His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton,"Cajun Moon" by Randy Crawford, "Clyde" and "Louisiana Women" by Waylon Jennings, "Magnolia" by Jai, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas, "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "I'd Like to Love You, Baby" by Tom Petty, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx, "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana, "Cajun Moon" by Herbie Mann with Cissy Houston, and "Same Old Blues" by Captain Beefheart.
Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in Tulsa and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1956. Along with a number of other young Tulsa musicians, Cale moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he first worked as a studio engineer.
The Leathercoated Minds was a 1966-67 psychedelic studio-based band masterminded largely by Snuff Garrett and J J Cale. The band produced one album, A Trip down the Sunset Strip, co-produced by Cale and Garrett
Finding little success as a recording artist, he later returned to Tulsa and was considering giving up the music business until Clapton recorded "After Midnight" in 1970. His first album, Naturally, established his style, described by Los Angeles Times writer Richard Cromelin as a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and his unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists."
Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Cale talks about Elmer Valentine, co-owner of the Sunset Strip nightclub Whisky à GoGo, who employed him in the mid-1960s, being the one that came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail.
His biggest U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song.
Cale died on Friday, July 26, 2013, at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, after suffering a heart attack.
Long Way Home
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me and my girlfriend walkin' out the door
We're heading for the car and we got right in
And that's when I noticed the shape she was in
She turned to me and said right out
Let's steer it awhile, let's steer it about
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Make this night last
Well we drove down town and up in the woods
We drove around and around till I understood
I was holding the wheel, she was making out
And all this time I was driving about
She was fondling my hair and hugging my neck
And all I was thinking was, oh what the heck
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Make this night last
I was looking in the mirror and to my surprise
There was two big red lights shining in my eyes
I pull over and he drove alongside
And out of his car and up to my right
He looked at her and she looked at him
And the next thing I noticed he got right in
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Make this night last
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Make this night last
J.J. Cale's "Long Way Home" narrates a late-night car journey with his girlfriend, where they take the scenic route and delay their arrival home. The opening lines "Early in the morning, about a quarter to four/Me and my girlfriend walkin' out the door" set the scene of a hasty and impulsive decision to leave the house. They take the car and drive around town and woods without a definite destination until the singer eventually understands his girlfriend's intentions. The lyrics "She was fondling my hair and hugging my neck/And all I was thinking was, oh what the heck" suggest that they were not in any rush to get home and enjoy each other's company.
However, their blissful moments were interrupted by the flashing police lights behind them. The lyrics "I was looking in the mirror and to my surprise/There was two big red lights shining in my eyes" encapsulate the fear and panic that might come with an unexpected police stop. As the police officer approaches their car, he notices the singer's girlfriend and decides to join them on their ride, leading to the repeated verses of "Take the long way home, take the long way home/Make this night last" as the three of them prolong their trip.
The song's overall theme revolves around seizing the moment and relishing life's spontaneous adventures while highlighting the little moments of pleasure and happiness. It's a celebration of car rides, relationships, and the joy of living in the present.
Line by Line Meaning
Early in the morning, about a quarter to four
At approximately 3:45 in the morning
Me and my girlfriend walkin' out the door
My girlfriend and I are leaving the building
We're heading for the car and we got right in
We proceed directly to the parked car and sit inside
And that's when I noticed the shape she was in
It was at this moment I became aware of my girlfriend's physical condition
She turned to me and said right out
She immediately spoke to me
Let's steer it awhile, let's steer it about
Let's drive for a while, let's explore
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Drive on a less direct route to our residence
Make this night last
Prolong the time we spend together
Well we drove down town and up in the woods
We drove through downtown and into a wooded area
We drove around and around till I understood
We drove in circles until I comprehended her intentions
I was holding the wheel, she was making out
I was driving while she was kissing me
And all this time I was driving about
I was driving aimlessly
She was fondling my hair and hugging my neck
She was caressing my hair and embracing me
And all I was thinking was, oh what the heck
I was unconcerned with our current situation
I was looking in the mirror and to my surprise
When I glanced in the rearview mirror, I was startled
There was two big red lights shining in my eyes
Police lights were in the reflection of the mirror
I pull over and he drove alongside
I came to a stop and the police officer pulled up next to us
And out of his car and up to my right
The officer exited his vehicle and approached me
He looked at her and she looked at him
The officer saw my girlfriend and she saw him
And the next thing I noticed he got right in
The officer entered our car
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Drive on a less direct route to our residence
Make this night last
Prolong the time we spend together
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Drive on a less direct route to our residence
Take the long way home, take the long way home
Drive on a less direct route to our residence
Make this night last
Prolong the time we spend together
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J J CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind