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.
My Man On Love
Judee Sill Lyrics
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Have you met my man on love?
One truth survives death's silent starkness
Have you met my man on love?
No sorrow is like yours my friend
Though silence is your tomb
I'd take your every agony to
But one star remains in the false darkness
Have you met my man on love?
One truth survives death's silent starkness
Have you met my man on love?
In your eyes is an echo of
what once was passion, my friend
If I cried out loud, could you hear these words,
Resurrection waits within
'Cuz one star remains in the false darkness
have you met my man on love?
One truth survives death's silent starkness
Have you met my man on love?
Most high, most high, my man on love
most high, most high, my man on love
Judee Sill’s song “My Man On Love” speaks of the power of love in transcending the boundaries of death. The opening lines, “One star remains in the false darkness, have you met my man on love? One truth survives death’s silent starkness, have you met my man on love?” set up the theme of the song, which is that love is the one thing that remains true even when everything else fades away. The verse speaks of the singer’s desire to save their friend from the agony of death and the hope that they will meet the singer’s “man on love” who is the carrier of eternal love.
The second verse is both mournful and hopeful. The singer acknowledges the depth of their friend’s sorrow but declares their willingness to take on their friend’s pain if it means alleviating their suffering. The lines, “In your eyes is an echo of what once was passion, my friend. If I cried out loud, could you hear these words, Resurrection waits within,” speaks of a belief in the power of love to resurrect even the dead. The chorus repeats the theme of love’s eternal nature and the implicit hope for a life beyond death.
Overall, the song’s lyrics evoke a sense of melancholy, hope and faith in the power of love. The song suggests that love is not just an emotion but a force that exists beyond physical death, and the singer hopes that their friend will find their “man on love” so that they might experience the transcendent power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
One star remains in the false darkness
Even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.
Have you met my man on love?
Do you know what it's like to truly experience love?
One truth survives death's silent starkness
Love is eternal, even when all else fades away.
No sorrow is like yours my friend
I understand that your pain is unique and I empathize with you.
Though silence is your tomb
Even though you may feel alone and unheard, I am here for you.
I'd take your every agony to Save you from this doom
I would do anything to relieve you of your suffering and protect you from harm.
In your eyes is an echo of what once was passion, my friend
I can sense the love that once burned inside of you, even if it has faded.
If I cried out loud, could you hear these words, Resurrection waits within
If I shout these words from the depths of my soul, will you hear that love can conquer all?
'Cuz one star remains in the false darkness, have you met my man on love?
Even when things seem bleak, I have found a source of hope and love. Have you experienced this too?
Most high, most high, my man on love
Love is the highest power and my ultimate source of comfort and joy.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JUDEE SILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind