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.
Everlovin' Woman
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She cooks my breakfast
On Sunday, just like my Ma
I hang my hat in her house,
She don't charge a dime
Love me, trust me, never cuss me,
You know she's mine
I'm talking 'bout,
I'm talking in rhyme
I'm talking 'bout that
Everlovin' woman of mine
Oh, when I'm gone you know
She don't hang around
And when I'm gone you know
She don't follow me down
She keeps the night-light burning,
Lord, she waits for me
Taking care of business,
Lord, she's taking care of me
I'm talking 'bout,
I'm talking 'bout,
I'm talking in rhyme
I'm talking 'bout that
Everlovin' woman of mine
She'd have me do it
If I'd do it at all
You know I love her,
Do I love her, lordy-lord
I hang my hat in her house,
Honey, she don't charge a dime
Taking care of business,
She's taking care of business of mine
I'm talking 'bout,
I'm talking in rhyme
I'm talking 'bout that
Everlovin' woman of mine
The song “Everlovin’ Woman” by J.J. Cale tells the story of a man who is head over heels in love with a woman who takes care of him and his needs. The man describes how much he loves this woman, who cooks his breakfast on Sundays just like his mother did. He hangs his hat in her house and she never asks him for money. He trusts her and she never swears at him. He can’t stop talking about her, she is always on his mind.
When the man leaves, she doesn’t follow him, but instead waits for him with the night-light on. She takes care of him and his business, she is always there for him. He is so in love with her that he would do anything she asks of him.
This song is a tribute to a devoted partner who is always there for you through thick and thin. It's about the basics of being in a relationship: love, trust, respect, and care. The song's soothing tune and lyrics capture the essence of a simple, yet true love.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a woman, I love her, lordy-lord
I have a woman in my life whom I love deeply.
She cooks my breakfast
Every morning, she prepares my breakfast.
On Sunday, just like my Ma
On Sundays, she cooks breakfast for me just like my mom used to do.
I hang my hat in her house,
I live in her house and consider it my home.
She don't charge a dime
She doesn't ask for any payment from me.
Love me, trust me, never cuss me,
She loves me, trusts me, and never swears at me.
You know she's mine
I am possessive about her and she belongs to me.
I'm talking 'bout,
I am referring to
I'm talking in rhyme
I am expressing myself in poetic language.
I'm talking 'bout that Everlovin' woman of mine
I am referring to my woman whom I love dearly and who takes care of me.
Oh, when I'm gone you know
When I am away from her
She don't hang around
She doesn't wait for me to come back.
And when I'm gone you know
Whenever I am not present
She don't follow me down
She doesn't try to keep up with me.
She keeps the night-light burning,
She keeps a light on at night so I can find my way back home easily.
Lord, she waits for me
She is patient and waits for me to come home.
Taking care of business,
She is very responsible and takes care of everything in my absence.
Lord, she's taking care of me
She is always taking care of me and ensuring that I am well.
She'd have me do it
She encourages me to do things that are good for me.
If I'd do it at all
She would only want me to do things if I am willing to do them.
You know I love her,
I have a deep affection for her.
Do I love her, lordy-lord
I absolutely love her and can't imagine life without her.
Honey, she don't charge a dime
She never asks for money or any other compensation.
Taking care of business,
She takes care of everything for me, allowing me to focus on other things.
She's taking care of business of mine
She is taking care of my responsibilities and making my life easier.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind