Judie Tzuke (born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956, in London) is an English singe… Read Full Bio ↴Judie Tzuke (born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956, in London) is an English singer/songwriter. She is most well known for her 1979 hit "Stay With Me Till Dawn", which reached no.16 on the UK Singles Chart.

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

You Are The Phoenix
Judie Tzuke Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I know you're at the end of the line I'm on
And know I can afford the fare
But the distance is much further than eight stops on a local
And much harder than even I'm aware
But if by some chance we meet on some street
Will we walk by like we never knew?

Trying to reason out this displacement

But it's been beating me raw
And I know that given three months in the city
Is what my future's for

And if walk by each other on some avenue
Will we walk by like we never knew what love could do?

You are the phoenix
I am the fire
You are the plane and
I am your flyer
You are the phoenix
I am the fire
You are the plane and
I am your flyer

People pass through my life and I forget them
And I don't know what that means
But you never passed through my life, you stayed there
Like some unforgotten dream

And if we pass by each other on life's avenue
Will we walk by like we never knew what love could do?

You are the phoenix
I am the fire
You are the plane and
I am your flyer
You are the phoenix
I am the fire
You are the plane and
I am your flyer

You are the phoenix
I am the fire
You are the plane and
I am your flyer
You are the phoenix
I am the fire
You are the plane and
I am your flyer

You are the phoenix
I am the fire
You are the plane and
I am your flyer
You are the phoenix
I am the fire

You are the plane and
I am your flyer

Overall Meaning

The song "You Are The Phoenix" by Judie Tzuke is a poignant reflection on the feelings of separation and lost love. The lyrics express the singer's desire to reconnect with someone who she knows is at the end of the line she's on, but the distance seems too great to bridge. She wonders if they were to meet on the street, would they acknowledge each other or simply pass by as strangers. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the feeling of displacement and the uncertainty of the future, which she hopes will be resolved after three months in the city.

The lyrics are powerful in their simplicity, conveying the emotions of heartache and nostalgia. The imagery of the phoenix and fire represents the cyclical nature of life and the idea of rebirth. The singer sees herself as the fire, constantly burning and changing, while the person she is addressing is the phoenix, rising from the ashes of the past. Overall, the message of the song is to cherish the memories of lost love while recognizing the need to move forward and embrace new experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

I know you're at the end of the line I'm on And know I can afford the fare But the distance is much further than eight stops on a local And much harder than even I'm aware
I understand that you are far away from me, and although I can travel to you, the distance feels greater than just a few stops away. The journey is not just physical but also emotionally challenging.

But if by some chance we meet on some street Will we walk by like we never knew?
If we were to unexpectedly cross paths on a street, would we pretend as if we never knew each other?

Trying to reason out this displacement But it's been beating me raw And I know that given three months in the city Is what my future's for
I am struggling to understand why we are apart, and it's been creating a lot of emotional pain. I believe that spending three months in the city will help me figure out my future.

And if walk by each other on some avenue Will we walk by like we never knew what love could do?
If we happened to pass each other on a street, would we ignore each other as if we never experienced the power of love?

You are the phoenix I am the fire You are the plane and I am your flyer
You are the one who brings renewal and transformation to my life, and I am the passion and energy that fuels you. You are the vehicle that helps me escape from my current reality, and I am the one who navigates it.

People pass through my life and I forget them And I don't know what that means But you never passed through my life, you stayed there Like some unforgotten dream
Many people come and go in my life, and I often forget them. However, you are not one of them, and you have stayed in my thoughts and heart like a dream that cannot be forgotten.

And if we pass by each other on life's avenue Will we walk by like we never knew what love could do?
If we were to cross paths in life, would we pretend as if we never knew the transformative power of love that we once shared?

Contributed by Lily A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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