Song of the Day 9/1: Creedence Clearwater Revival, “The Working Man”

Happy Labor Day, I suppose, though I don’t see much to celebrate under a president who makes Reagan seem like a friend of the working man.

This song from the 1968 debut album by Creedence Clearwater Revival was one of the first John Fogerty wrote after assuming leadership of the band from his older brother Tom. The standout numbers on the album are covers – the Dale Hawkins tune “Suzie Q” became the breakthrough No. 11 hit. Though CCR had been together for nearly a decade, their new swamp rock sound caught on.

“The Working Man” established a theme that Fogerty returned to often, reflecting a blue-collar sensibility that matched the band’s basic, unpretentious sound.