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
Sukarita
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
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Along the way from here I saw a vision with my eyes
It was something I had never forgotten, sweet memories always last
And a face from Sukarita, with an echo from the past
With an echo from the past
Sukarita let me be, I've gotten used to being free again
Sukarita walk on by, I've gotten used to living without you
Well, I understand the things that happen when you are on my mind
So I walk on by and try to leave temptation far behind
But it's hard to see the reasoning when things are moving fast
And a face from Sukarita comes with an echo from the past
With an echo from the past
With an echo from the past
Sukarita let me be, I've gotten used to being free again
Sukarita walk on by, I've gotten used to living without you
Sukarita
Sukarita
Sukarita, I've gotten used to living without you
By and by
By and by
By and by
Sukarita let me be, I've gotten used to being free again
Sukarita walk on by, I've gotten used to living without you
Sukarita
Sukarita
Sukarita, I've gotten used to living without you
Sukarita
Sukarita
Sukarita, I've gotten used to living without you
Sukarita
Sukarita
Sukarita, I've gotten used to living without you
Sukarita
Sukarita
Sukarita
The lyrics of Judie Tzuke's song Sukarita explore the theme of regret and nostalgia for a lost love. The singer is reminiscing about a person from their past, Sukarita, with whom they had sweet memories. The lyrics reveal that the singer has moved on from Sukarita and has gotten used to living without them. However, it is clear that the memory of Sukarita still lingers, as they are haunted by an echo from the past in the form of a face. The singer understands that thinking about Sukarita can be tempting, but they try to resist the urge to give in to these thoughts.
The lyrics evoke a sense of wistfulness and longing for what could have been. The singer seems to be aware that they cannot go back in time and recapture what they had with Sukarita. Instead, they are resigned to the fact that they must continue living without them. The lyrics suggest that the singer has come to peace with this reality, even though it is not always easy.
Overall, the lyrics of Sukarita are a poignant exploration of lost love and the power of memories to haunt the present.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday while you were sleeping, I had a surprise
I had an unexpected experience while you were asleep
Along the way from here I saw a vision with my eyes
I had a vision of something I remembered
It was something I had never forgotten, sweet memories always last
The memory was something I cherished
And a face from Sukarita, with an echo from the past
I remembered a face from Sukarita from long ago
Sukarita let me be, I've gotten used to being free again
I don't want Sukarita to interfere, I'm happy being free
Sukarita walk on by, I've gotten used to living without you
I don't need Sukarita in my life anymore
Well, I understand the things that happen when you are on my mind
I know what happens when I think of Sukarita
So I walk on by and try to leave temptation far behind
I try to avoid thinking of Sukarita
But it's hard to see the reasoning when things are moving fast
It's difficult to control my thoughts when things are hectic
With an echo from the past
The memory of Sukarita continues to linger
Sukarita
A reference to Sukarita
By and by
Over time
Contributed by Hannah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.