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.
I Got The Same Old Blues
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got it made, way across town
It's the same old story, tell me where does it end
Yes, I heard the news, it's the same old blues again
When I wrote you a letter, you must have read it wrong
I stood at your doorway, but you was gone
I took a lot of courage and let the telephone ring
It's the same old blues, same old blues again
'Cause I've got a lot of patience and I've got a lot of time
It's the same old story, tell me where does it end
It's the same old blues, same old blues again
I'm gonna find me a mountain, I'm gonna hide out
I ain't talking to you and I ain't coming out
Yeah, I heard that rumour, tell me where does it end
It's the same old blues, same old blues again
The lyrics to J.J. Cale's "I Got The Same Old Blues" depict a feeling of weariness and frustration with a repetitive and potentially damaging cycle in a relationship. The singer is aware of a rumor that his lover is doing well without him, and despite the distance, he finds himself slipping back into the same old patterns of miscommunication and frustration. The singer tries to reach out to his lover, but she is not available, leaving him feeling defeated and alone. Rather than continue to fight a losing battle, the singer decides to retreat and find solace in isolation.
The opening line of the song, "Have you heard that rumor that's going around," sets the stage for a sense of gossip and hearsay that adds to the frustration and uncertainty of the situation. The chorus, which repeats the phrase "same old blues," emphasizes the cyclical nature of this emotional struggle. The singer's attempts to communicate with his lover through a letter and a phone call illustrate a sense of desperation and the hope that things might somehow be different this time. However, the final verse indicates a feeling of defeat and a desire to withdraw from the situation entirely.
Overall, "I Got The Same Old Blues" is a poignant depiction of a frustrating and all-too-familiar emotional journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you heard that rumour that's going around
Have you heard the gossip that is circulating?
You got it made, way across town
You are living comfortably in a distant location
It's the same old story, tell me where does it end
It's a repetitive tale, with no conclusion in sight
Yes, I heard the news, it's the same old blues again
Yes, I am aware of the information, it's a familiar sense of despair
When I wrote you a letter, you must have read it wrong
When I wrote to you, you misinterpreted my words
I stood at your doorway, but you was gone
I visited your house, but you had left
I took a lot of courage and let the telephone ring
I mustered up the bravery to call you
It's the same old blues, same old blues again
It's a repetitive feeling of despair
When you give me the business, you know I get a mind
When you confront me, I become agitated
'Cause I've got a lot of patience and I've got a lot of time
I am capable of waiting for a long time
I'm gonna find me a mountain, I'm gonna hide out
I intend to find a remote location and disappear
I ain't talking to you and I ain't coming out
I refuse to have a conversation with you or leave my hiding spot
Yeah, I heard that rumour, tell me where does it end
Yes, I am aware of the gossip, but it seems never-ending
It's the same old blues, same old blues again
It's a cyclical feeling of despair
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: J. J. Cale
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cannashiva9719
Have you heard that rumour that's going around
You got it made, way across town
It's the same old story, tell me where does it end
Yes, I heard the news, it's the same old blues again
When I wrote you a letter, you must have read it wrong
I stood at your doorway, but you was gone
I took a lot of courage and let the telephone ring
It's the same old blues, same old blues again
When you give me the business, you know I get a mind
'Cause I've got a lot of patience and I've got a lot of time
It's the same old story, tell me where does it end
It's the same old blues, same old blues again
I'm gonna find me a mountain, I'm gonna hide out
I ain't talking to you and I ain't coming out
Yeah, I heard that rumour, tell me where does it end
It's the same old blues, same old blues again😎
@biketwat825
If honey made a sound sliding down velvet, it would be JJ Cale 🤠
@engell3707
The only way to get over a JJ Cale song, is another JJ Cale song.
Grande Maestro !
@eugenespudich8867
one of the greats that was so underated.
@robertbobin5053
Cale is the proverbial, unsung heroe.
@jacquesbrinon9814
@@robertbobin5053 -
@joetaska
I'm not trying to get over a JJ Cale song. I just attend the meetings and admit that I'm addicted!
@monotheis6889
I live in this town, and still, the words are true. Nothing changes, but for the worse. The singer is gone, and the ground has turned cold....
@danisullivan1861
Thank God for the music. The world has gone crazy. March 2020 .
@martypalanos2460
and even crazier in march 2021
@carlosm.devasconcelllos3939
Iconic song. Iconic and yet underrated bluesman