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.
ROLLIN'
J.J. Cale Lyrics
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Top down tonight
The city lights clear and bright
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
It’s a party and we love this life
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
It’s a party and we love this life
It’s a blessing to be living
In this world that we’ve been given
Put away all of your stresses and your strains
See the sun will soon be setting
And the vibe that you’ll be getting
Is the night will be much better than the day
So you call up all the homies
All the fellas and the ladies
Gonna meet up and get ready for a cruise
Top down, music up
Rolling on the boulevard
It’s the life, just appreciate the view
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
The city lights clear and bright
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
It’s a party and we love this life
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
The city lights clear and bright
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
It’s a party and we love this life
It’s been a long hard week
Working long hard days
Think it’s time to relax and wind down
The strip’s been calling
And the air is feeling right
Just perfect for the crew to ride around
Now you’re bout to hit the weekend
And you just got paid
Ready to make the cruise a real sight
The salt air’s fresh
Blowing through the skyline
Think we’re gonna celebrate the whole night
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
The city lights clear and bright
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
It’s a party and we love this life
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
The city lights clear and bright
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
It’s a party and we love this life
Feel the bass bump
Got you bobbing your head
Looking back at all the people
As they stop and stare
Going slow and steady
Take your foot off the gas
Hands waving, heads bobbing
As the system blasts
In the cool night air
Rolling low and slow
There’s nothing that can bring this vibe down
Lights flashing got you felling
Paparazzi’s around
Just chillin is the mission
As you roll around town
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
The city lights clear and bright
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
It’s a party and we love this life
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
The city lights clear and bright
Rolling round town
Top down tonight
It’s a party and we love this life
Got you bobbing your head
Got you bobbing your head
Got you bobbing your head
Got you bobbing your head, huh
The song Rollin' by J.J. Cale talks about the singer's habits when he returns to his house after a long day. He sings about how he doesn't usually drink during the day, much less alone, but when he gets home, he likes to pour himself a drink or two, sit back in the chair, and just watch his troubles fade away. The chorus is a repetition of him singing about how he's not going to worry about anything anymore, and he's just going to keep on rolling.
Before, he used to worry about his vices, like gambling or wasting too much time at home. But now, he declares that he's alright and that he always manages to make it through. The song has a very laid-back, Southern sound to it, embodying a sense of relaxation and nonchalance. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of escaping from the stresses of life and finding solace in simple pleasures and life's smaller moments.
Line by Line Meaning
I never drink in the afternoon
I avoid having alcohol during the day or early evening hours.
I never drink alone
I refrain from consuming alcohol without the presence of another person.
But I sure do like a drink or two
When I get home
However, I still have a desire for having a couple of drinks when I return to my residence.
Let me tell you what I do
Allow me to explain my routine.
I sit here in this chair
I remain seated in this specific chair.
I pour myself some whiskey
I serve myself a glass of whiskey.
And watch my troubls vanish into the air
As I drink, I find relief from my worries and concerns.
Rollin', rollin'
Ain't gonna worry no more
Rollin', rollin'
Ain't gonna worry no more
I feel carefree, and my problems no longer bother me the way they used to.
Used to worry about gamblin'
Throwin' my money away
Used to worry about wastin' time
And layin' round the house all day
In the past, I was concerned about gambling away my money and about wasting time while being idle at home.
But I'm all right now
I'm all right now
I never thought I'd make it
But I always do somehow
I'm all right
Despite my previous worries, I am now feeling fine, and I always manage to pull through, even when I didn't think I could.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Christopher Barnes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind