Today, the worldwide celebration continues as “Fortunate Son,” written and performed by John Fogerty and recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival, surpasses one billion streams on Spotify, announced by Concord Music Publishing. This outstanding achievement comes on the heels of another Fogerty written hit for Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” surpassing one billion streams in March 2023. Both songs are now a part of Spotify’s ‘Billions Club,’ an exclusive collection of songs that includes other megahits from Concord’s catalog including Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk," Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,” to name a few. “Fortunate Son” is featured on Spotify’s ‘Billions Club’ playlist, which currently includes under 450 songs from the hundreds of millions of tracks streaming on the platform.
 
Fogerty has a lot to celebrate this year, in January 2023 he regained control over his works, acquiring majority interest of his worldwide publishing rights from Concord. Currently on a worldwide tour, Fogerty is performing, alongside with his two sons, his catalog of songs which have resonated with fans for over five decades. The Guardian heralded, “…a triumphant celebration of Creedence Clearwater classics,” in a review of the sold-out AO Arena show last month.
 
Written by John Fogerty and released as an early single in October 1969, “Fortunate Son” was featured on CCR’s fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys. The album, which includes other Fogerty written hits like “Down On The Corner” and “Midnight Special,” was released in November of 1969 to wide critical acclaim and commercial success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. As the lead single, “Fortunate Son” peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. charts and won an RIAA Gold Disc Award in December 1970. "Fortunate Son" has been covered by top artists including U2, Pearl Jam, Rise Against, Dropkick Murphys, Cat Power, Santana w/ Scott Stapp, Bob Seger, and Death Cab for Cutie.
 
“Fortunate Son” has received many accolades, including inclusion on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” Pitchfork’s “200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s,” as well as being added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally and historically significant. The song has an undeniable place in history as one of the most visceral, attention-grabbing protest songs of the Vietnam War era. Beyond its anti-war sentiment, the song is an anthem for the 99%ers, condensing a critique of elitism and class privilege into three simple, but powerfully defiant words: “It Ain’t Me.” The song poignantly speaks to the inequities of class and war, touching on privilege and lack thereof, a sentiment that remains relevant and pertinent today.
 
“I am humbled and honored to have my song “Fortunate Son” achieve one billion streams [on Spotify]. This comes at a time when I have finally acquired the rights to my early songs after a lifetime of waiting,” says John Fogerty. “I wrote this song to express my outrage about the unequal treatment of people in our culture. These words came straight from my heart, and I still feel the same today. I am looking forward to celebrating this song with my fans.”