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.
Who's Talking
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's talking, stirred it up
Who's talking, who's lying
Hard rumours, hard rumours, pay no mind
When you abuse and you spread your rumours
Somebody's talking, somebody's lying
Find out look who is shouting
When they say you've got to talk
Some day you're going to have a trouble
Who's talking, ain't no friend of mine
Who's talking, stirred it up
Who's talking, who's lying
In J.J. Cale's song "Who's Talking," the lyrics describe the negative impact of rumours and false information being spread. The song warns against believing everything that is said, and instead encourages individuals to seek out the truth for themselves. The repetition of the question "Who's Talking" emphasizes the confusion and uncertainty that arises from conflicting accounts.
The lyrics suggest that those who spread rumours and lies are not to be trusted and are not true friends. When someone is abusive and spreads rumours, it causes trouble and can lead to negative consequences. The line "pay no mind" implies that it's not worth paying attention to gossip and rumours. The song cautions that even when someone says you have to talk, it's important to be cautious and to think before speaking.
Overall, the song's message is about the importance of being truthful and not being swayed by rumours or hearsay. It is about avoiding misunderstandings by seeking the truth, being careful with what we say and ultimately, remembering who our true friends are.
Line by Line Meaning
Who's talking, ain't no friend of mine
The person speaking is not a friend of mine.
Who's talking, stirred it up
The person speaking have created a commotion or controversy.
Who's talking, who's lying
The singer is questioning the truthfulness of the message being conveyed.
Hard rumours, hard rumours, pay no mind
Ignore false rumors and gossip, they are not worthy of attention.
When you abuse and you spread your rumours
If you spread rumors with malicious intent, you're abusing others.
Somebody's talking, somebody's lying
The singer acknowledges that whenever someone talks, there is a possibility that they are lying.
Find out look who is shouting
Investigate to identify the person spreading rumors and gossip.
When they say you've got to talk
Just because somebody tells you to speak up, doesn't mean you have to agree.
Watch out
Be cautious about the people and the messages you entertain.
Some day you're going to have a trouble
If you spread rumors recklessly, you will undoubtedly face negative consequences.
Who's talking, ain't no friend of mine
The person speaking is not someone I consider a friend.
Who's talking, stirred it up
Again, the person speaking has created confusion or chaos.
Who's talking, who's lying
As before, the singer questions the truthfulness of the message being spoken.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J J CALE, TIM DRUMMOND, ROGER M TARCZON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind