Essay Example on Music: An Expression of Ideas & Emotions Through Time

Music plays a very important role in society. It is mainly used as a form of communication and also entertainment in different circumstances. It is also an important form of expression of one's ideas and thoughts. Music is among the few forms of communication that have a lot of diversity. Different types of music have been developed which have different genres and other unique features. Music dates very long ago and has ever since undergone rapid transformations and a lot of development. Music is mainly sung for different purposes. It greatly affected by the time it was sung and the circumstances present during that time. It is also a very important tool that can be used in learning different histories depending on the message contained in particular songs. With a keen analysis of particular songs, a very wide amount of data can be collected from the same and can be used in the study of history after a very long period.

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According to John, Creedence clearwater revival was a rock band that originated in El Cerrito, California in the united states. This band was very active in the 1960s and 1970s. It consisted of four members who had a different set of musical skills and which played a very key role in the setting up of the band. It is a band that produced a wide variety of songs which were of different genres such as; country rock, blues rock, southern rock, swamp rock, and roots rock. The band produced several songs which some of them had very big impacts and influence in the 60s and 70s. John says that Creedence clearwater revival was a name that was formed from various combinations of different names that do not have a specific meaning in general but each word has a very unique meaning to each member of the band. The band members included; John Fogerty, Stu Cook, Tom Fogerty, and Doug Clifford

According to Bruce, some of the songs sang by Creedence clear water had a lot of political overtones such as the Run through the jungle, who'll stop the rain and the fortunate son. John states that these songs were sand out of the influence of the war in Vietnam but their lyrics do not call for revolution. The reasons that compelled them to write the songs during this particular time was the impact of the war. There were a lot of challenges which were faced during the drafting of people into the war. Particular songs particularly addressed the rich who used their money and influence to evade being drafted into the war. However, some of these political songs were misunderstood to be rebellion songs and brought some heat to the band members. Most of the members of the band mainly started writing songs and active performance to avoid being drafted into the war. Luckily some of them avoided being deployed into the war.

With a lot of revolution that occurred in the sixties, there were a lot of factors that generally affected the proper functioning of the band. With the US entering the Vietnam war a lot of people had to be drafted into the war and this greatly affected the band. With some of its members being drafted into the war, most of the activities were affected. According to Miroff, a lot of protests were also experienced in the 60s with a lot of arguments between the blacks and the whites had a very great effect on the activities that happened during those times. Political changes with John F Kennedy becoming the president were among the major events that took place in the sixties. Soviet missiles also shooting down the US U2 spy plane were among the major activities that took place in the sixties and had a very great effect on the proper functioning of the band. With such a critical environment it was very challenging for the band to functioning properly.

The band had a lot of influence, especially during the war period. It influenced revolutions and others highlighted some of the injustices that were taking place during the war period. Bruce states that the song mobilized on how the rich were using their money and influence to avoid their families being drafted into the war. It pinned out how the poor and unfortunate were being drafted into the war hence the poor were fighting the rich man's war. This influence led to a lot of people protesting against the injustices that were taking place. The song especially the 'Fortunate son' which claimed that they were not lucky to have come from an influential family that had a lot of money. However, it also states how others were born with a silver spoon in hand indicating that some individuals were born with a lot of wealth and did not necessarily need to work to help themselves.

Even though the song (Fortunate Son) was misunderstood and faced a lot of criticism it meant to protest against the injustices that were being done to the poor people. Bruce states that fortunate son was written by a Vietnam era veteran who was in support of the men who served in the war. The song was also against the children of privilege who evaded the war due to their rich backgrounds. It also acted as a harsh reminder to everyone who was affected by how the drafting process was cruelly done. According to Willis, the song acts as a reminder that when it comes to serving one's nation, everyone should be accorded an equal opportunity to serve and not disadvantaged due to their poor family backgrounds.

The song is still relevant in the changing times due to a lot of injustices that are still occurring even in our present times. A lot of conflicts and power struggles have been noted among the poor and the rich even in the current society. With the poor being disadvantaged the song still has a lot of irrelevance. It calls for equality and harshly condemns how the less fortunate are being treated by the rich. The song is used as a voice for the poor and reminds that government on the evils that have been done to the less fortunate in the society as stated by Bruce. The song was a very important primary source because the war brings a lot of havocs than good and a blind eye should not be turned on the same. The truth must be faced and realities accepted that what was done during the drafting of people in the war was wrong and inhumane.

Fortunate son- Creedence clearwater lyrics

Some folks are born to wave the flag,Ooh, they're red, white and blue.And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,Yeah!Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.But when the taxman comes to the door,Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"Ooh, they only answer More! More! More! Yoh,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.

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,

Referred from https://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/creedence+clearwater+revival/fortunate+son_20034362.html

Works Cited

Fogerty, John, et al. Creedence Clearwater Revival. Burlington, 1970.

Miroff, Bruce. "Records:'Travelin'Band'bw 'Who'll Stop the Rain,'Creedence Clearwater Revival (Fantasy 637)." Rolling Stone (1970).

Willis, Ellen. "Creedence Clearwater Revival." The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll (1980): 298-99.