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
I Never Know Where My Heart Is
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They were so far away I had to stretch myself to see
Am I being such a fool in believing what I saw today?
Thinking you gave your love away
If I had asked you why they shine, what would you say?
Would you say sometimes life and love get in the way?
Should I tell you how I feel about love that never seems to stay?
What can I say?
It always goes the same way
I fall in love, I fall apart, I fall in love again
I never know where my heart is
I look away and you are gone, find another smile
I never know where my heart is
I’m tired of building up my life 'til someone breaks it down
I’m tired of giving all myself ’til someone turns me down
I’m tired of being just a fool that waits around for you
So turn around
I saw your eyes shine last night but not for me
They were so far away I had to stretch myself to see
Love is made for fools who believe that once it comes it stays
Now I won’t give my love away
What can I say?
I fall in love, I fall apart, I fall in love again
I never know where my heart is
I look away and you are gone, find another smile
I never know where my heart is
I fall in love, I fall apart, I fall in love again
I never know where my heart is
Look away, you are gone, find another smile
I never know where my heart is
I’m tired of building up my life 'til someone breaks it down
I’m tired of giving all myself ’til someone turns me down
I’m tired of being just a fool that waits around for you
So turn around
Da da da....
I fall in love, I fall apart, I fall in love again
I never know where my heart is
I look away and you are gone, find another smile
I never know where my heart is
I fall in love, I fall apart, I fall in love again
I never know where my heart is
Look away, you are gone, find another smile
I never know where my heart is
Fall in love, fall apart, fall in love again
I never know where my heart is
Look away, you are gone, find another smile
I never know where my heart is
The lyrics to "I Never Know Where My Heart Is" by Judie Tzuke are about the uncertainty of love and the fear of getting hurt. The singer describes seeing someone else's eyes shine, but not for them. They feel foolish for believing that the person they love gave their love away. The singer questions whether the person they love truly loves them back and wonders if love ever stays. They express their exhaustion of constantly falling in love and getting hurt and waiting around for someone who may never reciprocate their feelings. In the end, the singer decides to stop giving their love away so easily and to not let others break them down.
The lyrics convey a sense of heartbreak and hopelessness. It is clear that the singer has been hurt before and is wary of love. They struggle with self-worth and worry about being seen as a fool for loving someone who may not feel the same way. The repeated phrase "I never know where my heart is" highlights this uncertainty and fear.
Overall, "I Never Know Where My Heart Is" is a poignant and relatable song about the complexities of love and the fear of getting hurt.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw your eyes shine last night, but not for me
I noticed your eyes shining brightly, but it wasn't because of me
They were so far away I had to stretch myself to see
Your eyes were so distant that I had to make an effort to observe them
Am I being such a fool in believing what I saw today?
I wonder if I'm foolish for trusting what I saw from you today
Thinking you gave your love away
I thought you gave your love to someone else
If I had asked you why they shine, what would you say?
If I asked you why your eyes were shining, what would your response be?
Would you say sometimes life and love get in the way?
Maybe you'd say that life and love can be obstacles
Should I tell you how I feel about love that never seems to stay?
Perhaps it's time to share my thoughts about love that never lasts
What can I say?
I don't know what to say or do
It always goes the same way
It seems like love always ends up the same way for me
I fall in love, I fall apart, I fall in love again
I keep falling in and out of love repeatedly
I never know where my heart is
I can't seem to figure out where my heart really belongs
I look away and you are gone, find another smile
When I look away, you disappear and find happiness elsewhere
I’m tired of building up my life 'til someone breaks it down
I'm exhausted of rebuilding my life just to have someone ruin it again
I’m tired of giving all myself ’til someone turns me down
I'm done with putting all of myself into a relationship just to be rejected
I’m tired of being just a fool that waits around for you
I'm tired of being a naive person who patiently waits for your return
So turn around
Just leave me alone
Love is made for fools who believe that once it comes it stays
Love is only for foolish people who believe that it lasts forever
Now I won’t give my love away
I've decided not to give my love to anyone else
Da da da....
Musical interlude
Fall in love, fall apart, fall in love again
Repeat cycle of falling in and out of love
Look away, you are gone, find another smile
When I look away, you disappear and find happiness elsewhere
Contributed by Jasmine C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.