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.
Change Your Mind
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The edge is on, sharp as a knife
Underground tremor, stop it with a dime
Hey girl, call me if you change your mind
Contemplation, meditation, all that jive
Taking out the medicine just before sunrise
Underground tremor, stop it with a dime
Hey girl, call me if you change your mind
I just want to tell you when we get back
You're just the kind of woman do a man all night
You're just the kind of woman that's a dynamite
Underground tremor, stop it with a dime
Hey girl, call me if you change your mind
The opening lines of J.J. Cale's "Change Your Mind" suggest that the singer is witnessing someone struggling with the complexities of life. The reference to a "complicated life" and the use of the word "detect" create an impression of someone observing a situation from a distance, rather than experiencing it firsthand. The singer notes that the person in question is on edge, which is likened to a sharp knife. The use of this simile conjures an image of someone who is dangerously close to losing control or breaking down.
As the song progresses, the singer suggests that the person is engaging in contemplation and meditation, which they refer to as "all that jive." This could be seen as a dismissive attitude toward the individual's attempts to cope with their problems, or perhaps a recognition of the limitations of such practices in the face of overwhelming stressors. The reference to "taking out the medicine just before sunrise" suggests that the person may be self-medicating to deal with their issues.
In the chorus, the singer expresses a desire to love the person and be with them, suggesting that they have a romantic interest in them. The repeated refrain of "Hey girl, call me if you change your mind" indicates that the singer is willing to wait for the person to come around, but is also acknowledging that they may not do so. The final line of the chorus, "You're just the kind of woman that's a dynamite," could be interpreted as a compliment, but also carries a sense of danger or instability.
Line by Line Meaning
I detect a side-effect of a complicated life
I sense that your life has been complicated and has affected you in some way
The edge is on, sharp as a knife
The situation is intense and potentially dangerous
Underground tremor, stop it with a dime
There is something unsettling happening, but it can be easily fixed
Hey girl, call me if you change your mind
If you change your mind about something, reach out to me
Contemplation, meditation, all that jive
Taking time to reflect and think deeply about things
Taking out the medicine just before sunrise
Taking medication to feel better and starting the day fresh
Underground tremor, stop it with a dime
There is something unsettling happening, but it can be easily fixed
Hey girl, call me if you change your mind
If you change your mind about something, reach out to me
I just want to love you and that's a fact
All I want is to love you, and that's the truth
I just want to tell you when we get back
When we return, I want to tell you something important
You're just the kind of woman do a man all night
You are the kind of woman who can satisfy a man all night
You're just the kind of woman that's a dynamite
You are an amazing woman who stands out
Underground tremor, stop it with a dime
There is something unsettling happening, but it can be easily fixed
Hey girl, call me if you change your mind
If you change your mind about something, reach out to me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J J CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind