Lodi (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)

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"Lodi"
Lodi label.jpeg
Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival
from the album Green River
A-side "Bad Moon Rising"
ReleasedApril 1969 (1969-04)
RecordedMarch 1969, Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco
Genre
Length3:10
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. [5]

Contents

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 ]. After playing in local bars, the narrator finds himself stranded and unable to raise bus or train fare to leave. [5] 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." [6] The song's chorus, "Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again," has been the theme of several city events in Lodi. [6]

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." [7]

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..." [5]

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." [8] Cash Box similarly described it as "powerhouse material" that is similar to and as strong as the group's previous single "Proud Mary." [9]

Cover versions

The song has been covered by many musicians, including:

References

  1. ↑ "The 25 best country rock songs of all time". Classic Rock Magazine . August 5, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 527. ISBN   0-452-26305-0.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ https://rateyourmusic.com/song/creedence-clearwater-revival/lodi/
  5. 1 2 3 Janovitz, Bill. "Lodi". AllMusic . Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  6. 1 2 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.
  7. ↑ "Fogerty's Guide to Creedence Clearwater Revival". Johnfogerty.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. April 26, 1969. p. 82. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  9. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 26, 1969. p. 22. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012. Record Research. p. 918.
  11. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 27, 1969" (PDF).
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