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.
The Pearl
Judee Sill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who sells truth by the pound
Then I saw the dealer and his friend arrive
But their gifts looked grim
Now I'm tired of hanging on
Waitin' for a showdown
Don't you see I gotta ride 'em out
Beautiful pearl, when will you reappear?
Mysteries unfurl, become so clear
When I see you near
I found a way outside myself
To make my spirit climb
And I coulda shinnied on up
But my rope was made of wind
I appreciate the words
But I won't be there at showtime
Don't you see I gotta ride 'em out
'Cause the pearls' just 'round the bend
Beautiful pearl, when will you reappear?
Mysteries unfurl, become so clear
When I see you near
When my backyard weeds grew high
I hoped that they would hide me
But I felt that the pearl was near
'Cause I thought I saw it shine
I was lookin' all around
When I felt it there inside me
And I see a possibility
That its been there all the time
The lyrics of Judee Sill's "The Pearl" explore the idea of the search for truth and enlightenment, as well as the realization that these treasures may have been within us all along. The singer speaks of searching for someone who can give her truth, but ultimately realizing that she must find it herself. The arrival of the dealer and his friend suggests an expectation of something fulfilling, but their gifts are disappointing. It is this realization that prompts the search for something more meaningful.
The metaphor of the pearl is used throughout the song to symbolize enlightenment, truth, and beauty. The pearl is "just 'round the bend," indicating that it's close but not yet in reach. The singer longs for the pearl that will bring mysteries and clearness to light. In the second verse, the lyrics shift to the singer's personal journey towards enlightenment. She found a way outside herself to make her spirit rise, but her rope was made of wind. This metaphor suggests that her journey has been indirect, elusive, and unreliable. She appreciates the words but won't be there at showtime, which further displays her detachment from the outside world. And in the final verse, the lyrics suggest that the pearl, the truth, has been within her all along. She noticed it when her backyard weeds grew high, but she was also seeking it elsewhere. The contemplation of the pearl's presence was not outside of her, but inside.
Overall, the lyrics in "The Pearl" suggest the human search for truth, beauty, and enlightenment. The metaphor of the pearl symbolizing this search is weaved throughout the song, and the realization that it was within the singer all along is a powerful message. The lyrics suggest that we all have the capacity for greatness, beauty and truth.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been lookin for someone
I've been searching for someone
Who sells truth by the pound
Someone who can provide me with truth in abundance
Then I saw the dealer and his friend arrive
I saw someone I thought could offer me the truth I was seeking
But their gifts looked grim
But what they offered seemed dreary and unappealing
Now I'm tired of hanging on
Now I'm fed up with waiting for something to happen
Waitin' for a showdown
Waiting for a decisive moment or confrontation
Don't you see I gotta ride 'em out
I have to see things through
'Cause the pearls' just 'round the bend
Because what I've been searching for is close
Beautiful pearl, when will you reappear?
When will I find the truth that I'm seeking?
Mysteries unfurl, become so clear
Everything will become clear once I find the truth
When I see you near
Once I've found the truth I'm searching for
I found a way outside myself
I found a way to escape my own perspective
To make my spirit climb
To raise my spirits
And I coulda shinnied on up
And I could have continued to climb higher
But my rope was made of wind
But my progress was met with difficulty and setbacks
I appreciate the words
I appreciate the advice and guidance given to me
But I won't be there at showtime
But I won't be present when everything comes to a head
When my backyard weeds grew high
When everything around me seemed unkempt and chaotic
I hoped that they would hide me
I hoped that the mess around me would conceal me
But I felt that the pearl was near
But I knew that what I was searching for was close by
'Cause I thought I saw it shine
Because I caught a glimpse of what I was looking for
I was lookin' all around
I was searching everywhere I could
When I felt it there inside me
When I realized that the truth was within me all along
And I see a possibility
And I understand that there's a chance
That its been there all the time
That the truth has been inside me all along
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Judee Sill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind