-snip-

Song that best represents your values

“Proud Mary” has worn so well all these years. It was the first really good song I wrote, and it was a bit of a shock even for me. I had been fascinated with music as early as I can remember, probably before I could walk. Under my mother’s tutelage and mentoring, she gave me a little children’s record of two songs, “Oh! Susanna” and “Camptown Races.” At some point, she informed me that Stephen Foster was the songwriter. That was a bombshell event in my life, because I never concerned myself with the songwriter. I was aware from that moment on that Stephen Foster learned all kinds of tidbits about our country and wrote great songs like “Swanee River” and wasn’t from the South — he was from Pittsburgh. It was kind of like me in some ways. Also, he was America’s first professional songwriter, meaning he actually decided he was going to try and earn a living doing it. He was a beacon for me. As I went along, my references were full of Americana and the American South. It wasn’t by design; it was just something I was attracted to.

I received my honorable discharge from the Army. I discovered it sitting on the steps of my apartment in the summer of 1968. This was a fateful day in my life. I had a band and was trying to make a musical career, but the Army dictated how I could look, and I didn’t want to wear a wig to look like my friends. Getting an honorable discharge at the height of the Vietnam War was a blessing, as far as I was concerned. In this state of exhilaration and extreme happiness, I ran in the house and picked up my guitar, started strumming some chords, and the next thing you know, I had written “Proud Mary.” What this represents to me is simple: In the back burner of my brain was, You really got to do this now, John, or you’re going to be forced economically to get a job and do something else. You’re going to end up being an auto mechanic. I went to the place I felt the most comfortable and wrote about what I knew. Don’t try to write what you don’t know about, because you really get off track doing that. Even now that the edges are a little worn like a great flannel shirt, “Proud Mary” has been around a while, and everybody’s very familiar with it. It sounds just like some of the other songs that I really love, like “Old Rockin’ Chair” or “Over the Rainbow.”


Most misunderstood song

I would say “Fortunate Son.” That’s misunderstood by a small percentage of people — people who seem to be conservative, right-wing, and probably Republican or some other “ism” in that category. And most notably by Mr. Trump. It’s happened before where people thought it was a patriotic ditty to wave the flag and all that, not really understanding the cynicism and absolute defiance I had in the song. I mean, even if you don’t hear the rest of it, you should at least hear, “It ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son.” But if you don’t, then I guess you’re able to see the song in a different way. How can I say this? I can’t imagine using that song as a political rallying theme, particularly when you seem to be the person who I’m screaming about in the song on all three counts. It’s hilarious to me. Maybe I’m the one that misunderstands it, who knows?

-snip-

How Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” cover recontextualized the song for you

She made a production out of it. She took the words literally and did an arrangement that was very dramatic — starting with the slower part, somewhat reminiscent of old Black spiritual music or field hollers. Then she goes uptown and gets really sassy, unstoppable, and undeniable. I first heard the cover when I was in my car. It was dark outside sometime in the winter. I was thrilled. It lit me up. I’d been a fan of Tina for a long time. I actually had performed some of the earlier Ike and Tina Turner songs, particularly “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine.” I had seen her on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and was really pulling for her to break through. So it all came together listening to her singing “Proud Mary.” I was so happy about it. It just seemed like a brand-new song. Through the years, it’s kind of perceived that way. Other people have tried to cover the song, but Tina’s version has a different perspective, and people think of it separately from my version.

-snip-