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
Sara's Gone
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing ever happens the way you think it should
Lovers don't behave like lovers say they will
You can never count on the moments standing still
It's a hard lesson to learn
But it's one more star you're gonna have to earn
And it all comes down to the same game
Will that special someone ever come round again?
Sara's gone now, she just packed her bags and went off
Sara's gone now, you'd better look to you heart
See how much it cost
Walking in circles won't get you very far
And too many questions won't tell you where you are
It's never easy to find out why and how
Nothing's that simple; there's no going back now.
And you're only wasting more time
You'll be chasing answers that you will never find
And I know it's hard to believe
You'll look back on this with a sigh of relief
Sara's gone now, she just packed her bags and went off
Sara's gone now, you'd better look to you heart
See how much it cost
Turn another page, look at things another way
Nothing will ever be quite the same again
You can start again, pick up the pack and deal
Shooting the moon is the only way to play
Sara's gone now, she just packed her bags and went off
Sara's gone now, you'd better look to you heart
See how much it cost
The lyrics of "Sara's Gone" by Judie Tzuke are about the aftermath of a breakup and the difficulty of moving on. The first verse speaks about how things never turn out the way we expect them to and how we can't rely on others to behave how we think they will. The chorus is about the departure of Sara, who has packed her bags and left. The singer urges the listener to look to their heart and consider the cost of Sara's departure.
The second verse advises against overthinking and walking in circles, acknowledging that it's difficult to find out why and how things ended. The singer warns that chasing answers will only waste more time and never bring closure. The bridge suggests that the only way to move forward is to turn another page, look at things differently, and shoot for the moon. The chorus repeats and serves as a reminder to focus on self-examination and the cost of lost love.
Overall, the song conveys the message that heartbreak is a difficult but necessary part of life, and that it's important to reflect on one's own actions and emotions in order to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Things never turn out the way you thought they would
Life is unpredictable and things won't always go according to the plans you make
Nothing ever happens the way you think it should
Expectations don't always match with the reality of things
Lovers don't behave like lovers say they will
People don't always behave as they promise they will especially in a romantic relationship
You can never count on the moments standing still
Time is fleeting and you can't hold on to any moment forever
It's a hard lesson to learn
The realization that life can be difficult and unpredictable is something that is hard to accept
But it's one more star you're gonna have to earn
Learning from the challenges and difficulties of life is important to grow and develop as a person
And it all comes down to the same game
Whatever the situation, life is a game where you have to play your cards right
Will that special someone ever come round again?
Wondering if you will find love and a special someone again can be a common fear
Sara's gone now, she just packed her bags and went off
The person you loved is gone and has left without warning
You'd better look to you heart
You need to look inside yourself to find the strength to move on from the heartbreak
See how much it cost
Realize the price of love and heartbreak and learn from it
Walking in circles won't get you very far
The repetitive cycle of thoughts and actions won't lead to progress
And too many questions won't tell you where you are
Asking too many questions might not always lead to knowing the answer and figuring out your current situation
It's never easy to find out why and how
Understanding why something happened and how to move on is always a difficult process
Nothing's that simple; there's no going back now
Life is never simple and once something happens, there's no going back
And you're only wasting more time
By dwelling on something, you're only wasting more precious time
You'll be chasing answers that you will never find
Searching for answers that might not exist is a futile effort
And I know it's hard to believe
It's hard to accept the fact that things won't always go as planned
You'll look back on this with a sigh of relief
In the future, you'll be able to look back with a sense of relief that you got through this difficult time
Turn another page, look at things another way
Try to see things from a different perspective and move forward
Nothing will ever be quite the same again
After experiencing heartbreak, things won't ever be the same again
You can start again, pick up the pack and deal
You have the choice to start again and move on from the past
Shooting the moon is the only way to play
Taking a risk and making bold moves is the only way to win in life
Contributed by Natalie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@juanitatequila
Awsome! Thanks!!