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.
Everything Will Be Alright
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All we do is fuss and fight
Ain't no use in talking,
Might as well start walking
Walking out into the night
You get your gun, I'll get mine
We can do it just one time
If we live no longer,
Then we'll know who's really right
All we do is weep and moan
Trying to build ourself a home
Ain't no shame in trying,
Ain't no use denying
Everything will be alright
The opening lines of J.J. Cale's 'Everything Will Be Alright' suggests a relationship that is troubled and embroiled in conflict. The lines, "Same old hassle every night, all we do is fuss and fight" capture the couple's perpetual state of turmoil. Despite their attempts to communicate, "Ain't no use in talking, might as well start walking," the singer calmly advises. He suggests they go their separate ways rather than fight on, "Walking out into the night." The second verse describes an even more intense situation where they resolve to resort to violence, "You get your gun, I'll get mine" if they cannot resolve their issues. However, even if they live through the ordeal, things will not improve, "If we live no longer, it won't get no stronger, then we'll know who's really right" acknowledging that their conflicts will continue to harm their relationship.
The final verse suggests that the couple is aware of their issues, "All we do is weep and moan, trying to build ourself a home." They are frustrated, trying to create a stable and happy life for themselves, but are not succeeding. The singer advises that there is no shame in trying and that things will eventually work themselves out, "Ain't no shame in trying, ain't no use denying, everything will be alright."
Line by Line Meaning
Same old hassle every night
We go through the same arguments and disagreements every night.
All we do is fuss and fight
Our communication is limited to bickering and quarreling.
Ain't no use in talking,
Talking won't help us resolve our issues.
Might as well start walking
We might as well go our separate ways.
Walking out into the night
We are leaving each other in the dark.
You get your gun, I'll get mine
We are ready to escalate this conflict to something violent.
We can do it just one time
We are ready to have a final showdown.
If we live no longer,
We are accepting the possibility of dying for the sake of our respective positions.
It won't get no stronger
We can't get any more deeply entrenched in our views.
Then we'll know who's really right
If one of us emerges victorious, they will have proven their point.
All we do is weep and moan
We are struggling to make a home together.
Trying to build ourself a home
We are working to create a supportive and loving living space.
Ain't no shame in trying,
It's worth attempting to build a life together.
Ain't no use denying
Our problems exist, and we must confront them to solve them.
Everything will be alright
In spite of our current issues, things will eventually work out in the end.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J.J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lilrieger
We always used to hear jj cale in the cellar of my parents after a party at the weekend. Really cozy and calming music to let night roll out, so glad my mother gifted me this album <3
wakenbait
I hear something new every time I listen to JJ Cale. The music just flows from him. I hear his music and my foot starts tapping... sweet one, Chet !!!
Gerard Rohlf
I remember playing with my little Band in Brownsville, PA in 1973, in the basement of an crumby Italian Restaurant. When we broke into "Everything Will Be Alright", the Owner came out of the kitchen and said, "What the H--l is this? You guys are terrible" - he wasn't wrong - "You can't expect me to pay you for this s--t!" We were broke, but very proud, as we left - this was the Best thing we'd played all night, and saved it till the end. Love, love, love this Song - to this day!
brad pertner
Really great recording. Trippy. Sounds so live, and on to vinyl...
gNarLy cEe
*GooseBUMPS* ♥ JJ Cale ♥
hmac2222
Bass player (Norbert Putnam) is the unsung hero of this track.
Kris Trznadel
Great tune 😀
kikque
I love the tight drums, loose bass and the suspended piano inflections. Sorry for getting technical, just an awesome foot tapper for me ;)
William Fever
yeah suspended chords are great, Elton John is throwing them in almost every song of his! lol
Marcelo Carvalho
G E N I O !