Roots-rock legends Creedence Clearwater Revival are beginning to mark the 50th anniversary of their self-titled debut album, released at the beginning of the summer of 1968. Today, the band released a special new music video for their Vietnam protest anthem, “Fortunate Son”. The video, helmed by veteran music-video director Ben Fee, featured joyous clips of a racially and socially diverse swath of modern-day, working-class Americans living their lives—being American—and echoing the song’s enduring populist refrain: “It ain’t me.”
As the band notes in a Facebook post, “As the United States speeds towards an anniversary of its own on July 4th, we’re kicking off CCR’s 50th with the first-ever official music video for one of the band’s most enduring classics, ‘Fortunate Son,’ a song as vital now as ever.”
“For me, protest right now is just showing pure positivity in the face of division and anger,” says the new video’s director, Ben Fee, “I wanted to highlight the community and positivity that everybody shares… I wanted to show what America feels like when you actually hit the road and drive throughout the states.”
Watch the new video for Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” below:
Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Fortunate Son” [Official Video]
[Video: Creedence Clearwater Revival]
Creedence Clearwater Revival has a variety of other 50th-anniversary plans in the works for this year. According to a release from the band, record label Craft Recordings “will be honoring the band’s musical legacy via a diverse array of media, products and events; including a special release coming this fall. The fête will also provide fans with new ways to engage with CCR online-sharing their memories, streaming new content, and diving deeper into the band’s legendary history.”
You can head to the new dedicated Creedence Clearwater Revival 50th-anniversary website, CCR50.com, for more information on upcoming news and releases.
[H/T NPR]