Zanz (Vanz) Kant Danz

Background

"Zanz (Vanz) Kant Danz" is the closing track of the original Centerfield album, the third solo LP of John Fogerty who was incognito for eight and a half years before the comeback in mid 80's. Like all the songs on the LP, "Zanz (Vanz) Kant Danz" was recorded at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California, and engineered by Jeffrey Norman and Mark Slagle. The album went #1 in the USA.

Fogerty wrote the phrase in the chorus of the song in the aftermath of the Hoodoo album (1976). Elektra/Asylum head Joe Smith had called Fogerty after rejecting the album. The artist was telling him about his troubles with his former label, and Smith mentioned how the Kinks had written a song about some guy who screwed them, and they got it out of their system that way.  As Fogerty went to hang up the phone, the words "Zanz Kant Danz" popped into his head. He ran to his studio and wrote it down (John Fogerty, Fortunate Son, 2015). 

Musically, "Kant Danz" stands out of the rest of the material on Centerfield. It has quasi-reggae beat and almost one-minute-long instrumental break dominated by electronic drums. 

Recording session

After watching the baseball All-Star game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on the second week of July 1984, Fogerty booked the Plant Studios in Sausalito and recorded "I Can't Help Myself", "The Old Man Down the Road", "Rock And Roll Girls", "Searchlight", "Zanz Kant Danz" and "I Saw It On T.V." by the end of August 1984 (the rest of the tracks for Centerfield were recorded in September same year).  Fogerty played all the instruments by himself. Because he worked from detailed demos (which he recorded at his studio in Albany before heading for The Plant Studios) and notes, recording was straightforward and painless for the most part (Scott Isler, interview with John Fogerty, Time, January 28th, 1985; Scott Isler, interview with John Fogerty, Musician (US), March 1985).

Trivia

To avoid legal complications, John Fogerty re-recorded "Zanz Kant Danz" in January 1985. Rather than re-record the entire lyrics, he just came into the studio one day and sang 'v' a few times. Then engineer Jeffrey Norman edited it everywhere  he had originally sung "Zanz" to make it "Vanz" (Daniel Levitin, interview with Jeffrey Norman, 1998).    

The title of the song was also altered to "Vanz Kant Zanz" in the additional pressings of Centerfield on the second week of February 1985. The album with "Zanz" made it to sell 600,000 copies. 

Collector's notes

A promotional single (WB S 2363) "Vanz Kant Dance" (4:04) b/w "Vanz Kant Danz" (4:04) was released in the USA in April 1985. 

Furthermore, a promotional maxi-single (WB PRO-A-2362) "Vanz Kant Dance" (5:30) b/w "Vanz Kant Danz" (4:40) was launched in the USA at the same time (Peter Koers, Green River: An Illustrated Discography, 1999). 

Video

A Clay animation or claymation music video of "Kant Danz" was manufactured and released in spring 1985.  The animation film featured Fogerty playing with a dancing and money-stealing pig character. Five groups of designers put a reported 7000 hours work into it, working for nine weeks, with producer J. Kramer. The video was made in the animation studio of Will Venton in Portland, Oregon, USA.   

Live versions

"Kant Danz" has been a rare number in concerts. The world premiere of the live version took place at the first Farm Aid charity concert in Champaign, Illinois, USA,  on September 22, 1985. It was aired live on TV in the USA. The concert was also the first collaboration between Fogerty and session drummer Kenny Aronoff.  Fogerty also added the song to the setlists on his first tour as a solo artist in 1986.

It took 24 years to hear the song live again. After the 25th Anniversary version of Centerfield was released in summer 2010, Fogerty played "Kant Danz" in five shows in September that year. 

Controversy

In 1985, Saul Zaentz, the boss of Fantasy Records, which owns the distribution and publishing rights to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, brought a series of lawsuits against John Fogerty, including a claim that the music from Fogerty's 1984 song "The Old Man Down the Road" was too similar to "Run Through the Jungle". The chairman of the label also sued Fogerty for character defamation in "Zanz Kant Danz" and "Mr. Greed". Zaentz won some of his claims against Fogerty, but lost on the copyright issue (Wikipedia).

Critical reception

"---the chances are good that Fogerty's talking about Saul Zaentz, label president-turned film producer --- but, whoever it is, his ears must be burning." -Houston Post, January 20th, 1985. 

"---a disco-based number that plays every trick Rod Stewart knows, is a fortright putdown of techno-pop." -Musician, US, March 1985.

"There's some nonsense like "Zanz Kant Danz" that sounds like Redbone '85, some goofball lyrics and drum effects worthy of the Cars---." -The Kicks No. 4

"By far the worst song on the album, mainly because I don't like the way it sounds. I find the beginning annoying, as well as the "flute"-like sounds during the chorus. The synthesizer and drums seem very phony to me - I don't like digitized music. The drum solo was also a big mistake. There are a few highlights - Fogerty's fine voice and lyrics, and the guitar and horn interplay, but all in all a disappointment." -Matt Loewen 

"A piece of music that's different from anything John Fogerty had done to date. Here the electronic drums and synthesizer work for me. I guess John was ready for the technology age. What grabs the most about this song though is the story line." -Glenn J. Wiener

"The music, at times, tries to extend beyond Fogerty's trad-rock limits, bespeaking commendable ambition, but the syn-drum break on "Vanz Kant Danz" is the kind of thing a Spandau Ballet roadie could have handled with more panache." -The (New) Rolling Stone Record Guide, 2004. 

"'Zanz Kant Danz (a.k.a. Vanz Kant Danz)' closes the album, with Caribbean elements in the intro and interesting beats, guitar riffs and synths throughout. The verse section is almost modern disco and the mid section has an extended percussion section, adding to the overall dance elements of this closing track." -Classic Rock Review, July 28th, 2015. 

Fans' views

"Reminds a little bit P.J. Hannikainen's Christmas Tree Has Been Built tune. Maybe Hannikainen was also Irish's origin."

"Another breaking of the mold. Killer video, too."

"The ultimate diatribe."

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