Classic Rock Icon, 80, Shares Surprising Comment About Taylor Swift
via Taylor Nation / YouTube
John Fogerty Finds Inspiration in Taylor Swift
John Fogerty, 80, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Creedence Clearwater Revival, recently said Taylor Swift inspired him in an unexpected way. While speaking to Rolling Stone in a May 28 interview, he explained how Swift’s decisions around her music made a real impact on him.
Fogerty is working on a new album titled Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival, which will be released on August 22. The project involves re-recording classic Creedence tracks. He said Swift’s re-recording of her old albums, after her original masters were sold to Scooter Braun, played a big part in why he chose to revisit his own music. According to Time magazine, Swift revealed in May 2025 that she had purchased her masters.
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A Playful Title and Deep Understanding
Fogerty even joked that he wanted to name his album “Taylor’s Version,” like Swift did with hers. “I understood her plight,” he said. Rolling Stone noted that neither Fogerty nor his former bandmates own the original masters of their music. That loss still weighs on him.
“She’s had a wonderful career, and, of course, had saved a lot of money and was a major touring artist, so she was quite able to pay whatever amount the person that was going to sell it. 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. It’s very much like what Saul Zaentz might do,” said Fogerty.
Accepting the Past, Focusing on the Present
He admitted that getting ownership of the old Creedence recordings is not likely to happen. “There’s probably no chance in the world [that he] will ever have any part of the ownership of the old masters,” he said.
He also added that this project brings something new to the music: “This is kind of the Taylor Swift part. But another thing is, I think there’s a joy quite evident in the music that may not be there in the original versions.”
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Fans React to the New Project
On May 29, a Reddit thread featured mixed reactions from fans. Some weren’t sure this was the best move at his age. “Maybe 15 or 20 years ago. But dude is old. Love John Fogerty, but his voice won’t hold up. Still, I respect his plight and reasoning for doing it!” one person wrote.
Another fan commented, “Oh god please no. Those albums are perfect. Those songs do not need to be modern-rockified like they are when he plays them live now.”
Others Defend Fogerty’s Choice
Still, not everyone was doubtful. One Reddit user said, “I’ve seen him recently and was actually amazed at how good his voice sounded. It was not 100% perfect but just damn good… He sounds closer to those recordings than a lot of legacy acts out touring now who aren’t very close to his age.”
Another added, “He released some re-recordings from the upcoming album, you should check it out. He sounds absolutely phenomenal… holy crap, he can seemingly still belt out that raspiness in the studio.”
