After an education in the arts, music and drama, by the age of 15, Tzuke spent most of her time writing poems which she turned into songs and playing folk clubs, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar. She went to Island Records to try and get a record deal and after she'd played two songs was asked if she had any more. She replied that she had twenty, which she didn't, and they asked her to come back and record them the following week. She didn't return, but their interest made her realise that she could have a career in music.
In 1977 Tzuke went to see managing director David Croker at Elton John's label 'Rocket Records' as their motto was "a label for artists". She played them a few songs, one of which was "Stay with Me Till Dawn" and was immediately signed to the new label. Judie and collaborator Mike Paxman spent the next six months or so recording her first album Welcome to the Cruise at Air Studios in London, with producer John Punter.
The first single was released in the summer of 1978, entitled "For You" and was greeted with great critical acclaim and substantial air-play but only reached the top 40.
This was to all change with the release of the Welcome to the Cruise album and the single "Stay with Me Till Dawn". The song stayed in the UK charts for 16 weeks, and she made three live appearances on Top of the Pops. The song became a firm favourite and is still played regularly on radio in the U.K. It has appeared on dozens of compilation albums and regularly appears in lists of all time most popular songs.
With the success of her debut album, Judie and Mike put together the first Judie Tzuke band. Paul Muggleton on guitar and backing vocals and Bob Noble on keyboards, along with bass player John Edwards and drummer Jeff Rich.
Tzuke and her band then toured for the next 18 months and made her second album Sportscar at Virgin's Manor studios, in Oxfordshire.
In 1980, Tzuke and her band toured America for three months as support to Elton John. The tour was well received, but during the tour Elton John decided to change the US distribution for his Rocket label from MCA to the new Geffin label. MCA consequently decided to stop all tour support and promotion for the acts on the Rocket label, which meant that Judie was playing to huge audiences, including 450,000 people in New York's Central Park, but no-one knew who she was and her records were not available in the shops.
She recorded her third album I Am the Phoenix, followed by another lengthy UK tour which culminated in appearances headlining the Glastonbury CND Festival and some summer festivals in Europe. She then made the decision to leave Rocket and to sign with Chrysalis Records.
Judie was by this time selling out halls all over the UK and in parts of Europe. Her next album Shoot the Moon was recorded mainly at Rockfield studios in Wales and was released in 1982.
During the spring tour two sell out shows at the Hammersmith Odeon (now The Carling Apollo) were recorded and later that year the acclaimed live album Roadnoise was released.
Judie, Mike and Paul wrote new songs and went to Mayfair studios in London to record her fifth album, augmenting her stage band with a number of other musicians.
Throughout the late 80s and 90s, Judie has continued to record and tour, and has set up her own record label. In addition, she is now successfully writing songs for other artists.
www.tzuke.com
Break Your Skin
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until I spoke them, I believed there were no doubts going spare
And anything was possible if I didn’t live in fear,
But I’m already missing you, even though you are still here
Balancing on needles and pins,
Holding on too tight,
I know I’m going to break your skin
You looking at me now I feel I could do no wrong
You are just too precious to lose, soon you could be gone
I wish I didn’t know that one day I would make you cry
To mirror who you think I am, I’m going to tell white lies
Balancing on needles and pins,
Holding on so tight,
I know I’m going to break your skin
Going to break your skin
Your beautiful skin,
Going to break your skin
(Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok)
I can’t stop it,
(Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok)
This heart is going to self-destruct
Balancing on needles and pins,
Holding on so tight,
I know I’m going to break your skin
Going to break your skin
Your beautiful skin,
Going to break your skin
The song "Break Your Skin" by Judie Tzuke contains a powerful message about the complexities of relationships and the intense emotions that come with them. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer expresses regret for the hurtful words that they have spoken. The phrase "like poison in the air" is a vivid metaphor that suggests the damaging effect that these words have had on the relationship. The singer also admits to feeling uncertain and afraid, which speaks to the vulnerability that comes with opening oneself up to another person.
The chorus of the song contains some of the most notable lyrics, as the singer describes the feeling of being on edge and holding on too tight in a relationship that is on the brink of breaking. The phrase "balancing on needles and pins" creates a sense of tension and instability that mirrors the precarious nature of the relationship. The singer is aware that their actions may cause harm to the other person, but they can't seem to stop themselves. The repetition of the line "going to break your skin" at the end of each chorus reinforces the idea that the singer is aware of the harm they are causing but is unable to stop themselves.
Overall, "Break Your Skin" is a poignant song that deals with the complexities of love and regret. It captures the fears and insecurities that come with opening oneself up to another person, as well as the intense emotions that can lead to both joy and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
The words that fell out of my mouth were like poison in the air
The words I spoke were harmful and created a toxic environment.
Until I spoke them, I believed there were no doubts going spare
Before I spoke, I thought everything was going well and there was no reason to doubt.
And anything was possible if I didn’t live in fear,
I believed that I could achieve anything as long as I overcame my fear.
But I’m already missing you, even though you are still here
Despite your physical presence, I still feel your emotional absence and yearn for you.
Balancing on needles and pins,
I am walking on a very delicate and unstable path.
Holding on too tight,
I am gripping onto something so hard that it might break.
I know I’m going to break your skin
I am aware that my actions will hurt you both emotionally and physically.
You looking at me now I feel I could do no wrong
Your approval is very important to me, and it gives me confidence and a sense of invincibility.
You are just too precious to lose, soon you could be gone
I realize how valuable and irreplaceable you are to me and that I might lose you soon.
I wish I didn’t know that one day I would make you cry
I regret knowing that I will eventually cause you pain and make you cry.
To mirror who you think I am, I’m going to tell white lies
To maintain the image you have of me, I will lie and deceive you.
Your beautiful skin,
Your physical body that I deeply care for.
Going to break your skin
I know that my actions will damage and hurt your physical body.
(Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok)
I can’t stop it,
The ticking clock symbolizes my inevitable actions and their consequences, which I cannot prevent.
(Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok)
This heart is going to self-destruct
My emotions and inner conflicts will ultimately lead to my own destruction.
Contributed by Jeremiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.