Lodi (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
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{{Infobox song
| name = Lodi
| cover = Lodi label.jpeg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Creedence Clearwater Revival
| album = Green River
| A-side = Bad Moon Rising
| released = {{Start date|1969|04}}
| recorded = March 1969, Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
- Country rock{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-25-greatest-country-rock-songs-of-all-time|title=The 25 best country rock songs of all time|date=August 5, 2016|website=Classic Rock Magazine|access-date=April 27, 2019}}
- rockabilly{{cite book|first=Dave|last=Marsh|title=The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5t5DYDniSHEC|date=1989|publisher=Plume|isbn=0-452-26305-0|page=527}}
- soul{{cite book|title=33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999|first=Mike|last=Segretto|date=2022|chapter= 1969|pages= 205–206|publisher=Backbeat|isbn=9781493064601|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jtNtEAAAQBAJ}}
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=10}}
| label = Fantasy
| writer = John Fogerty
| producer = John Fogerty
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
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}}
"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.
Background
The song describes the plight of a down-and-out musician whose career has landed him playing gigs in the town of Lodi, California{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}. After playing in local bars, the narrator finds himself stranded and unable to raise bus or train fare to leave.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/lodi-mt0045732987 |first=Bill |last=Janovitz|title=Lodi|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=November 21, 2012}} 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."{{cite news |newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel |first=Ross |last=Farrow |title=Residents are proud to be 'Stuck in Lodi' |url=http://www.lodinews.com/discover2004/28_stuck.php |accessdate=June 7, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031025830/http://www.lodinews.com/discover2004/28_stuck.php |archivedate=October 31, 2006}} The song's chorus, "Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again," has been the theme of several city events in Lodi.
John Fogerty also 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."{{cite web|url=http://www.johnfogerty.com/news/93661|publisher=Johnfogerty.com|title=Fogerty's Guide to Creedence Clearwater Revival|accessdate=November 21, 2012|archive-date=December 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231210550/http://www.johnfogerty.com/news/93661|url-status=dead}}
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..."
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."{{cite news|newspaper=Billboard|accessdate=February 20, 2021|date=April 26, 1969|page=82|title=Spotlight Singles|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1969/Billboard%201969-04-26.pdf}} Cash Box similarly described it as "powerhouse material" that is similar to and as strong as the group's previous single "Proud Mary."{{cite news|title=CashBox Record Reviews|date=April 26, 1969|page=22|accessdate=December 8, 2021|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1969/CB-1969-04-26.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}}
Cover versions
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2024}}
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 number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his version and number 51 in Canada.{{cite book |title= Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=918}}{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5973.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - September 27, 1969}}
- 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
{{Reflist}}
{{Creedence}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by John Fogerty
Category:Creedence Clearwater Revival songs
Category:Song recordings produced by John Fogerty