Creedence Clearwater and the Vietnam War :: Music Musical History Essays

For those of us born at the end of the Vietnam War, much of the music from that time period can remain hidden unless we make a point of seeking it out. Radio is replete with â€Å"classic rock† format stations, but like all other forms of mass media, listeners are relegated to a passive role, with little means of changing play lists that more-often-than-not overstate the effect of the British Invasion to the detriment of American rockers. For every Led Zeppelin garnering large amounts of airplay, there is a Creedence Clearwater Revival that is overlooked. The problem with British rockers from the era of the Vietnam War is one of credibility: any British musician (such as John Lennon) who tried to protest the Vietnam War sounded contrived at best. How could a British group object to a war in which they had no direct stake? These attempts at protest by foreign bands against the Vietnam War have the appearance of an orchestrated effort to â€Å"get on the bandwagon† and se ll albums by using the charged feelings of the citizenry toward an unpopular military action. While this is a cynical view, it is one that nevertheless deserves consideration. To the persistent individual, though, there is a body of music in existence that merits regard. It is powerful music written by the youth of America, youngsters who did have a stake in the Vietnam War. There can be little question about the origins of the power which American protest music conveyed: those who wrote such music lived each day with the real knowledge that they were losing friends in, and could possibly be forced themselves to go to, Vietnam. One such group, Creedence Clearwater Revival, made its contribution to this genre near the end of the Vietnam War. CCR sprang up in the San Francisco Bay area, the product of a music scene that was rife with talent. Creedence, however, never particularly sounded like that scene; indeed, the early efforts of the band caused many to question the group’s origin, believing that the foursome was a product of the â€Å"bayou regions of Louisiana†1 The musicians who made up the band - John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook, and Doug Clifford - had been working on their style since the late 1950s under several different monikers. Primarily responsible for the Creedence sound was John Fogerty, the major creative force in the band, with vocals that â€Å"were to Creedence what Jim Morrison’s were to the Doors,†2 and a musical approach Fogerty himself described as a swamp thing: