Monday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live Brad Paisley and John Fogerty performed the title track from Brad’s album LOVE AND WAR aboard the Battleship USS Iowa in Sam Pedro California. They also closed out the Jimmy Kimmel Live show with John’s Creedence Clearwater Revival classic “Fortunate Son.”
Earlier this year when the album LOVE AND WAR came out, Brad talked about collaborating with John on a song where each singer could provide a certain perspective. (2:49)
“In John’s (Fogerty) case, he is the voice of a generation that was embroiled in a conflict in Vietnam and there is no one that comes to mind quicker than John Fogerty and Creedence when you talk about the music of Vietnam era. I heard some comedian joke that it’s like you gave out awards like best soundtrack would be Vietnam War. It’s like that war wins best soundtrack and it’s true. There was a generation of people asking a lot of questions and John was leading that. And so now we are in another generation where we are looking at things thinking what in the world is going on. Especially, there is one thing I think we can all agree on, which is rare, but that’s that veterans are not being taken care of and they deserve way more than what they are getting from us. And I had this title ‘Love and War’ that really had to do with that. Which the idea was these guys not only is it unfair what’s happening to them after they get back but really it’s criminal what we are doing or not doing for these people. So I threw that title to John and said this is sort of what I brought you to town for. I need you to represent your generation in this song. I’m going to sing about mine in the first verse but you need to represent the Vietnam era and he was so fantastic. You know he’s a veteran he is someone who was drafted. He is a truly remarkable human being when it comes to where his heart is so we sat down and we started this song and the next thing you know we’d come up with these lines together. I’m so proud of that and then the band came in and I stood in that booth with him while he sang, we sang sort of together for a while. Just hearing him hit those high notes with that Fogerty rasp that thing he does, that send you off to die for us. When he hit those high notes it was like ah. I just felt like I was in Good Morning Vietnam the movie watching that soundtrack being made. He’s a truly remarkable voice of an entire era.”
Brad Paisley said he was bringing his “A” game when it came to working with the guest stars on LOVE AND WAR, and John Fogerty says that’s exactly why he worked with Brad on the album’s title song, because Brad does bring his “A” game when making music. (:31)
“A couple of people have asked me well why have you decided to collaborate with someone now with Brad Paisley. But that’s it, Brad is the A-game. That’s where his bar is set. It’s set very high. I know that about him. I know that he is certainly trying to get to that mark and so that’s a good thing to work with. You know somebody he feels that way, certainly I feel that way too. Hopefully you are going to get something worthwhile by working with people like that.”
John Fogerty comments on working with Brad Paisley. (:13)
“Yeah, we’ve gotten together a few times, so I know him better and better. You know we are friends. I mean it is easy now, I’m not so intimidated anymore. I still feel very lucky though.”
Upon hearing John Fogerty say that he was intimidated, and felt lucky to work with Brad, Brad Paisley answered that John wasn’t the one who should feel that way. (:42)
“I know, I’ve heard him say that and he needs to stop that. I needed to be the one nervous but thankfully we are such tight close friends now that neither one are nervous around one another. We are able to enjoy each other’s company with none of that. One of the things that I am most proud of is that with guys like John, Mick (Jagger) and Bill, you know these are guys that have an incredible catalogue but I think what we have contributed with this album, I feel at least, that it’s a good addition to their catalogue. Which was important to me. I didn’t want it to be like well they should’ve never done that. I don’t want anybody to say that. I want everybody to say I’m glad they did that, that worked out well.”
Along with the two performances that made the Jimmy Kimmel Live show Monday night (“LOVE AND WAR” and “Fortunate Son”), Brad and John also treated the crowd at the USS Iowa to versions of Brad’s hits “She’s Everything,” “American Saturday Night,” “Mud On The Tires,” and “Alcohol,” and John’s hits “Centerfield,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Down On The Corner,” “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” “Green River,” and “Proud Mary.” To see all the songs performed by Brad and John to honor American service members and their families, click the links below…
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “LOVE AND WAR”
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “FORTUNATE SON”
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “SHE’S EVERYTHING”
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “CENTERFIELD “
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “AMERICAN SATURDAY NIGHT”
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “DOWN ON THE CORNER”
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “MUD ON THE TIRES”
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “BAD MOON RISING”
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “ALCOHOL”
BRAD PAISLEY AND JOHN FOGERTY PERFORM “HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE RAIN”