Her eponymous debut album was released to major acclaim in 1971 and was followed two years later by Heart Food. She recorded demos for a third album in 1974 and they were released in 2005 under the title Dreams Come True.
Sill was heavily influenced by Bach's metric forms and suites, while lyrically her work drew substantially on Christian themes of rapture and redemption.
Judee's father and brother both died in separate incidents when Judee was quite young. Her mother's subsequent marriage to Tom and Jerry animator Kenneth Muse was marked by heavy drinking, and this, combined with her rebellious nature, drove her away from home and into a life of crime and drug use in her teens.
Having learned her signature gospel-inflected keyboard style during her incarceration for writing bad checks, Sill kicked her heroin addiction and decided to pursue songwriting. Now a talented pianist, organist and guitarist, Sill returned to the West Coast where she encountered Graham Nash and David Crosby (touring with them for a time as their opening act) and David Geffen who offered her a contract with his nascent label. Her albums were received well by critics but found little commercial success. Judee struggled with drug addiction during phases again following a car accident and its resulting physical pain and dropped out of the music scene and died of a drug overdose in November of 1979.
It was through Geffen that she met Graham Nash, who quickly became a fan, and produced the first single for her album, "Jesus Was a Cross Maker." The rest of Judee Sill was orchestrated and produced by Bob Harris, Sill's ex-husband. Judee Sill was released in 1971 to immediate acclaim. Lushly orchestrated, the album featured Sill's voice in multiple overdubs, often in a four-part chorale or fugue. The album fit in well with the light rock/folk-rock underpinnings of what came to be known as the "Laurel Canyon sound" associated with other female singer-songwriters such as Carole King and Joni Mitchell (Mitchell, also signed to Asylum, was at work on Ladies of the Canyon at the time). A tour as the opening act for Nash and David Crosby exposed her intimate songwriting and skillful guitar playing to a larger audience, but her record failed to make much of an impact, despite the somewhat heavy airplay of "Jesus Was a Cross Maker." A self-professed perfectionist, one song could often take her a year to write, and it wasn't until late 1972 that Sill returned to record and release her second and last album, Heart Food. It too received enthusiastic reviews but did poorly commercially. Sill took over the chores of both orchestrating and arranging Heart Food, with the production relying more heavily on multilayered strings and lush expanse. Unable to draw a sizable crowd yet unwilling to play as a support act, Sill's name and moderate fame both receded, and she disappeared from view entirely. Rumors abound as to what happened next, although it is definitely known that she returned to her heroin addiction as well as becoming heavily involved with cocaine. Graham Nash has said that he learned as early as 1974 that Sill had died of an overdose, a claim that would later prove to be incorrect, but considering how closely the two had worked only a few years earlier it does illustrate just how completely Sill had dropped out by this time.
Her first success was the selling of her song "Lady-O" to The Turtles. Long after her death, she has been lauded by many musicians, including Jim O'Rourke who mixed the posthumous collection of unreleased material, Dreams Come True. Her two original albums have been reissued as a double CD with a number of live recordings and demos as bonus tracks.
Lopin' Along Thru The Cosmos
Judee Sill Lyrics
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And sideways I slide through the square
I'm hopin' so hard for a kiss from God
I missed the sweet love of the air...
A silver chariot soars
Thru mercury ripples of sky
I'm lookin' so hard for a place to land
So keep on movin'
Or stay by my side, either way,
I'll tell you a secret
I've never revealed
However we are is o.k.
Judee Sill's "Lopin' Along Thru the Cosmos" is a song that explores Judee's spiritual and existential longing for a connection with a higher being or cosmic force. Using vivid and surreal imagery, Judee describes herself as "lopin' along through the cosmos" - a metaphor for her journey through life - in search of something she's missing. She also describes herself as "sideways" and "sliding through the square," which suggest a sense of displacement and discomfort in her current state of being.
Judee then goes on to describe a "silver chariot" soaring through the sky, which represents the possibility of transcendence or spiritual enlightenment. She's "hoping so hard for a kiss from God," indicating that she longs for a divine connection that will fulfill her deepest desires. However, while she searches for a place to land or a sense of belonging, she recognizes that ultimately, "however we are is o.k." This final line suggests an acceptance of her current circumstances, as well as a sense of humility in the face of the universe's vastness and complexity.
Line by Line Meaning
Lopin' along through the Cosmos
Sailing through the universe, drifting aimlessly.
And sideways I slide through the square
Moving through cosmic pathways in a non-linear fashion.
I'm hopin' so hard for a kiss from God
Desiring a divine intervention or some form of spiritual blessing.
I missed the sweet love of the air...
Being nostalgic for a time when things were easier and less chaotic.
A silver chariot soars
A celestial vehicle travels through space.
Thru mercury ripples of sky
Through the undulating reflections of the clouds and atmosphere.
I'm lookin' so hard for a place to land
Searching for stability and a sense of home in the vastness of the universe.
I almost forgot how to fly......
Feeling disconnected from the ability to navigate through life's obstacles and challenges.
So keep on movin'
Continuing to push forward and persevere.
Or stay by my side, either way,
Whether alone or in companionship, life goes on.
I'll tell you a secret
Sharing a hidden truth or vulnerability.
I've never revealed
Something that has been kept hidden and bottled up inside for a long time.
However we are is o.k.
No matter what, we are accepted for who we are and how we choose to live our lives.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JUDEE SILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind