Many different pieces of Vietnam-focused media include the song in some fashion, from movies to television shows to video games. Given the tremendous proliferation of popular and now-classic music during the Vietnam era, how did "Fortunate Son" seemingly become the one that has really stuck? Perhaps it's a lack of imagination on my part, but I can think of no other single piece of music that has become so permanently associated with that conflict.
I'm hesitant about offering a top-level answer, but I think it's an interesting question with an obvious answer, judge it as you will.
The association you're identifying is because Fortune Son has been frequently used commercially, especially in video games, to evoke the Vietnam War.
It's perfect for commercial use, definitely compared to other songs from the era. It is by far the least controversial or explicitly antiwar protest song of the period. At no point does it condemn or even mention the Vietnam war. Fortunate Son's lyrics are completely morally ambiguous on the subject of war, unlike many more explicitly political or pacifistic contemporaries (Feel like I'm fixing to die, Give peace a chance, War). The list could go on and on my point is that almost any antiwar protest song is more strongly anti-war in general or anti-Vietnam in particular than Fortunate Son. As a great protest song Fortunate Son will always evoke the era, as well as the now bipartisan idea that drafted soldiers were mistreated, without saying anything outright about the morality of U.S. involvement in the war. Which makes it perfect when selling things to broad audiences for whom the interpretation of the war remains controversial. Also, the use of songs with pacifistic lyrics is inappropriate for marketing war.
#>search Vietnam music on Reddit
it aint me starts playing