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
Jewel
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got a lot to learn
You'll need to understand the rules
This game's not won
It's all about the lies she's heard before
And the friends that let her down
She can't take that anymore
You won't get in if you don't get the timing right
She's a jewel, raw as silk
As fine as gold
She's best kept secret
Your heart will ever hold
Don't throw away your faith in her
You have to believe
Sometimes you got to look further and honestly
It's all about the lies she's heard before
And the friends that let her down
She can't take that anymore
So good and strong and doors locked tight
You won't get in if you don't get the timing right
She's a jewel, raw as silk
As fine as gold
She's best kept secret
Your heart will ever hold
In Judie Tzuke's song "Jewel", the lyrics caution listeners to be careful with how they talk to a woman who is guarded and cautious due to past emotional wounds. The song conveys the idea that winning over someone's heart is not a game that can be won easily, and requires understanding and respecting their boundaries. The lyrics emphasize the importance of building trust with this person through honesty and believing in them, despite any previous negative experiences they may have had.
The imagery used in the song, such as the metaphor of a "jewel" being "raw as silk" but "fine as gold" reinforces the idea that this person is valuable and precious. The idea of doors locked tight and getting the timing right suggests that it is not enough to simply try to charm or persuade someone to open up; patience and respect are necessary to earn their trust.
Overall, the song is a reminder that everyone has their own emotional baggage and it is important to take the time and effort to learn about and understand others' past experiences in order to build strong and meaningful relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Be careful how you talk to her
You need to be cautious with how you approach her
You've got a lot to learn
You need to realize that there's a lot about her that you don't understand
You'll need to understand the rules
You need to comprehend the way she operates and what drives her
This game's not won
You need to understand that winning her trust and love is not going to be easy
It's all about the lies she's heard before
Her past experiences have made it difficult for her to trust
And the friends that let her down
The people she thought she could count on have disappointed her in the past
She can't take that anymore
She's tired of being hurt and let down
So good and strong and doors locked tight
She might seem impenetrable and difficult to approach
You won't get in if you don't get the timing right
Unless you approach her at the right moment, you won't make any progress
She's a jewel, raw as silk
She's delicate and precious, but also unrefined and still developing
As fine as gold
She's valuable and rare
She's best kept secret
She's not easy to get close to, and those who do get the chance should treasure it
Your heart will ever hold
She'll be a person who will remain special in your heart forever
Don't throw away your faith in her
Even if it seems difficult, maintain your belief in who she can become
You have to believe
You need to hold on to faith even in the face of challenges
Sometimes you got to look further and honestly
You might have to dig deeper to understand her and be honest with yourself along the way
Contributed by David D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ScottishTeeVee
1 of over 1400 rare music related videos, all taken from my videotape collection. New videos every week.
Eternal Light
Ok
mrindecisive100
Thanks for posting this. A couple of terrific records reviewed here (Roxy Music and Gerry Rafferty), the others were pretty dire though. Judie Tzuke should have had her ears tested if she thought all Gerry Rafferty records sounded the same. Billy Connolly had of course been in the Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty a number of years earlier.
ScottishTeeVee
Glad you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to comment.
Alison Bond Stansfield
“When your gran’s making the fire up for the morning” 😂😂
...I loved Angel Eyes, and it was a hit 🙌🎶
Loved this show, thanks for sharing! 👍
Alison Bond Stansfield
@Karen DeGenerous voted to remain?
Karen DeGenerous
So bizarre, I think Jimmy made the show, his impression was perfect and well thought out as he was on the previous show, he's absolutely brilliant - but there again I bet you voted to remain.
Alison Bond Stansfield
@Vincent 79 he’d probably look back on this and agree 🥴 though tbf his Johnny Rotten impression wasn’t bad 😂
Vincent 79
@Alison Bond Stansfield Jimmy Pursey is embarrassing here.
Elliot Scullion
Loved Jimmy’s impression of Johnny Rotten 😂