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.
Pack My Jack
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rambling man keeps rambling on
Yes, I've been moving to the highway,
Rambling man keeps rambling on
Well, you can't seem to see it my way,
Pack my jack and I'll be gone
I said trouble, trouble follows easy,
Follows me everywhere I go
Follows me everywhere I go
I can't seem to shake old trouble,
Trouble got me down
Lord, I woke this morning feeling hazy,
My good gal she done left and gone
Yes, I woke this morning feeling hazy,
My good gal she done left and gone
She said I was dumb and lazy,
Ain't no truth in that at all
In J.J. Cale's song "Pack My Jack," the lyrics paint a picture of a man who is constantly on the move, traveling down the highway as a "rambling man." He acknowledges that trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes and he can't seem to shake it off. He feels vague and unsettled, acknowledging that he woke "feeling hazy" and his "good gal" is now gone, claiming he is "dumb and lazy," despite feeling that there is no truth in her accusations. The final line is a declaration that he will be packing up and leaving.
The lyrics in "Pack My Jack" reveal a common theme in J.J. Cale's music, which often focuses on the life of a nomad and the struggles they face. The song takes on a bluesy undertone, which combines with the simple melody and Cale's signature laid-back vocal style to create a feeling of melancholy resignation. In his unique way, Cale manages to capture the essence of a life lived on the road, where troubles and uncertainty are never far behind.
Interestingly, the song's title comes from a reference to a portable cement mixer, also called a "jackpack." Cale got the idea for the song while touring, where he saw the machines being used to build highways across the US. "Pack My Jack" is therefore a nod to the machinery that made constant travel possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, I've been moving to the highway,
I have been traveling on the road for a while now.
Rambling man keeps rambling on
I keep moving and exploring new things like a wanderer.
Well, you can't seem to see it my way,
You don't understand my perspective on life.
Pack my jack and I'll be gone
I'll leave and go somewhere far away from here.
I said trouble, trouble follows easy,
It's effortless for trouble to find me.
Follows me everywhere I go
I can't escape trouble, and it accompanies me everywhere.
I can't seem to shake old trouble,
I can't seem to overcome the problems that come my way.
Trouble got me down
I feel defeated and demotivated due to the misfortunes I'm facing.
Lord, I woke this morning feeling hazy,
I woke up feeling groggy and sluggish.
My good gal she done left and gone
My girlfriend has left me, and I feel heartbroken.
She said I was dumb and lazy,
She accused me of being unintelligent and indolent.
Ain't no truth in that at all
Her accusations are baseless and false.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: J. J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John D
one of my favorite tunes from one of my favorite JJ albums!
Andy Bates
Loving this tune. JJ Cale was a class act.
Matheus
This is premium content. J.J. was a master.
NickRatnieks
Such a great track- I bought the album in 1981. In 1983 this was played in a bar on the Greek island of Santorini- just perfect! James Burton and J J Cale as good as it can get.
Rahul Khanna
Best JJ Cale ever !!!
Michele Mangino
Discovered this fantastic musician in The '80s...since Then He became one of My first 3 choises. ..And He still is.
Ted Luijk
Just the mood i am in at the moment!
HumanFly Bzzz
How can something this complex be so simple at the same time.. JJ was a glitch in the matrix
Joao Martins
My favourite tune, what a swing...
DNS
Thank you JJ. Take my soul