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.
Out Of Style
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know it's been a while
Way too long, since you been gone
I'm almost out of style
You treat me kind and gentle
You're always on my mind
A love that's true, I keep for you
Until the end of time
Stay with me a while
I'll take some time, to make you mine
And keep you out of style
The song "Out of Style" by J.J. Cale seems to be a love song expressing the singer's longing for someone who has been gone for a long time. The lyrics suggest that the singer misses their lover very much and fears that they may have become obsolete in the lover's life. The phrase "out of style" here might mean that their love may have fallen out of fashion or that it is no longer popular. The singer describes how their beloved treats them kindly and gently, and how their love is always on their mind. The singer also vows to keep their love for their partner until the end of time.
The lyrics of this song reveal a sense of deep longing and genuine affection for the person who has been gone for a long time. It expresses the hope that the person will return and that their relationship will continue to bloom forever. The song seems to be written in J.J. Cale's unique style, which mixes blues, rock, and country genres.
Line by Line Meaning
Sure do miss you babe
I really miss you, my dear.
You know it's been a while
It has been a long time since we last talked or saw each other.
Way too long, since you been gone
It has been too long since you left and I have been missing you every day.
I'm almost out of style
My love for you is starting to fade because you have been away for too long and I am losing hope of your return.
You treat me kind and gentle
You have always treated me with kindness and tenderness.
You're always on my mind
You are constantly in my thoughts and I can never stop thinking about you.
A love that's true, I keep for you
I have a love that is genuine and I reserve it only for you.
Until the end of time
My love for you will never fade away, it will remain strong for eternity.
Someday you've got to come back
I hope that someday you will come back to me.
Stay with me a while
Please stay with me for a little longer, do not leave me again.
I'll take some time, to make you mine
I have all the time in the world to devote myself to you and make you mine once again.
And keep you out of style
I will ensure that our love never falls out of style or fades away.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRISTINE LAKELAND, J. J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind