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.[4] 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."[5] The song's chorus, "Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again," has been the theme of several city events in Lodi.[5]
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."[6]
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..."[4]
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."[7]Cash Box similarly described it as "powerhouse material" that is similar to and as strong as the group's previous single "Proud Mary."[8]
