Call Me the Breeze

The song Call Me the Breeze, originally by J. J. Cale, has a structure based on a 12-bar blues pattern, but what makes it special is its distinctive sound, which includes the early use of a drum machine. This track was the one that opened Cale's debut album, titled Naturally, released in 1971, and it was recorded in 1970.

Over time, Call Me the Breeze has been performed by a large number of musicians. One of the best-known versions is the one by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which they included on both their 1974 studio album Second Helping and their 1976 live album One More from the Road. It was also recorded by Bobby Bare and Johnny Cash, the latter with his son John Carter Cash, in 1988. More recently, John Mayer covered it in 2013, and in 2016, Izzy Stradlin, guitarist for Guns N' Roses, also put his spin on it. Even Eric Clapton, a close friend of Cale's, performed it on several occasions, including the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival, and on his 2014 tribute album to J. J. Cale, The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale, where he attempted to replicate the original sound, including the drum machine.

The influence of Call Me the Breeze extends to other areas. In 1992, the band Spiritualized reinterpreted it under the title Run, keeping the lyrics but creating a completely new melody. Clapton's 2014 version, released as a promotional single, was accompanied by a music video directed by Joseph Toman. This video mixes footage of Clapton traveling and playing guitar with archival material of Cale and of both of them together. The video begins with Clapton hitchhiking, imitating the cover of a previous album he recorded with Cale, and in it he shares reflections on the importance of Cale as a musician and friend.