I know this is a political forum, not a musical one. But I think every liberal/progressive/moderate and any sane Republicans left should go out and get a copy of John Fogerty's new CD, "Revival" (available Oct. 2). It's a politically significant piece of work, and here's why.
I know this is a political forum, not a musical one. But I think every liberal/progressive/moderate and any sane Republicans left should go out and get a copy of John Fogerty's new CD, "Revival" (available Oct. 2). It's a politically significant piece of work, and here's why.
For the uninitiated, John Fogerty was the lead singer/songwriter/guitarist for a band called Creedence Clearwater Revival in the late 1960s/early 1970s. If you don't know his name, I can almost guarantee you know his music. CCR songs have been used in movie after movie, as a soundtrack for that era. Most recently they're the band Bruce Willis was into in "Live Free or Die Hard." Some of the more politically-minded songs of CCR include "Who'll Stop the Rain" and "Fortunate Son."
Well, somehow Fogerty at age 62 has outdone himself. In addition to writing nine other great songs, he's got three that particularly pertain to the Bush era on his new CD. The most majestic one, "Gunslinger," doesn't even mention Bush but talks about the entire past 6.5 years from the point of view of a Western town being taken over when "a wild bunch moves in." After that, all hell breaks loose:
(they) "wrecked the paper, closed the school
tired old judge got roughed up too
no one left to make a stand
they whisper what’s the use"
Like the great Westerns of old, Fogerty sings we need "somebody tough to tame this town." To my mind, he's obviously saying we need a tough liberal in the mold of JFK and FDR to get America back to its former greatness.
In "Long Dark Night," Fogerty goes for the jugular, saying:
"George is in the jungle
knockin’ on the door
come to get your children
wants to have a war"
He surmises that it will be a "long, dark night before this thing is done" and we can clean up the mess the Bushies have made of America.
In the third song, "I Can't Take It No More," Fogerty goes punk on the Bushies in pure frustration and rage, all to a Little Richard-like vocal. For anyone who has been fed up with this administration, it serves as good therapy.
No one can accuse Fogerty of jumping on the anti-Bush bandwagon. In the early part of this war, he wrote a song called "Deja Vu All Over Again," comparing Iraq to Vietnam before any politician I ever heard did. And he has never pulled his punches in interviews, always speaking out against George W whenever he can.
I should say he has a couple of other masterpieces on this album that have nothing to do with politics and one great swipe at the stoopid celebrity culture we live in. It's all great stuff, and gutsy and important in this day and age of the endless right-wing "shoutdown." And a great way to start the "end of W's presidency party" as soon as you can.