I hope that DRBQ doesn't mind that I am copying here the words that she posted at another website. Her words are a reply to the same comments that I made above. And then my response to DRBQ's posting is further below...

YES - I had some time to rest and think about the Library of Congress Honors, and after some initial thinking, I feel John Fogerty has three songs that absolutely MUST be included in this honorary Recording Registry. His songs are pivotal in contemporary American history and they have served to shape our international politics as well as international sports and social relations.

The # 1 most important Fogerty song in my opinion is, "Fortunate Son." I was living the life in a black ghetto when FS came out, and I was just a little kid when Viet Nam was raging and killing our young boys overseas. Walter Cronkite would talk about the "Body count" on the nightly news, and while I was too young to know that the rich kids got off the draft rolls if they were enrolled in Med School, or Dentistry, or something like that. It was the middle class to lower class kids who got the draft and got sent to Viet Nam to die.

At first, the establishment loved the war. Everyone supported it, and if you didn't support the war effort, you were called a "Communist" and treated like an outcast in society. So there was this peer pressure to pretend to support it. It was like smoking in the late '60's. It was a stupid thing to do, but at the time, nobody knew smoking caused lung cancer. So, everyone smoked and it was really considered COOL if you smoked. Everyone tolerated your smoking too, so a person could light up in church or at a school, or in hospitals or restaurants and nobody protested!!!
So, when Creedence dared to oppose the war and write such a furious, self-righteous song - such as how John Fogerty composed, "Fortunate Son" --- it was at first, very socially shocking and maverick. Creedence really rocked the boat with this song, and they were fearless.
"Fortunate Son" received HUGE airplay on all radio stations across the nation and the globe. Slowly the thinking started to change; people started to oppose the Viet Nam war and we had peace marches and loud, vocal opposition to the war. Everyone now started to pound the tables and demand an end to the war! I would have to say it was, "Fortunate Son" who single-handedly ended the Viet Nam war. YES! You had to BE THERE and FEEL the national mood SHIFT once this song hit the airwaves and influence everyone to everyday average "Joes" to "GI Joes."
This song was Fogerty's first political change agent, and promoter of peace.

Secondly the most important Fogerty song he ever composed must be, "Centerfield." The only other song in the sports category of songs recognized in the National Registry was, "Take Me out to the Ballgame" which I noticed is already in the Registry. This song was written by a woman - that is what I gleaned from reading the details surrounding this old classic song, and I never realized it before today. Anyhow - Fogerty's "Centerfield" is played every spring, when there's new grass on the field or even yet, a whole new ball-field such as Yankee Stadium.
No one can imagine a modern baseball season starting off with out "Centerfield" being played and everyone knows the words to this national song of baseball and American pastimes.
"Centerfield" is a much more positive and energetic song with a more streamlined and modern feeling built inside of it. The optimism of this song is contagious.This is possibly John Fogerty's most famous song.

Thirdly the most important Fogerty song worth merit in this Library of Congress National Recording Registry is "Proud Mary." It is the most authentic, folks song ever written by a major American-born artist and it is an instantly lovable song. The imagery of this song paints a vivid picture of the south in most people's minds, whether they are southerners or northerners or even if they don't even live in the USA. What John Fogerty did while composing this great song is nothing short of genius; the song holds so much meaningfulness to it, and yet it's a set of simple notes and cords that anyone can learn how to strum on guitar. I feel it's a song that celebrates the common work ethic of the average man or woman, and the cyclical nature of the song is strongly appealing to all age categories. It's one of those songs that will be around for another 150 years - at least!

Anyhow - - - - I have to read and absorb the entire link Dana, so that's for another day! Perhaps I can accomplish this next week, which is Holy Week, and I will have time away from work.
I want to squeeze in some hikes in the local mountains and at the beach areas too!
Hiking is so much fun!!!!

Thanks for the suggestion of thought, Dana and friends!!!! X O


And now my response…

Just as I suspected DRBQ, you have gotten things off to a great start in promoting John's music to the US National Recording Registry. As John would say, THAAANNK YOUUUUUUU!

I think that you are right on in selecting Centerfield as a contender for this honor! That song has indeed become indelibly linked to the Great American Pastime over the 28 years since it's release, and one of the only pieces - if not THE only piece - of popular music so far "inducted" into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And of course the song Proud Mary has become a permanent fixture in Americana. Is there any American alive over the age of 15 who doesn't know that song?? Fortunate Son is one of my favorite rock songs of all time; when I first saw Creedence perform the song on The Ed Sullivan Show I was blown away by the power of that guitar and that voice and that band! While I can't say that I agree that the song single-handedly ended the Vietnam War (I'd say that a number of events and a number of popular songs contributed to the growing anti-war sentiment in the late 60s), the song certainly made its mark on me and millions of music fans around the world.

But if I had to pick a single recording to represent the music of John Fogerty and Creedence in the Library of Congress, I'd first have to go with Proud Mary. Not that it is necessarily my personal favorite Fogerty song, but because I believe that it has the best chance to be so honored. I'm sure that the Library of Congress or its National Recording Registry arm have an email address that we can write to. I'm going to write in to promote the induction of CCR's recording of Proud Mary to the Registry.

C'mon everybody, won't you join Mary and me in this worthy endeavor? Send that email right away while you're thinking about it! Together we just might make a difference come next year when the Library selects a new batch of 25 historic recordings!!

Dana