The song starts with a haunting call - Fogarty’s vocal evoking the sound of the very thing he sings about. The result was a classic and compelling protest album that dealt with major themes in CCR’s signature style.īecause of the overwhelming popularity of “Down on the Corner” and “Fortunate Son,” it's possible to overlook the contributions other tracks made to the record, specifically “Midnight Special.” A blues/folk cover, also originally attributed to Leadbelly, “Midnight Special” “shines a light” on life in industrial prison camps and the communities of people impacted by the complex of incarcerated labor. In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) released their fourth LP, Willy and the Poor Boys, a record with a number of major hits for CCR including “Down on the Corner” and “Fortunate Son.” Taking those tracks along with others such as “Cotton Fields” (a Leadbelly blues cover), “Poorboy Shuffle,” and our featured song “Midnight Special,” it is clear that John Fogarty and the the band were wrestling with economic issues at the critical intersection of race, class, and big government machines like the military and the prison system. Track 8 (Side B, Track 3) from the LP Willy and the Poor Boys (1969, Fantasy) Min., Assistant Director, Social Concerns SeminarsĬREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, 'MIDNIGHT SPECIAL'

June 2020: Cut #28, Higgins Labor Songs PlaylistĪdam Gustine, D. September 2015: Sarah Neuberger, 'These Hands' (2015)Īpril 2015: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, 'People Don't Get What They Deserve' (2014) October 2015: Tom Breiding, 'River, Rails or Road' (2015) November 2015: Billy Bragg, 'There is Power in a Union' (1986) September 2016: Tacocat, 'I Hate the Weekend' & 'Leisure Bees' (2016)Īpril/May 2016: 'Which Side Are You On?' (multiple versions since 1931) March 2017: The Choral Group of Aljustrel Miners, “The Miners’ Hymn” (date unknown) September 2017: Stevie Wonder, 'Living for the City' (1973)Īpril/May 2017: Mavis Staples, 'Action' (2016) November 2017: Tom Petty, 'Something Good Coming' (2010)

The Gender Wage Gap by Melissa Higgins