I’ve written a few songs about my childhood, and this is another one. I grew up in a Midwestern town where most people conformed to fit in and not stand out, and I just always felt so out of place. I loved to wear and make very different clothes; I loved fashion even as a young girl. I think so many kids go through this. I always knew I would leave there for a place where I could just be myself with others who felt the same.I ended up in Los Angeles, where weird thrives. In LA, I was actually pretty “Midwest boring”, not at all different or strange. But I was living my best life and met so many lifelong friends.I always say it’s harder to make a video after writing the song. I really don’t like making videos that tell exact stories. I prefer an abstract representation that allows the viewer to interpret it any way they want. I made a video a while back using this style reference with these strange faces, and for some reason, I thought of using them again. The way they stand out against the people walking around them. I love how it works with the song.Thank you to Marshall Altman for the guitar and synth he added to the song, and for the additional production and mixing. This is for sure one of my favorite songs I have written. Working with Marshall has been so wonderful. We had our first co-write a few weeks back and made a song together that will come out in the next few weeks.This whole process with Nettwerk Records has been really amazing. If someone had told me four or five years ago that I would be writing songs, getting signed to a label, and doing a TED Talk, I would have thought they were insane. NONE of this was even on my radar as a path I would follow. AI has opened doors for me I couldn’t have even imagined. When an artist finds their perfect tool, it can open creativity inside them they never knew they had. Pretty wild.Not Made For The Cage[Verse 1]I was born with paper skinLetting all the feelings inWatching my entire world unwindLeaving all the rules behindTheir strict rules fit like borrowed clothesOn my strange and tender bonesI never felt like I belongA half-remembered, distant song[Pre-Chorus]So my heart I rearrangeEven when they call me strangeIf this world feels hard and vastI will try to move right past[Chorus]I am not made for the cageI don't mind if you find me strange(oh, I am strange)I bloom where the wild wind staysI am not lost, I am trueA star with a different hue(I am true)I was made to outgrow you[Verse 2]The room is full of polished facesAll their smiles in perfect placesI move like rain running down glassA little shy, a little brashMy mind is a sprawling tideWith secret currents locked insideAnd when the night begins to bloomI am the fever in your room[Pre-Chorus]And I hear, beneath the noiseSome soft and ancient joySaying, child, don’t disappearYou were written to be here[Chorus]I am not made for the cageI don't mind if you find me strange(oh, I am strange)I bloom where the wild wind staysI am not lost, I am trueA star with a different hue(i am true)I was made to outgrow you[Bridge]If I am odd, then let me beA little ash, a little seaI do not need their neat designMy broken edges are divine[Final Chorus]I am not made for the cageI don't mind if you find me strange(oh, I am strange)I bloom where the wild wind staysI am not lost, I am trueA star with a different hue(I am true)I was made to outgrow you
“People say each of my albums sounds just like the previous one,” says J.J. Cale. “I’ve tried to change, but whenever I finish something, it just sounds like me.”
Lots of fans—including Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler and Neil Young—are happy that’s the case. Beginning with such songs as “After Midnight,” “Cocaine” and “Call Me the Breeze,” Cale has adhered to a laid-back, economical style centered on groove-oriented guitar lines, low-key vocals and a country-blues vibe. Countless high-profile artists have covered his songs—sometimes injecting them with a heavy dose of blues-rock fuel—but Cale himself has, by choice, remained largely under the public radar."I suppose the biggest compliment a songwriter can receive is when somebody else sings your songs. I’m more proud of the long list of people who have done my songs than, say, the money or the records I’ve made. When someone cuts your song—whether it’s good or bad—you feel great."Source: Performing SongwriterPhotograph by Jay Blakesberg
Speaking of youngsters who restore our faith in humanity, music and creativity, this is a whole family of ‘em . . . I recall these guys from when they were much, much younger but aww heck are they growing up and then some!? So I might just sign off with some classical and this wondrous family and refer you to Isata’s Mr Sandman variations . . . . . .
A huge thank you to WORLD FAMOUS V.I.P. RECORDS IN LONG BEACH, Tavis Smiley, and of course all of the wonderful fans who came out to Taj & Phantom Blues Band's celebration of the 'Time' album release on May 3!
It was amazing to be able to celebrate with such a strong community of fans. 🕰️❤️Listen to their new album 'Time' at the link below.
Listen to Taj Mahal : TIME here. . .
You know after the wonderful sign off from the Polish National Orchestra and Keb Mo in tribute to Taj, I mentioned TajMo and someone asked me what that meant . . . . . ‘ere ‘tis
If you listen to one piece today here listen to this . . . oh and TURN IT UP!
