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.
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Little Cloud
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause you know that she was touched,
When you kissed her on that day
God knows tenderness is hard to come by,
And a fraction of a tear hit the corner of her eye
She could blink and it could pass her by,
She could come out screaming and still not know why,
And the lines aren't clear, on her pretty face
You laugh, she smiles
Little cloud of wonder
Floats over her ocean
She's trying to catch the surf in her hand,
She's going to dive in the water
She wants to feel the emotion
And she felt so great when she curled up in your arms
Keep the world outside she was safe from harm
And in that moment you were all she'd see,
A reflection of a man that she wanted you to be
Little cloud of wonder
Floats over her ocean
She's trying to catch the surf in her hand,
She's going to dive in the water
She wants to feel the emotion
In Judie Tzuke's song Little Cloud, the lyrics describe a girl who is trying to capture and hold onto the emotions she felt when she was in the arms of a man who she believed to be tender and caring. In the first verse, she feels hurt when she sees him looking away from her because she realizes that the tenderness she felt when they kissed was not genuine. The girl knows how rare it is to find tenderness in this world and almost sheds a tear at the thought of it slipping away.
The song progresses to describe how the girl is trying to escape her current reality and capture the feeling she had with the man. She is picturing herself catching waves and diving into the ocean, trying to capture the emotion and bring it back with her. The lines on her face are not clear and she is not comfortable in her own living space, but she holds onto the memory of the man who made her feel safe and loved.
In the final verse, the girl remembers how great it felt to be wrapped in the arms of the man. In his embrace, she was able to shut out the rest of the world and feel safe from harm. She saw the man as a reflection of everything she wanted in a partner but realizes that the reality of the situation does not line up with her fantasy.
Line by Line Meaning
She was just a bit hurt, when she saw you look away
She felt sad when she noticed you avoiding her
'Cause you know that she was touched, When you kissed her on that day
You made her feel loved with a single kiss
God knows tenderness is hard to come by, And a fraction of a tear hit the corner of her eye
It's rare to experience kindness, and she shed a tear at the thought
She could blink and it could pass her by, She could come out screaming and still not know why
She could easily miss something important or not understand her own feelings
It's not so warm in her living space, And the lines aren't clear, on her pretty face
She feels lonely and lost, and her expression reflects her confusion
You laugh, she smiles
Your joy brings happiness to her
Little cloud of wonder Floats over her ocean She's trying to catch the surf in her hand, She's going to dive in the water She wants to feel the emotion
Metaphorically, she's trying to capture the beauty of life and immerse herself in it
And she felt so great when she curled up in your arms Keep the world outside she was safe from harm And in that moment you were all she'd see, A reflection of a man that she wanted you to be
She felt secure and comforted holding you, and imagined you as her ideal partner
Little cloud of wonder Floats over her ocean She's trying to catch the surf in her hand, She's going to dive in the water She wants to feel the emotion
She continues to search for happiness and fulfillment
Contributed by Julia S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.