John Fogerty Holds a Grudge

In the video for his new song "Mystic Highway," John Fogerty pokes fun at Saul Zaentz, the former owner of Fantasy Records. Fogerty recorded for Zaentz as a member of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The video shows Fogerty driving his pick-up truck and reminiscing about days gone by when he stops by a roadside stand. There an elderly gray-haired man, who looks like Zaentz, is sitting in a rocking chair, and beside him is a suitcase with CDs in it with a sign that reads, "Used stolen music for sale."

Fantasy owns the distribution and publishing rights to CCR's music, and to extricate himself from his original contract with Fantasy, Fogerty signed away even more than the original contract had stipulated. Then in 1985, the bad blood between the two spilled again when Zaentz sued Fogerty for plagiarizing himself in the song "The Old Man Down the Road" off of Centerfield. Zaentz lost and then sued again, claiming defamation of character in the Centerfield songs "Zanz Kant Danz" and "Mr. Greed." This suit was settled between Zaentz and Warner Brothers Records, and "Zanz Kant Danz" was changed to "Vanz Kant Danz."

Zaentz sold Fantasy years later, and Fogerty re-signed with the label in 2005. However, his new album, Wrote a Song for Everyone, was released by Vanguard Records.