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.
Bluebird
J.J. Cale Lyrics
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Man it's been a while since I've seen you friend
Looking out my window all I ever see
My reflection, bluebird and me
Bluebird, bluebird sing your song
Waiting on nobody to sing along
Sitting in the window why can't you see
Bluebird, bluebird you're just like me
I want to meet you another day
Wings that fly now must be in
Bluebird don't leave me talking to the wind
Bluebird don't leave me talking to the wind
Bluebird don't leave me talking to the wind
The lyrics to J.J. Cale's song "Bluebird" speak about a bluebird that has been absent for a long time. The singer is looking out his window and sees only his reflection, the bluebird, and himself. The bluebird is called upon to sing its song, but the singer admits that he's waiting on nobody to sing along. The bluebird is compared to the singer as they both seem to be stuck in a rut or in some way unable to fly and be free. The singer wants the bluebird to stay with him, to meet again another day, so that they both can fly together. He doesn't want to be left talking to the wind, as if he's been left behind.
The lyrics may be interpreted as a metaphor for freedom, and the struggle to achieve it. The bluebird may represent the idea of freedom, and the singer's longing for it. It's possible that the song is about the singer feeling trapped in some way, and unable to reach the freedom that he desires. He sees the bluebird as a symbol of that freedom, and wants to be able to join it in flight. However, he realizes that he must find his own wings and overcome whatever is holding him back, in order to truly be free.
Line by Line Meaning
Bluebird, bluebird where you been
The singer is excited to see the bluebird after a long time and wonders where it has been.
Man it's been a while since I've seen you friend
The singer acknowledges that it's been a long time since he saw the bluebird and considers it as his friend.
Looking out my window all I ever see
The singer expresses his disappointment that all he sees outside his window is his own reflection and the bluebird.
My reflection, bluebird and me
The singer feels a deep connection with the bluebird and considers it to be a part of him.
Bluebird, bluebird sing your song
The singer encourages the bluebird to sing its song without waiting for anyone to join in.
Waiting on nobody to sing along
The singer values the bluebird's independence and admires it for not waiting for anyone to join in while singing.
Sitting in the window why can't you see
The singer questions the bluebird's ability to see him even though he is sitting right next to it in the window.
Bluebird, bluebird you're just like me
The singer relates to the bluebird and sees it as a reflection of himself.
Bluebird, bluebird don't fly away
The singer pleads with the bluebird not to fly away and leave him alone.
I want to meet you another day
The singer expresses his desire to meet the bluebird again in the future.
Wings that fly now must be in
The singer acknowledges that it's time for the bluebird to fly away as its wings are ready.
Bluebird don't leave me talking to the wind
The singer pleads with the bluebird not to leave him alone and feel like he is talking to the wind.
Bluebird don't leave me talking to the wind
The singer repeats his plea to the bluebird not to leave him alone and feel like he is talking to the wind.
Contributed by Kaylee C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.