Judie Tzuke (born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956, in London) is an English singe… Read Full Bio ↴Judie Tzuke (born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956, in London) is an English singer/songwriter. She is most well known for her 1979 hit "Stay With Me Till Dawn", which reached no.16 on the UK Singles Chart.

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

Katiera Island
Judie Tzuke Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Alone on the seas, where wayward winds blew us up on Katiera Island
Katiera Island, you have so much to learn
Now there's no need to say a lot.
Morning has found us on Katiera Island
You have so much to learn

Here in the dark
Racing round looking out on waves in the moonlight waiting for daylight

You have so much to see
So many new things to realise
Morning has found us on Katiera Island
You have so much to see

Every day we're finding the same situations
Holding on to something we call fascination

Katiera Island
Katiera Island
Katiera Island
Katiera Island

Left on the shores wondering if we'll ever get to the mainland
Way off of these sands
We have so far to go
Choosing the way is the telling
Born of this farmhouse on Katiera Island
We have so far to go
We have so far to go
We have so far to go
We have so far to go
We have so far to go

Which way? (Which way?)
Which way?

Which way?
Which way?

Overall Meaning

The song "Katiera Island" by Judie Tzuke describes the experience of being stranded on an island and the self-discovery that comes along with it. The first verse suggests that the singer is lost at sea and has been washed up on Katiera Island. They communicate that there is much to learn on this island, and they don't need to talk much about it. The second verse speaks about being in the dark, looking out at the waves, and waiting for daylight. They stress the idea that there is much to see and realize on this island.

The chorus repeats the name of the island several times, and it seems to serve as a mantra for the singer. They are trying to understand their new surroundings and the situation they find themselves in. The bridge suggests that every day they are encountering new situations, but they are holding on to something they call fascination. The final verse talks about being left on the shores of the island and wondering when they will be rescued. They know they have a long journey ahead of them, and it will be challenging to decide which way to go.

Overall, the song is about being lost and discovering oneself while being stranded on an island. The island serves as a metaphor for the journey of self-discovery, which is full of new experiences and lessons to learn.

Line by Line Meaning

Alone on the seas, where wayward winds blew us up on Katiera Island
We were sailing alone on the vast ocean and by fate we ended up on Katiera Island due to the unpredictable and erratic winds.

Katiera Island, you have so much to learn
This island has a lot of things to explore and discover which we are yet unaware of.

Now there's no need to say a lot.
We don't need to speak much as our surroundings signify a lot more than words can ever express.

Morning has found us on Katiera Island
The dawn has broken and we have woken up on Katiera Island.

You have so much to learn
Katiera Island has plenty of things to teach us that we are yet to grasp.

Here in the dark
Being in darkness, with no sense of direction and feeling lost.

Racing round looking out on waves in the moonlight waiting for daylight
Frantically searching for a way out, surrounded by the sound of waves illuminated by the moonlight, while waiting eagerly for the daylight to arrive.

You have so much to see
There is a lot that you can see on this island if you look around and pay attention to the details.

So many new things to realise
There are numerous discoveries that we can make on this island and many things that are yet to be realized by us.

Every day we're finding the same situations
Day after day, we're in a repetitive situation, experiencing the same things over and over again.

Holding on to something we call fascination
We are captivated by something on this island that we call fascination and we want to investigate that further.

Katiera Island
This island which is our current location and the main subject of the song.

Left on the shores wondering if we'll ever get to the mainland
We are stranded on the shore of this island, feeling unsure and uncertain if we will ever be able to return to the mainland.

Way off of these sands
Far away from these shores of Katiera Island.

We have so far to go
We need to travel a great distance and still have a long journey ahead of us.

Choosing the way is the telling
The direction we choose to take will determine our fate and what lies ahead.

Born of this farmhouse on Katiera Island
The farmhouse is our place of birth on Katiera Island, and where we started our journey.

Which way? (Which way?)
We are confused about which path to take and asking ourselves which direction should we head towards.

Which way?
We are still unsure which direction we should take towards our destination.

Which way?
We are still pondering upon which path to follow and which way will lead us to the right destination.

Which way?
Our journey is at a crossroads and we are still uncertain which direction to take.

Contributed by Adeline P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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