John Fogerty, the singer and principal songwriter from Woodstock-era swamp rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival, has joined the growing list of musicians demanding that President Donald Trump stop blasting their tunes at his pep rallies. The fact that the song in question is “Fortunate Son” is particularly egregious, as would be obvious to anyone who listened to the words. It ain’t me? Nay, it is thee!
In a tweet, Fogerty wrote “I object to the President using my song, ‘Fortunate Son’ in any way for his campaign. He is using my words and my voice to portray a message that I do not endorse.”
The message continued, “Therefore, I am issuing a ‘cease and desist’ order. I wrote this song because, as a veteran, I was disgusted that some people were allowed to be excluded from serving our country because they had access to political and financial privilege. I also wrote about wealthy people not paying their fair share of taxes. Mr. Trump is a prime example of both of these issues. The fact that Mr. Trump also fans the flames of hatred, racism and fear while rewriting recent history, is even more reason to be troubled by his use of my song.”
Fogerty served for two years in the Army Reserves during the height of the Vietnam War. Donald Trump, the world’s most famous sufferer of bone spurs, thinks soldiers who die fighting to protect the nation are losers.
Rolling Stone reports that the cease and desist argues that Trump’s continued use of “Fortunate Son” will “likely to cause confusion, mistake and deceive the public as to the affiliation, connection, sponsorship or association of President Trump by or with John Fogerty.”
Other artists that have taken legal action to demand Trump stop using their music include Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, the estate of Tom Petty, and the estate of Leonard Cohen. Victor Willis of Village People has made his displeasure known via social media, as has Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco.
Fogerty is no stranger to litigation, as he is possibly the only person in entertainment who was once sued for sounding too much like himself.
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