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
Southern Smiles
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the way I hear them call
Well, there'll be nightrunners
And there'll be sunhunters
There where the day burns into your very sight
Don't say no, you just might
'Cos there'll be nightrunners
Well, I could be somewhere else
(I'd rather stay there)
Oh, I should be somewhere else
There's something there holds my heart
It's caught in the backstreets
It's calling for more
Well there'll be nightrunners
And there'll be sunhunters
So here I go on the way to southern smiles
Racing light till darkness falls
To find the nightrunners
And the sunhunters
Well, I could be somewhere else
(I'd rather stay there)
Oh, I should be somewhere else
There's something there holds my heart
It's caught in the backstreets
It's calling for more
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Judie Tzuke's song "Southern Smiles" is a nostalgic tune filled with longing and desire to connect with a place and a feeling. The song reveals the artist's inner struggle as she feels caught between where she is currently and where her heart truly belongs. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a journey that the artist is embarking on, down to the trail to Southern Smiles, where the day burns into her very sight. She's pulled towards a sense of adventure, a desire for more, and the hope to find something that she's been missing.
As she gets closer, she hears the calls of the nightrunners and the sunhunters. They are symbolic of a sense of freedom, spontaneity, and excitement that she wants to experience. The nightrunners represent those who embrace the darkness, the ones who take risks and seize the night. The sunhunters, on the other hand, embody those who seek the light, those who are drawn to the bright side of life. The artist wants to explore this world of contrasts and see what it has to offer.
The repetition of the phrase "nnightrunners, sunhunters" throughout the song adds to the hypnotic quality of the tune, accentuating the sense of longing and desire. It feels as though Tzuke is trying to convince herself that the journey is worth it, and that she'll find what she's looking for if she just keeps going. Overall, "Southern Smiles" is a lush, dreamy song that speaks to the listener's sense of wanderlust and desire for adventure.
Line by Line Meaning
When I go down to take the trail to southern smiles
When I venture southwards to a place where happiness abounds
All the way I hear them call
All along the path I hear them beckon me forth
Well, there'll be nightrunners
There will be those who come alive in the cover of darkness
And there'll be sunhunters
And there will be those who seek the light of day
There where the day burns into your very sight
In a place where the sun is hot enough to sear your vision
Don't say no, you just might
Don't immediately decline, you might change your mind
'Cos there'll be nightrunners
Because those who come alive at night will be there
And there'll be sunhunters
And those who seek the light of day will be there
Well, I could be somewhere else
I could be in another place
(I'd rather stay there)
(But I would prefer to stay here)
Oh, I should be somewhere else
Oh, I ought to be in a different location
There's something there holds my heart
Something about this place captivates me
It's caught in the backstreets
It's entangled in the alleyways
It's calling for more
It's asking for further exploration
So here I go on the way to southern smiles
So I'm embarking on a journey towards happiness in the south
Racing light till darkness falls
Moving quickly until the sun sets
To find the nightrunners
To locate those who come alive at night
And the sunhunters
And those who seek the light of day
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Those who come alive at night, those who seek the light of day
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Those who come alive at night, those who seek the light of day
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Those who come alive at night, those who seek the light of day
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Those who come alive at night, those who seek the light of day
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Those who come alive at night, those who seek the light of day
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Those who come alive at night, those who seek the light of day
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Those who come alive at night, those who seek the light of day
Nightrunners, sunhunters
Those who come alive at night, those who seek the light of day
Contributed by Kaylee I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.