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.
When the Bridegroom Comes
Judee Sill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then won't you who are thirsty invite him to come?
With your door opened wide,
Won't you listen in the dark for the midnight cry?
And see when your light is on when the bridegroom comes.
Into cold outer darkness are gone
Guests who not their own wedding garment put on
And pray that your love endure till the bridegroom comes.
When the halt and the lame meet the son,
And he sees for the blind and he speaks for the dumb,
Let their poor hearts complaint
Like the leper turned around who has kissed the saint,
Lift like a trumpet shout, and the bridegroom come.
See the builders despising the stone,
See the pearl of great price and the dry desert bones.
By the pharisees cursed,
Be exultant with the rose when the last are first,
And see how his mercy shines when the bridegroom comes.
Hear the bridge and the spirit say come,
Then won't you who are weary invite in the son?
When your heart's love is high,
Won't you hasten to the place where the sun is nigh?
And see that your light is on, for the bridegroom comes
See that your light is on, for the bridegroom comes.
Judee Sill's "When the Bridegroom Comes" is a song rich in religious symbolism, telling the story of the union between the bride and the spirit as they await the arrival of the bridegroom. The opening lines suggest that the bride and the spirit are one, indicating the merging of a mortal and divine existence. Sill then implores listeners who are thirsty to invite the bridegroom in, with their door opened wide and listening in the dark for the midnight cry, indicating the arrival of the spiritual union. The lyrics address the non-believers who refused to put on their own wedding garment, indicating sin and impurity, and were therefore sent into the cold outer darkness. The chosen must, therefore, tarry by their lamps until the bridegroom calls for them, with their love enduring until the bridegroom comes.
Sill then goes on to talk about the miracles that the son performs; enabling the halt, the lame, the blind, and the dumb to behold his greatness. The poor hearts of those who have been turned around are lifted like a trumpet shout, and the bridegroom comes. The builders who despised the stone and the pearl of great price are cursed by the pharisees, while the rose exults when the last are first, giving a powerful message of redemption and salvation. Sill concludes the song with a call from the bridge and the spirit to come and invite the son who waits with an open heart.
Line by Line Meaning
See the bride and the spirit are one,
Understand the unity between the bride and the spirit, and prepare for the arrival of the groom
Then won't you who are thirsty invite him to come?
Extend a heartfelt invitation for the groom to come to quench your thirst
With your door opened wide,
Keep your heart open and receptive to welcome the groom
Won't you listen in the dark for the midnight cry?
Pay attention to any signs or signals that the groom might be coming
And see when your light is on when the bridegroom comes.
Make sure that you are ready and shining bright when the groom arrives
Into cold outer darkness are gone
Those without proper attire will be banished into the darkness
Guests who not their own wedding garment put on
Those who have not prepared themselves with the right mindset will not be welcomed at the wedding
Tho' the chosen are few, won't you tarry by your lamp till he calls for you?
Even though there are only a few who are chosen, stay ready and hopeful for when the groom calls
And pray that your love endure till the bridegroom comes.
Hope and pray that your love will last until the arrival of the groom
When the halt and the lame meet the son,
When the broken and suffering are healed by the son
And he sees for the blind and he speaks for the dumb,
When the son brings sight to the blind and gives a voice to the voiceless
Let their poor hearts complaint
Let the cries and complaints of those who suffer
Like the leper turned around who has kissed the saint,
Be transformed like the leper who was healed and grateful to the saint
Lift like a trumpet shout, and the bridegroom come.
Lift up your voice like a trumpet and celebrate the arrival of the groom
See the builders despising the stone,
Notice those who dismiss the foundation and importance of the stone
See the pearl of great price and the dry desert bones.
Acknowledge the value of the precious pearl and the decayed state of the desert bones
By the pharisees cursed,
The religious leaders and their followers who have lost sight of the true meaning and significance of the wedding feast
Be exultant with the rose when the last are first,
Rejoice and be glad when the humble and overlooked are finally lifted up
And see how his mercy shines when the bridegroom comes.
Observe the mercy and compassion that shines forth when the groom finally arrives
Hear the bridge and the spirit say come,
Listen to the call of the bridge and the spirit to come and join the wedding celebration
Then won't you who are weary invite in the son?
If you are worn out and exhausted, invite the son in to bring rest and renewal
When your heart's love is high,
When your love and affection are at their peak
Won't you hasten to the place where the sun is nigh?
Make every effort to get to the place where the sun is shining and the wedding is taking place
And see that your light is on, for the bridegroom comes
Ensure that you are shining brightly and ready for the arrival of the groom
See that your light is on, for the bridegroom comes.
Keep your light shining bright as a beacon to guide the groom to the wedding celebration
Writer(s): Judee Sill Copyright: Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Contributed by Wyatt B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.