Typically, it's the legends who inspire younger generations. But if you're Taylor Swift, you inspire everyone. Age doesn't matter.
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That was the case for John Fogerty. The 81-year-old singer-songwriter said the "Shake It Off" singer "did a remarkable thing" when she re-recorded her songs several years ago. It inspired the frontman for Creedence Clearwater Revival to do the same with his own music.
John Fogerty Re-Recorded His CCR Hits Last Year
As you may recall, Swift began re-recording her albums after they were sold to music executive Scooter Braun in 2019.
As reported by PEOPLE, Fogerty faced a similar battle with Saul Zaentz of Fantasy Records. The "Centerfield" singer wouldn't even perform CCR's hits for many years, so the executive wouldn't get any money from his performances. Zaentz died in 2014.
While Swift may have proven to Fogerty that re-recording his music was a way for fans to buy her music and "not the evil corporate version," it was Fogerty's wife who initially brought up the idea.
In fact, last year's Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years, a 20-song album of his band's classic songs, was a Fogerty family project. He produced it with one of his sons, and both of his boys perform on the album.
Fogerty Wanted To Name the Album After Taylor Swift
Fogerty said at the time of the album's release that he wanted to name the album after Swift, calling it "Taylor's Version." It would have been a nod to the "big statement" she made.
"I think that was a big boost in me going ahead and rerecording some of the songs from my past, kind of for the same reasons," he said.
However, Fogerty's label passed on the idea, so he labeled the songs "John's Version" instead.
And this story does have a happy ending. Fogerty finally regained control of the publishing rights to his CCR songs in 2023.
"There's probably no chance in the world I will ever have any part of the ownership of the old masters. This is kind of the Taylor Swift part," he said of his re-recorded music. "But another thing is, I think there's a joy quite evident in the music that may not be there in the original versions."
