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
Ladies Night
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One more time you've let me down and one more time I hide
I spent so long getting it right
I wanted so much to see you, I wanted to show them why
Fools, they thought I was alright
They couldn't see that I was dying inside
Fools, don't turn on the light
Another lonely day to pass
Every second takes an hour, each one seems the last
And though it may not seem so bad
With the time that we are wasting is racing by so fast
Fools, they thought I was alright
They couldn't see that I was dying inside
Fools, don't turn on the light
I can't bear to see their faces when they see me fall to pieces
Another ladies' night tonight
One more time you've let me down and one more time I hide
Looks like I locked it up so tight
Even you didn't see me falling, you didn't watch me fight
Fool, you thought I was alright
You couldn't see that I was dying inside
Fool, don't turn on the light
I can't bear to see you stumble, when you see my strength has crumbled
Fool, you thought I was alright
You couldn't see that I was dying inside
Fools, please don't turn on the light
I can't bear to see your faces
When you see me fall to pieces
The lyrics of "Ladies Night" by Judie Tzuke depict the struggles of a woman who feels like she has been let down by someone she cared for. The opening lines suggest a sense of frustration along with a need to conceal her emotions. She may have planned on going out with some friends that night but feels unable to since the person she was looking forward to seeing has disappointed her once again. She spends so much effort trying to get things right, but there is always something that goes wrong. She desperately wanted to impress this someone, and the people around her never could see how unhappy she was on the inside. She wished they wouldn't turn on the light and notice how broken she was.
The second verse progresses with another lonely day having to pass. Time seems to be dwindling slowly, and the days never seem to end. The emphasis is on how she is wasting precious time when every second takes an hour. Things may not appear too bad, but she is losing hope quickly. Her confidence has been shattered, and she is struggling to keep things together. The chorus repeats the same message that she is not doing okay but is afraid that anyone else who might see her vulnerable state will judge her. Therefore, she begs them never to turn on the light and notice her weakness.
Line by Line Meaning
Looks like a ladies' night tonight
It appears that there will be a gathering of women tonight
One more time you've let me down and one more time I hide
Once again, you have disappointed me, causing me to withdraw and conceal myself
I spent so long getting it right
I dedicated a significant amount of time to perfecting a particular task or skill
I wanted so much to see you, I wanted to show them why
I had a strong desire to be in your presence and to impress others in your company
Fools, they thought I was alright
Individuals who lack intelligence or good judgement assumed that I was doing well
They couldn't see that I was dying inside
Those individuals were not perceptive enough to recognize that I was struggling emotionally
Fools, don't turn on the light
I implore those foolish individuals to not bring attention to my current state of distress
I can't bear to see their faces when they see me fall to pieces
I cannot handle the thought of others witnessing me break down and become overwhelmed with emotion
Another lonely day to pass
An additional day of solitude and loneliness will come and go
Every second takes an hour, each one seems the last
Time seems to pass slowly and each moment feels like an eternity
And though it may not seem so bad
Despite the situation appearing to be manageable or not overly difficult
With the time that we are wasting is racing by so fast
Time is moving quickly and it feels like we are wasting valuable opportunities and moments
Another ladies' night tonight
Once again, a group of women will be gathering together tonight
One more time you've let me down and one more time I hide
Again, you have failed to meet my expectations, and once again I retreat and conceal myself
Looks like I locked it up so tight
It appears that I have kept my emotional struggles and turmoil locked away and hidden from view
Even you didn't see me falling, you didn't watch me fight
You were not even aware that I was struggling or putting up a fight to overcome my challenges
Fool, you thought I was alright
You believed that I was doing okay, when in reality I was not
You couldn't see that I was dying inside
You were not perceptive or aware enough to recognize the turmoil that I was experiencing internally
Fool, don't turn on the light
I ask that you do not expose my vulnerability and emotional struggles to others
I can't bear to see you stumble, when you see my strength has crumbled
I cannot endure the thought of you witnessing me falter and struggle, knowing that you previously believed I was strong and capable
Fools, please don't turn on the light
I implore those foolish individuals to keep my struggles concealed and not bring attention to my emotional state
I can't bear to see your faces
When you see me fall to pieces
I am unable to handle the thought of others witnessing me lose control and become overwhelmed with emotion
Contributed by Emma P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.