Germany and 2 in So. Korea. That's what having connections could do for you. I missed being "draftable" by 2 years.
@@j.kevvideoproductions.6463 I did not know exactly what the draft procedures were for kids in college. Thanks for explaining it!
✌🏼💗🤗
I was eight years old when this came out my dad had every one of their albums. CCR is probably one of my most favorite bands of all.
CCR was one of the best bands of the era. Their rendition of "Heard it Through the Grapevine" and their anti-Vietnam war songs "Who'll Stop the Rain", "Have you ever seen the Rain" & "Run though the Jungle" are terrific and their rendition of "American Band" is unforgettable. Thanks for playing this & your comments.
Rock and roll and also the blues comes from the struggle of black Americans in the South. Overcoming slavery, cruel discrimination, and horrible suffering. As bad as that is, we can thank them for most of the music we love today. You are correct. Great music often comes form great suffering. Sad but true.
One of the most humorous and sardonic anti-war songs was "Fixin' to Die Rag" by Country Joe and The Fish, the album version is the one, thank you.
Would love to see your reaction to Santana. "Soul Sacrifice" 1969 Woodstock is a real banger. The studio version of "Black Magic Woman" is another one.
It has to be the full live version, not that crap edited version that lasts for six minutes or so...
To make it as simplistic as possible, it's a song about how the rich didn't send their kids to die in Vietnam, but the poor had to.
A great song, and delivered brilliantly. Sadly, it's still a song with relevance, especially the verse about the rich and their (lack of) taxes. And yeah, right in the heart of the Vietnam war - it wasn't the rich and powerful who were forced into being drafted - there were always loopholes if you had enough sway. As Steve Earle sang in "Copperhead Road", "they draft the white trash first 'round here anyway". One of the great anti-Vietnam War songs.
You are correct, the people of means were able to escape the horrors of combat , but my big brother, Charles Nalley, wasn’t trash. He was from a working class family and joined the Marines just before he was drafted. My dad stormed the beaches of Normandy and shared some of his combat experiences with Chuck . Dad never talked about the war with the rest of the family, but warned his eldest son how brutal the Army was. Of coarse, being a Marine Grunt in Nam was no better. I sensed a condescending tone to your post. Please be mindful of your words, not everyone has the means to escape the controlling political forces.
@@susannalley5376 I had no intention of sounding condescending to any member of the military, past, present, or future. While I abhor war, I have nothing but the greatest respect for anyone willing to put their life on the line for the things they hold dear. Any distaste I have is - as I thought my post made clear - for those who use their social, political, or financial standing to avoid serving in the military.
Very insightful reaction. 52,000 young American men, 18-22, died in Vietnam with twice that many severely injured and poisoned with Agent Orange (herbicide) sprayed by the US Government to reduce foliage in the jungle. The public was constantly lied to by our government about how the war was going and our role to help the South Vietnamese people (who also hated us) against communism. The war couldn't be won the way the US decided to approach it. Very similar to Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. This song in particular conveys the sentiment of the US teens who were about to be drafted.
Best two minute song of all time.
I love the way Syed says water with the t silent! Adorable!
Warrior nations produce the greatest Art
He was singing about the draft during the Vietnam war where the rich kids were sent to college avoiding the draft and the poor kids were drafted and sent to Vietnam.
Vietnam veterans seemed to have loved CCR!!! I love their grit!! Song is a classic! Been in so many shows, movies, & much more!!!🇺🇸✌🇺🇸✌
Great reaction
An excellent companion piece to this to consider is ‘For What Its Worth’ by Buffalo Springfield 👍
“Hail to the Chief” is the music that is played whenever the American President comes into a room. Like playing God Save the Queen when she enters, I would assume.
Whats really sad is how young this men were. My husband was at this time the head of his unit at 21 and the men under him were 17, 18, 19. What a profound loss!!
BBC TV has a series about start of SAS, Rogue Heroes. Difficult to get actors young enough for WW2 films because they're still in drama school. The three who started SAS were born about 1915, mid 20s in desert campaign. A 19-year old in the first batch had already killed 21 men. My father was 19 when he joined army in 1939, fought Japanese in Burma mountainous jungles. Massive difference, as Pete Townshend has noted, despite British empire history of atrocities, WW2 fighting Germany and Japan, was, if anything can be, a just war. Vietnam was not, so GI grunts couldn't even be proud to have taken part and were not appreciated afterwards. Which was experience of Brits, like my father, who came home from the Burma war to find a country that had already moved on, done its celebrations, post war jobs all taken, politics wanted bad stories about Japan brushed under carpet
I love the drumming.
Speaking of the Vietnam jungle, you need to do "Run Through The Jungle" by CCR. You're doing a great job with your reactions!!
"It seems like great turmoil creates the best art." It ain't art unless you been through it. Without the personal experience there's no heart and soul to it. That's where commercialized pop music comes in.
John Fogerty is/was the master of the sub-3 minute song. And yes, 3 records…full on albums in less than a calendar year. He was an extremely prolific writer.
I'd say the band was pretty busy in 1969!
@@paulkane7771 plus, during their time, it was not a whole lot more than 6 months between any album. Incredibly prolific and consistent. One of the greatest American bands. John had the writing/recording process down probably better than any band in history. The Beatles also did it similarly. Their record company and George Martin had them on a schedule that kept producing music constantly. What is amazing is the quality of the music that both bands generated by their processes.
The Stones’ singles from I wanna be your man in ‘63 thru Brown sugar in ‘71 are unparalleled in rock history.
Just one of the reasons the 60's - 90's was such a great time for music was bands and record company's were allowed to make money. The big labels produced everything they could and put it out there and sold it for the public to decide. In this day of digital sharing there's no money in producing unknown artists because as soon as the music is recorded it's distributed across the internet. That's one reason today's music sucks.
One of the most misused tracks of all time - ironic, given the power and message of the lyrics. Definitely an iconic piece of music - I'd put it in a similar category with Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" as being emblematic of the Vietnam War era, thanks to (over)use in media depicting that time period. Anyway, it's hard to beat CCR for great music - give "Bad Moon Rising" a listen when you get a chance. Will definitely concur in regards to "struggle and art'; this was definitely one of the most creative periods in American music.
@Gerald H Yeah, I'm aware of that now, but it's used so frequently in Vietnam movies that I automatically associate the opening chords with helicopters and agent orange.
"It seems that great turmoil creates the best art..." -- That's the HOPE because that is one of art's true roles in society -- to help people make better sense of events around them. This only works when art is nourished and rewarded for the sake of art. Today art is seen as more valuble for building a brand for cars or ED drugs, etc. Many comment that music (art in general) today sucks. It isn't because our times aren't difficult enough to generate meaningful art. Art today sucks because we have multiple generations with zero exposure to playing an instrument or who are unable to distinguish by name the instruments in an orchestra or a four piece rock band. I think that's the goal... To water down music education and anesthetize the masses with bland, indistinguishable mush so that no artist ever calls BS on the powers that be by releasing songs like Fortunate Son, For What It's Worth or Masters of War.
They actually got this on the Ed Sullivan show, middle America's (highly rated) Sunday night variety TV show. Ed was famous for fighting off drug references by the acts he featured.
They were always standing up for the little people, not the rich and powerful. Born on the Bayou: 'When I was just a
little boy standin' to my daddy's knee, my papa said son, don't let the man get you, and do what he done to me.'
The Midnight Special: 'Ain't no food upon the table, and no pork up in the pan, but you better not complain boy,
you get in trouble with the man'. (know your place)
Insightful reaction as usual. And it's interesting that he did actually serve in the Army, although not in a combat situation. It's not just that his voice tears through things with that edge, this guy had one of the greatest singers four months, when he hits that resonance oh my God. There's so many you need to check out that really illustrate that. Also they illustrate the complete variety of what he's capable even though the band had this fairly nice sound which was always immediately recognizable. But I mean check out, Hideaway. Check out, feeling blue. Check out, every Mother's Son. Check out, it came out of the sky. Each one of these are brilliant songs in the band is great and his singing is just so incredible. I would also say go back to some of the very early stuff like, crosstie Walker, or he's talking about traveling the railroads and being disenchanted with Society. There's just such a wealth of amazing stuff here. But I love the fact that you're reviews are so intelligent. Man I love it man I'm a musician myself and it's great to have someone that can speak the same language.
If I recall correctly they did many takes of the vocals until his voice was basically raw. That was the take he chose to use.
You are so right about the opening. Great take
Please,Please do Run Through The Jungle by the same band! It gives me goosebumps to this day!
Such a great song! Great reaction again sir thank you!!
The Vietnam War deeply affected my life, and I was born in '73. It chewed up / spit out so many of my parent's generation.
If you want to hear some of their way over 3 minute really great blues tracks try 'Born on the Bayou' and 'Graveyard Train'. Other long songs are 'Heard it thru the Grapevine'(cover of Marvin Gaye - have to play the 11 min album track not the edited for single track), 'Susie Q' and 'Keep on Chooglin''.
If I remember, Bill Wyman (original Stones bassist) had a side band called Willie and The Poor Boys, due to his admiration for CCR.
Also White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane. Great anti-war song around the same time with some really interesting lyrics.
I mean this with all respect, you got Hail To The Chief totally wrong, but that was one of the best, most insightful, intellectual, educated wrong guesses I’ve ever heard. I love your channel.
Pretty amazing, right at the start, just hearing the opening chords, you can tell it’s got that Southern Rock.
john fogerty was actually in the army. "During his time in the Army Reserve, Fogerty attended training at Fort Bragg, Fort Knox, and Fort Lee. He completed his active duty for training in July 1967, then served as a part-time reservist until being discharged in 1968.
The opening of "Fortunate Son" has become Hollywood shorthand for, "And now we cut to the Vietnam Nam war."
Yes the 'Chief,' is the President.
You wil want to hear CCRr cover of Screaming' Jay Hawkins' song, "I Put A Spell Cn You."' Hawkins said that CCR "Owned" that song after he heard it. It is one of my personal favorites of theirs (and a favorite of many other fans).
As for the lyrics to this song, as others have said, "Hail to the Chief" is the fanfare played whenever the President appears in public. The President is called the Commander in Chief of the US miliatry. The term "fortunate son" also refers to the fact that while the sons of the wealthy and US politicians were able to avoid the draft, the average 18 year-old male was immediately subject to the military draft on his 18th birthday.
John Fogerty was my first concert ever when I was 14. Saw him with Aaron Neville in Atlanta back in the 90s. I had just started learning guitar and was obsessed with CCR and Fogerty. Check out "Long as I can See the Light" by CCR
Speaking of conflict creating art, there is a great statement by Orson Welles’ character Harry Lime from The Third Man who says, “In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
Check out Heard it Through The Grapevine. It's a Motown track CCR made their own.
John Fogerty and drummer Doug Clifford actually were in the Army reserves. They volunteered for it because it meant they could avoid being drafted into the regular army and sent to Vietnam. Various young American men of that time came up with various ways to avoid being drafted (military service was compulsory until the early 70s). Some went to college and got a deferment, some fled to Canada, some went to the induction centre stoned out of their gourd to get rejected on health grounds, others feigned nervous breakdowns as part of the same tactic. Those who didn't have the means to do any of this (mainly blacks and poor whites) were the ones who got shipped over to Vietnam.
Run Through the Jungle
Born On the Bayou
Have You Ever Seen the Rain
Up Around the Bend
Green River
Heard it Through the Grapevine (extended version)
There are tons more. That's a good starting point.
American swamp-rock if you will.
This is my favorite anti war protest song of the 60's, next Gimme Shelter
The Chief part itself is referring to the songs that plays when the President enter a building and the chief comes from the Commander in Chief which is also called our president
"Bad moon rising" is another song of theirs that is still relevent!!
Check out Masters of War by Bob Dylan.
Yes and being that beginning was in the movie Forrest Gump when Forrest and Bubba land in Vietnam.
John, the lead singer, was CCR. When he left to solo that ended CCR’s great run of a string of hit tunes.
BTW - a few suggestions:
We've Got To Get Out Of This Place - Animals
Fountain Of Sorrow - Jackson Browne
Every Picture Tells A Story - Rod Stewart
Tomorrow Never Knows - Beatles
And Your Bird Can Sing - Beatles, A blatantly anti-materialism song with maybe the best lead guitar solo ever. A solo that continues to drop in volume and yet run under the verses.
Burn Down The Mission (Incl. My Baby Left Me / Get Back) - (18:00 min) - Elton John. Forget that pathetic "Crocodile Rock" from the movie. (He never played it) THIS is what blew away music industry insiders at that concert. I know - I was there. The Music industry folks would have laughed him off the stage had he played "Crocodile Rock". Play this LOUD.
Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix - Ecstasy in 2-1/2 minutes
Intersting, John was in the Army prior to creating CCR.
"Hail to the chief" is played whenever the president enters a room. But you are right about everything else!!!😊
Great band… check out their greatest hits and just listen to all of them. Can’t wait to get more TOOL and Pink Floyd on the channel
You now need to check out "The Band", another great band from back in the day.
It's a combination of a great awakening and freedom of expression. The youth revolt against the establishment (Vietnam, civil rights movement and wealth disparity) with the freedom of expression. The freedom of expression, right to protest the war, the supposed freedom and justice for all and the common welfare of the people all being part of what had been established while it being anti-American to be expressing the fact that it was never established and the establishment was against establishing it.
Throw in a new, powerful form of music and the floodgates of creativity were opened.
During the late sixties there was the draft. Your number came up you were drafted into military duty. On your way to Vietnam. Some youth burned there draft card and left for Canada
Hail to tje Chief is the title of the played whenever the Presodent walls into a room.
You are great at interpreting musical meaning and the meaning of the music as well as the lyrics. How do you do that? You seem like a writer at heart, as writers are researchers too.
Definitely a writer at heart,, this channel is a step towards making that happen. Have a great day, this comment made mine :)
@@SyedRewinds I’m a writer too, and I can tell you have a writer’s heart & mind. Peace ✌️
Alot of his interpretations are wayyyy off so " great is a stretch" but at least he tries.
@@pingasblobfish97 Disagree completely. Some are off bc he knows nothing about the songs, having never heard them before. But oftentimes, he is right on. IMO
The bassline into is one note, a G, played 80 times as a quarter note. Then 8 more times as the first line of the verse.
The U.S. President holds the military title "Commander in Chief" (commander of the military). "Hail to the Chief" is the song military bands play in the presence of the President.
"Born in the USA" is the Springsteen song you're looking for; You're definitely right about the misuse of this song. I remember seeing a Tommy Hillfiger commercial a while back where they played this song over the top of models strutting around in red-white-and-blue. They cut the song off right before the chorus, and I remember thinking "Hey, wait - isn't the next line "IT AIN'T ME??" It was a pretty surreal experience.
Run thru the jungle feels like it’s putting you in the jungles of Vietnam. Also into the swamps of down south in born on the bayou
Bruce Springsteen is a great fan off CCR, he is a friend of John Fogerty
This is the favorite song of a lot of Vietnam veterans. At least a lot of the ones I know.
By the way, in movies it’s often used to subtly undercut the rah rah impulses of the characters and audience.
CCR is a great rabbit hole to go down.