Song Lyric of the Day (John Fogerty, on Not Being a ‘Fortunate Son’)

“It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no.”—John Fogerty, “Fortunate Son,” performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival from its Willy and the Poor Boys LP (1969)

"They weren't the hippest band in the world, just the best," said Bruce Springsteen of Creedence Clearwater Revival, who produced seven albums and one single after another from 1968 to 1972. Then it all came crashing down, in noisy acrimony and costly litigation, as John Fogerty battled brother Tom and the other band members.

Today, John Fogerty turns 70, and it seems a good point to celebrate his achievement (very much including that class-conscious, ferociously antiwar hymn “Fortunate Son”) in that short, blessed time, as well as his ultimate survival today. He is marking this point in his life with a summer tour, including a concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on June 24.

(Photograph taken by Marco Annunziata of John Fogerty performing at Piazza Napoleone, Lucca, Italy, July 26, 2009.)