Legendary rocker John Fogerty recently opened up about his admiration for Taylor Swift and how her battle for artistic control inspired his latest album. The Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman, who re-recorded his classic hits for a new album, drew parallels between his own struggles with music ownership and Swift’s highly publicized fight to reclaim her masters.
Here’s what John Fogerty said about Taylor Swift
John Fogerty is preparing to release Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years on August 22. It is a 20-track album featuring newly recorded versions of his most iconic songs. Inspired by Swift’s battle for control over her music, Fogerty wanted to name the album Taylor’s Version, echoing Swift’s naming convention.
“I wanted to call it Taylor’s Version. I lobbied very much to the record company,” he told Rolling Stone. Though the label turned down the idea, Fogerty settled on John’s Version, a nod to Swift’s influence and a symbolic reclaiming of his work.
“I understood her plight. I really felt for her at the time, because the guy was selling it to somebody else. That sort of thing has certainly happened to me,” Fogerty said, referencing Taylor Swift’s legal case against music executive Scooter Braun, who reportedly acquired and later sold her original recordings.
He compared her situation to his own long-running feud with former label head Saul Zaentz, who reportedly controlled Creedence’s masters for years. “It’s very much like what Zaentz might do,” Fogerty remarked.
The musician’s fight for his music dates back to several decades ago, when disputes over royalties and creative control reportedly led to a bitter split with his late brother and bandmate, Tom. For years, Fogerty refused to perform CCR’s hits live, unwilling to let Zaentz profit from his performances.
That changed in 2023 when Fogerty finally regained publishing rights to his classic songs. “There’s probably no chance in the world I will ever have any part of the ownership of the old masters,” he acknowledged. “This is kind of the Taylor Swift part.”
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon.
