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.
The Problem
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The man in charge has got to go
'Cause he dances 'round the problem, boy
And the problem is the man in charge you know
Now, the young knows what I'm talking 'bout
It's a con in the old man's game
The man in charge, he don't know what he's doing
Power seems to be so far up
The man on the street ain't got a clue
The high top cat's running your life
Thinks the problem is me and you
Born in a time that has gone by
The old tell the young what to do
Have you heard the news that's goin' 'round here?
The problem is the man in charge of you
The problem is the man in charge of you
Power seems to be so far up
The man on the street ain't got a clue
The high top cat's running your life
Thinks the problem is me and you
Have you heard the news that's goin' 'round here?
The man in charge has to go
The man in charge has got to go
Man in charge has to go
The song "The Problem" by J.J. Cale makes a biting commentary on the state of power relations in society. The lyrics lament the fact that those in positions of authority often fail to address the real problems facing society, instead dancing around them or blaming others. The lyrics touch on generational conflicts, with the "old" telling the "young" what to do and seemingly unwilling to recognize that the world has changed. Moreover, the song suggests that those in power hold onto it far too tightly, ignoring the needs and concerns of the average citizen ("the man on the street") in favor of their own personal ambitions.
The repetition of the line "the man in charge has got to go" underscores the urgency of the situation, suggesting that change cannot come soon enough. The use of the term "con" implies that those in power are actively deceiving the public, manipulating their perception of reality to maintain their grip on power.
Overall, "The Problem" is a scathing critique of the state of politics and power struggles in modern society. The song suggests that those in positions of power must be held accountable for their actions and that true change can only come by sidelining those who refuse to acknowledge or address the real problems facing society.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you heard the news that's goin' 'round here?
Are you aware of what's happening?
The man in charge has got to go
The person in power needs to be removed
'Cause he dances 'round the problem, boy
He avoids addressing the actual issue
And the problem is the man in charge you know
The root cause of the problem is the person in power
Now, the young knows what I'm talking 'bout
The younger generation is aware of the issue
It's a con in the old man's game
The situation is a trick or deception in a system controlled by older people
The man in charge, he don't know what he's doing
The person in power lacks competence
He don't know the world has changed
He is unaware of how times have evolved
Power seems to be so far up
Power is concentrated at the top
The man on the street ain't got a clue
Ordinary people are unaware of what's really going on
The high top cat's running your life
The person in power has control over your life
Thinks the problem is me and you
The person in power blames ordinary people for the issues
Born in a time that has gone by
People of older generations were brought up in different times
The old tell the young what to do
Older generations exert influence over younger people
Have you heard the news that's goin' 'round here?
Are you still with me?
The problem is the man in charge of you
The root cause of the issue is the person in power
The problem is the man in charge of you
The root cause of the issue is the person in power
Power seems to be so far up
Power is concentrated at the top
The man on the street ain't got a clue
Ordinary people are unaware of what's really going on
The high top cat's running your life
The person in power has control over your life
Thinks the problem is me and you
The person in power blames ordinary people for the issues
Have you heard the news that's goin' 'round here?
Are you aware of what's happening?
The man in charge has to go
The person in power needs to be removed
The man in charge has got to go
The person in power needs to be removed
Man in charge has to go
The person in power must be removed
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. Cale
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MrPink
The thing that makes this track so amazing is how universally applicable it is. Pick someone, anyone that has power over you, and this is about them. And the solos are spot-on. Brilliant. LOVE.
Movid
I saw a number of concerts, some great ones. But I will never forget JJ Cale in Montreal a few years before he left us. It was a medium size venue and 2 cousins and I were sitting anxiously waiting for the man, which we had never seen, but admired. A couple of minutes later this guy came on stage and started plugging and moving stuff around. It lasted a long 3-4 minutes, and we all waiting for this 'roadie' to finish, when suddenly he wore one of the guitars and started playing. Our jaws dropped and the crowd, which had been silent so far, just exploded. That was JJ and he completely took us by surprise... We all agreed years later it was the best concert we'd ever been to....
Movid
@Mad Mike Hoare it was'nt a slow start, it was an outstanding concert all the way ;) ... The fact that he played 'roadie' was explained too me later by a fan, JJ had apparently a roadie that made a crucial mistake at some concert, so he fired him and decided to to the job himself. The story is told by JJ in an interview that can easily be found, I never heard of a bad concert by JJ, but everything is possible...
Mad Mike Hoare
I saw him in London in the 70s, similar slow start, and he slunk around the perimeter of the stage most of the evening. Biggest disappointment of my life. Whatever. But I'm a big fan still.
caci99
That is a beautiful story. It highlights what a down to earth and yet capable of moving hearts and souls of millions for years to come. Respect JJ!
Craig Juenemann
I liked it because it was on 419. Jj Cale is a beast love his sound!
Eric Ellison
Love the guitar solos in "The Problem." Very cool!
MrPink
Absolutely masterful.
DustyNZ
@Movid Know what youre saying man! Just hits the spot!
Movid
3:26 the second solo simply is heaven