"Lodi" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Recorded in March 1969, it was released in April, four months before the album, as the B-side of "Bad Moon Rising", the lead single from Green River.[2]

"Lodi"
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Green River
A-side	"Bad Moon Rising"
Released	April 1969 (1969-04)
Recorded	March 1969, Wally Heider's Studio, San Francisco, California
Genre	Country rock[1]
Length	2:21 (single version) 3:10 (album version)
Label	Fantasy
Songwriter(s)	John Fogerty
Producer(s)	John Fogerty

The song describes the plight of a down-and-out musician whose career has landed him playing gigs in the town of Lodi (pronounced "low-die"), a small agricultural community in California's Central Valley, located around 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Sacramento and 75 miles (121 km) northeast of Fogerty's hometown of El Cerrito. After playing in local bars, the narrator finds himself stranded and unable to raise bus or train fare to leave.[2] Fogerty later said he had never actually visited Lodi before writing this song, and simply picked it for the song because it had "the coolest sounding name."[3] The song's chorus, "Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again," has been the theme of several city events in Lodi.[3]

The song's arrangement includes a change of key in the final verse of the track, emphasising the melancholy drama of the lyric, "If I only had a dollar for every song I sung...."[2]

Reception

Billboard described the single as having "an easy beat," being as powerful as its flip side "Bad Moon Rising" and as having a similar feel to Creedence Clearwater Revival's earlier single "Proud Mary."[4] Cash Box similarly described it as "powerhouse material" that is similar to and as strong as the group's previous single "Proud Mary."[5]

Songwriter's assessment

Fogerty stated, "On 'Lodi', I saw a much older person than I was, 'cause it is sort of a tragic telling. A guy is stuck in a place where people really don't appreciate him. Since I was at the beginning of a good career, I was hoping that that wouldn't happen to me."[6]

Cover versions

The song has been covered by many musicians including:

• Advance Base
• Tesla
• Emmylou Harris
• Amy Ray
• Shawn Colvin
• Tom Jones
• Buck Owens
• Jeffrey Foucault
• The Flying Burrito Brothers
• Ronnie Hawkins
• Smokie
• Dan Penn
• Also in 1969, Al Wilson peaked at #67 on the Hot 100 with his version.[7]
• The Blue Aeroplanes
• Tim Armstrong
• FIDLAR
• Freddie King
• The Italian band Stormy Six
• Bo Diddley
• The Brandos
• Eric Church
• Lobo
• In 1992 a free translation was a small hit as "Rocker in Holland" for Dutch singer Jan Rot.

References