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.
Don't Go To Strangers
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Call my name, call it loud
Don't go to strangers, woman, call on me
Wave your arms in the air,
Let me know that you're there
When in doubt, oh woman, call on me
Don't leave me here to rust,
Don't let me turn to dust
If I'm standing in a crowd,
Call my name, call it loud
Don't go to strangers, woman, call on me
In J.J. Cale's song 'Don't Go To Strangers', the singer addresses a woman, urging her to call out to him whenever she is in doubt and needs his help. The lyrics suggest that the woman and the singer are in a relationship but are currently separated, hence the plea to call on him whenever she needs him. The singer uses the metaphor of being lost in a crowd to depict the woman's situation of feeling lost without him.
The first two lines of the verse describe the woman being in a crowd, and the singer asks her to call his name loudly so he can hear her. The follow-up lines urge her not to go to strangers and instead call on him to let him know she is there. The singer emphasizes his desire to be there for her by saying, "When in doubt, oh woman, call on me."
The chorus is a repetition of the first four lines, stressing the importance of the woman not leaving him behind and to call on him whenever she needs him. The lyrics carry a sense of comfort and assurance, and the overall message is that the singer is always there for the woman.
Line by Line Meaning
If I'm standing in a crowd,
Even if I'm lost in a large group of people,
Call my name, call it loud
Make your voice heard above the others and say my name,
Don't go to strangers, woman, call on me
You don't have to turn to someone you don't know, it's best to trust me,
Wave your arms in the air,
Don't hesitate and show yourself,
Let me know that you're there
Make it clear that you need me near,
When in doubt, oh woman, call on me
Even if you're unsure, rely on me for support,
Don't leave me here to rust,
Don't let me remain unattended and deteriorate,
Don't let me turn to dust
Don't let me disintegrate and become nothing,
Oh, woman, when in doubt, call on me
Just remember that you can always count on me,
If I'm standing in a crowd,
Even if it seems like I'm lost in a sea of people,
Call my name, call it loud
Raise your voice and get my attention, don't be afraid to shout,
Don't go to strangers, woman, call on me
I'd rather you trust in me than rely on someone you don't know, you can always call on me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Redd Evans, Arthur Kent, Dave Mann
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sing Your Style Studio
If I'm standing in a crowd, call my name, call it loud
Don't go to strangers, woman, call on me
Wave your arms in the air, let me know that you're there
When in doubt, oh woman, call on me
Don't leave me here to rust, don't let me turn to dust
Oh, woman, when in doubt, call on me
If I'm standing in a crowd, call my name, call it loud
Don't go to strangers, woman, call on me
John Knottenbelt
The music of JJ Cale doesn't age, like a good red wine, it just becomes better.... with every year that passes.
Hannah Malone
Aging is what improves the wine. Wine is a living thing.
Belmar Guitar
@Hannah Malone I almost want to tell you to be quiet, but I feel I should relent.
Sing Your Style Studio
If I'm standing in a crowd, call my name, call it loud
Don't go to strangers, woman, call on me
Wave your arms in the air, let me know that you're there
When in doubt, oh woman, call on me
Don't leave me here to rust, don't let me turn to dust
Oh, woman, when in doubt, call on me
If I'm standing in a crowd, call my name, call it loud
Don't go to strangers, woman, call on me
Mediocre Clementine
My dad used to be cale' drummer whenever this album came out, and always told me stories about the time he spent playing for him but never actually played any of the songs for me. Never knew his music was this nice ♥️
Blueslover Delux
Must of been a humble guy,just like JJ.Great artists usually are.Greetings from Croatia,my fav singer/group is JJ,for decades...you can allways listen to this man.
Dutchtreat
Dude. Your dad gave me so much. I can feel his beats. Listened to your dad the evening my son was born.
Mary Rice
One of THE BEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME!
rory toomey
I concur. Outstanding.
Jim West
Interstellar Overdrive in my professional opinion you are correct