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]
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."[5]
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
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."[6]Cash Box similarly described it as "powerhouse material" that is similar to and as strong as the group's previous single "Proud Mary."[7]