""One Step Ahead of the Blues," co-written with fellow Oklahoma musician Roger Tillson, might best reflect Cale's general outlook on the music business and the trappings of fame, opening defiantly with the lines "I ain’t high on cocaine, I don’t need the pain, it’s bad for your brain and that’s true," and later declaring "I don't run with the crowd, I don't talk big and loud…" For years Cale had turned down opportunities that might have helped his record sales, whether they were television appearances or tours, preferring to guide his career as he saw fit.