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.
Ridin
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm ridin' home, ridin' home
I'm sittin' on this train
And I'm ridin' home, ridin' home
I've got my bag and I'm ready to go
I wish this train didn't move so slow
I'm sittin' on this train
And I'm ridin' home, ridin' home
Like it used to, ridin' home
This train don't move
Like it used to, ridin' home
This train don't move
Down the railroad track
Fast enough to get my baby back
This train don't move
Like it used to, ridin' home
In J.J. Cale's "Ridin' Home," the singer is seated on a train, heading home. The repetition of the phrase "ridin' home" in the lyrics underscores the theme of returning home after a period of absence. The singer is carrying their bag and is ready to go, but they're being slowed down by the train's sluggish pace. They express their frustration over the train's speed, wishing that it would move faster so that they could be reunited with their loved one. The repetition of the phrase "ridin' home" is not just a simple repetition, but rather a poetic emphasis which not only reflects the singer's desire to return home but also creates a sense of urgency and impatience.
The train itself is a symbolic representation of the journey the singer is on, both literal and metaphorical. The train's slow speed can be viewed as a metaphor for the singer's life and how time seems to pass by so slowly when they are not with their loved one. The line "this train don't move like it used to" can be interpreted as the singer commenting on how their life has slowed down without their significant other. The train's progress is also a reminder of the slow march of time, and how it can feel like an eternity when you are away from the one you love. Lastly, the line "fast enough to get my baby back" reflects the singer's deep longing to be reunited with their significant other and their desire to be together again.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sittin' on this train
J.J. Cale is sitting on a train
And I'm ridin' home, ridin' home
He is on his way home on the train
I've got my bag and I'm ready to go
He's packed his bag and is prepared to leave the train when it stops
I wish this train didn't move so slow
J.J. Cale is frustrated with how slow the train is moving
This train don't move
The train is not moving fast enough
Like it used to, ridin' home
In the past, trains used to move faster
Down the railroad track
The train is moving on a railroad track
Fast enough to get my baby back
He is missing his significant other and wishes the train was moving faster so he could get home to them sooner
This train don't move
The train is still not moving fast enough
Like it used to, ridin' home
The train is not as fast as it used to be
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mikehiers
JJ was one of the first to use a drum machine programmed by him... 51 years ago. 1972.
Always loved this song. In a bare bones arrangement, JJ injects Charlie McCoy, Harmonica Master Studio Legend
@BBINGHAM032352
This has been my favourite J.J. Cale song since the year 1972 when I purchased the 45 rpm record.
@sumontochaudhuri9433
never tire of listening to your stuff ..thank you so much for the music Mr. Cale..hope you are rocking forever ..wherever you are
@mariocaffari5015
A * Milestone * in Music History ! This tune goes directly to the Heart
Best audio quality / Greetings from Switzerland
@shrrbrr
JJ Cale songs are so good, that when he adds piano playing ontop of them they become the most representative and the actual core of whatever kind of blues or rock they happen to be. most iconic blues song in the world confirmed
@fabriziobariggi3891
Ridin' Home
JJ Cale - guitar, bass guitar, piano, drums, vocals
Charlie McCoy - harmonica
@kendematk
JJ WAS THE BEST THIS SONG PROVES IT.
@groovechampion1462
Man! my JJ lp´s are favorites. gets to spin atleast once a month.
@witchcerridwen
yes i love jj cale.only the memories i have are not all that good.but jj cale is.
@juliusgrigo7735
Молодец хороша песенка!