Lodi (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
| "Lodi" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival | |
| from the album Green River | |
| A-side | "Bad Moon Rising" |
| Released | April 1969 |
| Recorded | March 1969, Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:21 (single version) 3:10 (album version) |
| Label | Fantasy |
| Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty |
| Producer(s) | John Fogerty |
"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.[3]
Background[edit]
The song describes the plight of a down-and-out musician whose career has landed him playing gigs in the town of Lodi, California. After playing in local bars, the narrator finds himself stranded and unable to raise bus or train fare to leave.[3] Fogerty later said he had never actually visited Lodi before writing the song, and simply picked it for the song because it had "the coolest sounding name."[4] The song's chorus, "Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again," has been the theme of several city events in Lodi.[4]
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..."[3]
Reception[edit]
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."[5] Cash Box similarly described it as "powerhouse material" that is similar to and as strong as the group's previous single "Proud Mary."[6]
Songwriter's assessment[edit]
John 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."[7]
Cover versions[edit]
The song has been covered by many musicians, including:
- Advance Base
- Tesla
- Emmylou Harris
- Amy Ray
- Shawn Colvin
- Tom Jones
- Buddy Alan
- 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.[8]
- The Blue Aeroplanes
- Tim Armstrong
- FIDLAR
- Freddie King
- The Italian band Stormy Six
- Bo Diddley
- The Brandos
- Eric Church
- Lobo
- Janiva Magness
- In 1992, a free translation was a small hit as "Rocker in Holland" for Dutch singer Jan Rot.
References[edit]
- ^ "The 25 best country rock songs of all time". Classic Rock Magazine. August 5, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1969". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 205–206. ISBN 9781493064601.
- ^ a b c Janovitz, Bill. "Lodi". AllMusic. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ a b Farrow, Ross. "Residents are proud to be 'Stuck in Lodi'". Lodi News-Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 31, 2006. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. April 26, 1969. p. 82. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 26, 1969. p. 22. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Fogerty's Guide to Creedence Clearwater Revival". Johnfogerty.com. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012. Record Research. p. 918.
