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.
Santa Cruz
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Well I came to coast from L.A.
Just to give a little music to boo me away
Hey J.J. can you play Cocaine
Do After Midnight it's all the same
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Oo-wee how did I lose
I'll tell you about the night in Santa Cruz
Well we didn't play long it booed too soon
I can't do right no matter what you do
A girl in the crowd, at the finale
Shouted at me had I even turned
Another man left 'cause he didn't stay long
I thought we had played his favorite song
Hey you, pull that weight
A soon as it's cleaned up then I'll fade away
My friends and I hope you're glad to see
Me and friends coming off the street
Play, Richard
I don't mean a man can't lose
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
I don't mean a man can't lose
The lyrics to J.J. Cale's song Santa Cruz recount a disappointing and frustrating experience the singer had during a performance in the eponymous coastal town. The song opens with the repeated phrase "Oo-wee how did I lose" which refers to the sense of defeat and confusion the singer feels about the events that took place that night. He explains that he and his friends came to Santa Cruz from L.A. in the hopes of sharing their music, but the crowd "booed too soon" and didn't appreciate their set. They were even heckled by a girl in the crowd who asked if they had even tuned their instruments. The singer laments that they didn't get to play for long and that they couldn't seem to do anything right. He mentions another man leaving early and his failed attempt at playing a requested song. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that sometimes a man can't win, but he wishes he could have made a better impression in Santa Cruz.
The lyrics of Santa Cruz are a relatable portrayal of the musician experience. It is not uncommon for artists to have challenging gigs and difficult audiences. The song highlights the disappointment and frustration that comes with putting yourself out there and not being received in the way you hoped. Despite this negative experience, the singer remains determined to continue making music and playing for new crowds. The song could be seen as a love letter to the ups and downs of being a musician and the resilience it takes to keep going.
Line by Line Meaning
Oo-wee how did I lose
Expressing surprise that the night in Santa Cruz did not turn out as expected
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Reflecting on the events that unfolded on that specific night
Well I came to coast from L.A.
Travelled to Santa Cruz from Los Angeles
Just to give a little music to boo me away
Played music that was not well-received by the audience
Hey J.J. can you play Cocaine
Request from an audience member for the song 'Cocaine'
Do After Midnight it's all the same
Another request for a song, implying that they are all interchangeable
Well we didn't play long it booed too soon
Left the stage early due to excessive booing from the audience
I can't do right no matter what you do
Feeling of defeat and inability to please the audience
A girl in the crowd, at the finale
A specific moment during the performance
Shouted at me had I even turned
Questioning whether the performer cared about the audience's reaction
Another man left 'cause he didn't stay long
An audience member leaving the performance early
I thought we had played his favorite song
Assuming that a specific song would please a certain audience member
Hey you, pull that weight
Directing someone to help with cleaning up after the performance
A soon as it's cleaned up then I'll fade away
Cleaning up after the performance before leaving
My friends and I hope you're glad to see
Expressing gratitude to the audience for attending the performance
Me and friends coming off the street
Performing on a more personal level from the streets
Play, Richard
Encouraging a member of the band to continue playing during the performance
I don't mean a man can't lose
Acknowledging that there are moments of failure in life
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
Encouraging others to gradually learn and grow from mistakes made on that specific night
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
Overall takeaway from the events that occurred during the night in Santa Cruz
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRISTINE LAKELAND, J. J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sonacrockett3095
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Well I came to coast from L.A.
Just to give a little music to boo me away
Hey J.J. can you play Cocaine
Do After Midnight it's all the same
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Oo-wee how did I lose
I'll tell you about the night in Santa Cruz
Well we didn't play long it booed too soon
I can't do right no matter what you do
A girl in the crowd, at the finale
Shouted at me had I even turned
Another man left 'cause he didn't stay long
I thought we had played his favorite song
Hey you, pull that weight
A soon as it's cleaned up then I'll fade away
My friends and I hope you're glad to see
Me and friends coming off the street
Play, Richard
I don't mean a man can't lose
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
I don't mean a man can't lose
@sandytrunks
I had to look up the lyrics....
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Well I came to coast from L.A.
Just to give a little music to boo me away
Hey J.J. can you play Cocaine
Do After Midnight it's all the same
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Oo-wee how did I lose
I'll tell you about the night in Santa Cruz
Well we didn't play long it booed too soon
I can't do right no matter what you do
A girl in the crowd, at the finale
Shouted at me had I even turned
Another man left 'cause he didn't stay long
I thought we had played his favorite song
Hey you, pull that weight
A soon as it's cleaned up then I'll fade away
My friends and I hope you're glad to see
Me and friends coming off the street
Play, Richard
I don't mean a man can't lose
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
I don't mean a man can't lose
@alexandermills382
Never tire of JJ, love his music more and more, great cruisin’ music, what a talented cool cat, RIP we all love JJ.
@brucewayne3602
undefinable eternal magical brilliance ... Merci JJ !!!
@MasalaiMeri
I miss this guy everyday, and am so grateful to him for sharing his music with us.
Thanks for posting this gem.
@marcosgomes7681
MasalaiMeri a few of us really miss JJ is music lives on
@er4ikjur
An old friend of mine in the 80's use to say that JJ's was hypotensive (low-blood-pressure) rock 'n' roll. which swings like mad! Rest in musical heaven JJ!
@emmieking9910
Oh, I LIKE that definition - spot on! :)
@coopsman98
laid back rockabilly blues..
@alexdebua2666
There's only one thing really rare in jj and it's a bad song in his portfolio.
@eddygortex
Throw your blood pressure tablets away .Take the Cale audio prescription it’s been tried and tested by some of the best musicians in the business!
@ngumbao6252
JJ is (was) the best of the best, if you listen to him, you find all the great musicans in his music