J. J. Cale Quotes

I've just been fortunate to havehad a lot of hit records, though Human Wheels doesn't qualify as a hit record-but it's really the best single I've ever had.

I'ma continue to make records, continue to make hits, continue to be what I am, legendary.

I want to sell out arenas and sell millions of records.

Rodgers and Hammerstein didn't mean anything to me. I just wanted to have a hit, I just wanted to be like those people on the radio. It was all of a case of the present tense with no projecting into the future, particularly.

When I came out of service, the first couple of releases didn't really hit so I just took a little hiatus and sat down to see what was happening. I just glued my ears to the radio and then I started writing - the first hit record that came out was 'Everybody Loves a Winner.'

The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence. And they'll tell you if you ask.

My aspirations aren't to sell millions of records, but to write really good songs.

Records are one thing, and obviously, without hit songs, you don't have the opportunity to do your shows. But my live show has always been my selling tool.

Most of my friends in Nashville - almost all of them - seem to have had hits in the '70s, either as artists or songwriters or producers.

It only took me six months to get a record deal, but it took me 20 years to have a hit.

I don't know if it's my music, my lyrics, my sound, and knowing the music business the way I do-all I can say is, my career has lasted way longer than I expected.

Ultimately, our goal was to be a band and be recognized for our songs and making records. And I think that has been the case.

It was right after I dropped the song 'Don't,' and it started to go viral a little bit. That's when I was like, 'Alright, I might have something here.' Actually, I wasn't even going to quit my job, but Timbaland called me - we have a mutual friend - and he was like, 'Yo man, you need to work in Miami.'

Hillbilly Rock' was the song that opened the door and gave me a reason to get a bus and a band and cowboy clothes to go out there and figure it out in front of everybody. And the hits started coming.

My first break was in my home country with some pop songs that became hits, writing for French singers Christophe & Francoise Hardy, which became hits.

I love the story of the guy coming to Nashville and then kind of getting set down and told, 'This is how the town works,' which, I've totally been there. But the coolest thing about 'Out of Style' is it's a song within a song.

One thing that I do want to say is Drake, as an artist, anybody has to respect him. He's in the game, and he's been in the game - he has longevity, even if he doesn't write or writes his music.

We started out a long time ago, and we've managed to just keep writing current songs and have No. 1 current records.

Before I realized what was happening, everything blew up. I made 'Animals' when I was in high school, and literally, from that moment, I've been living a different life. I've been touring a lot, traveling a lot, doing great shows. I've been in the studio with my biggest idols.

Of course I think we're most thankful for 'Shake It,' because it's given us a lot of opportunities, helped us pay some bills and brought us pretty far in life. And it's fun to perform live.

A moment for me that changed everything was hearing my song on the radio for the first time.

I'm not heart-broken if I don't have a hit. But I guess a hit would help. It makes the money go up a bit.

I'm probably the most successful Celtic bard of my generation, who projected this style and this image and this casketful of magical songs all around the world.

We love writing hit songs. That thrills us.

I came to realize that if I was going to succeed in the music industry, I was going to have to learn how to perform my songs myself.