In Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music, John Fogerty explained that the inspiration for "Lodi" came from trips with his father around central California, an area of the world where he "felt very warm and special." This seed of an idea grew into a story about a traveling musician whose career "is in the rearview mirror." Fogerty was only 23 when he wrote this song about an aging musician.
This song is a reflection on John Fogerty's days with The Golliwogs, an early version of Creedence Clearwater Revival. They had to struggle for success, playing wherever they could with dilapidated equipment and an often indifferent audience. He did not want a return to the Bad Old Days.
Lodi is a city in California located in the central valley, about 30 miles south of Sacramento and 75 or 100 miles east of San Francisco/Oakland. Fogerty and his earlier band often performed in "nowhere towns" like Lodi.
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