Smokie is an English pop rock band from Bradford who found success in Europ… Read Full Bio ↴Smokie is an English pop rock band from Bradford who found success in Europe and the U.S. in the 70s. They formed in 1966 in Yorkshire, England and did some early records under the name "Smokey". The band broke into the mainstream after teaming up with songwriters Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, artists known for also working with Pat Benatar and Sweet among others. Smokie is perhaps best known for "Living Next Door to Alice", one of their top hits that was a U.K. top 5 single.

While touring in Ireland, the discovered the audience would cheer back "Who the Fuck is Alice?". As it turns out , this was a ritual at a Café in Nijmegen (the Netherlands) called "Gompie". The group decided to "cover" this version with comedian Roy Chubby Brown having the honor of yelling "Alice, Who the Fuck is Alice?" during the chorus. Thus, Smokie holds the record as the first group to have a top ten song with the word "fuck" in it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokie_(band)

Lodi
Smokie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Just about a year ago, I set out on the road
Seekin' my fame and fortune, lookin' for a pot of gold
Things got bad, and things got worse
I guess you will know the tune
Oh! Lord, stuck in Lodi again
Rode in on the greyhound, I'll be walkin' out if I go
I was just passin' through, must be seven months or more
Ran out of time and money

Looks like they took my friends
Oh! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again
The man from the magazine said I was on my way
Somewhere I lost connections, ran out of songs to play
I came into town, a one night stand
Looks like my plans fell through
Oh! Lord, stuck in Lodi again
If I only had a dollar, for ev'ry song I've sung
And ev'ry time I've had to play while people sat there drunk
You know, I'd catch the next train
Back to where I live

Oh! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again

Oh! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again

Overall Meaning

The song Lodi by Smokie tells the story of a musician's journey filled with the ups and downs of his career. The song starts with the musician reminiscing about his journey, which began a year ago when he set out to seek his fame and fortune. He talks about how things got bad and worse, and how he has ended up being stuck in a place called Lodi. The singer talks about his arrival into town on a Greyhound bus, and how he has been in Lodi for over seven months.

The singer laments the loss of connections and how he has run out of songs to play. He came into town for a one night stand hoping to make it big, but his plans have fallen through. The musician is broke and stranded without a friend in sight. The listeners can feel the frustration and despair in his voice when he says he wishes he had a dollar for every song he's sung and every time he's had to play in front of a drunken audience. The singer wants to catch the next train back home and out of Lodi, wishing to escape his present situation.

Line by Line Meaning

Just about a year ago, I set out on the road
About a year ago, I began my journey on the road.

Seekin' my fame and fortune, lookin' for a pot of gold
I was searching for success and wealth, hoping to strike it rich.

Things got bad, and things got worse
My situation deteriorated over time.

I guess you will know the tune
You can probably relate to my struggles.

Oh! Lord, stuck in Lodi again
I am currently trapped in Lodi, California and feeling frustrated about it.

Rode in on the greyhound, I'll be walkin' out if I go
I arrived in Lodi on a Greyhound bus, but I will have to leave the town on foot if I don't find a way out soon.

I was just passin' through, must be seven months or more
Initially I didn't intend to stay in Lodi, but it's been at least seven months since I arrived.

Ran out of time and money
Unfortunately, I no longer have the resources to stay in Lodi any longer.

Looks like they took my friends
I lost touch with my friends or they are nowhere to be found in Lodi.

The man from the magazine said I was on my way
A magazine had written about me and said I was going places with my music career.

Somewhere I lost connections, ran out of songs to play
Along the way, I lost important connections in the music industry and now I'm struggling to write new songs.

I came into town, a one night stand
Initially, I only planned on performing for one night in Lodi.

Looks like my plans fell through
Unfortunately, my plans did not work out the way I intended them to.

If I only had a dollar, for ev'ry song I've sung
Over the course of my career, if I had received a dollar for every song I've sung, I would have more financial stability.

And ev'ry time I've had to play while people sat there drunk
Unfortunately, many times when I perform, the audience is drunk and not fully appreciating my music.

You know, I'd catch the next train
If I had the financial means, I would leave Lodi and catch the next train out of town.

Back to where I live
I wish to return to my original residence, where I feel more comfortable and safe.

Oh! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again
I'm still feeling very frustrated and trapped in Lodi, California.

Contributed by Muhammad B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS