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.
Crying
J.J. Cale Lyrics
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All that you do
Crying, crying, crying
You've been shedding them tears
For too many years
Crying, crying, crying
You've been lonely too long,
Something went wrong
Did he leave you again
With them blues
Your sun don't shine,
Your day's no round
Crying, crying, crying
You've been lonely too long,
Something went wrong
Did he leave you again
With them blues
Happy your day,
I'm comin' your way
No more crying, crying, crying
The lyrics of J.J. Cale's song "Crying" seem to address a person who has been crying for a very long time. The repeated phrase "crying, crying, crying" is like an echo of the person's suffering, emphasizing the overwhelming emotion this person feels. The singer wonders how long this person has been shedding tears, suggesting that it's been too many years, and that something must have gone wrong for them to be so unhappy. The lyrics mention "them blues," which likely refers to feeling down or depressed. The singer seems to be offering the person some solace by saying "Happy your day, I'm comin' your way," indicating the singer wants to help alleviate the person's suffering.
Overall, the song seems to capture the pain of someone who has been through a difficult experience, particularly a strained relationship. The singer recognizes the deep sadness and loneliness this person is feeling, and wants to offer comfort and support to help them overcome it.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I see you,
Whenever I catch a glimpse of you
All that you do
Just by doing everyday things
Crying, crying, crying
You're always so sad
You've been shedding them tears
Oh, you've cried so much
For too many years
For a very long time
You've been lonely too long,
You've been alone for far too many days
Something went wrong
Something didn't go right
Did he leave you again
Did your lover abandon you once more
With them blues
Leaving you with nothing but sorrow
Your sun don't shine,
Things don't seem bright
Your day's no round
Your day just seems wrong
Crying, crying, crying
Weeping and wailing
Happy your day,
Making your day better
I'm comin' your way
I'm on my way over
No more crying, crying, crying
You won't need to shed any more tears
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind