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 Were The Place
Judie Tzuke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd captured the sun for your company
Across the mountains you'd call for me
I was always so sure of your sympathy
But it's the last time I can call you home
And on from this time I will stand alone
It's the last time I can call you friend, my friend
Nightrunners watch from another shore
As they tear at your walls to make room for more
Of the men who took all that I loved you for
Put an end to the hideaway I once saw
But it's the last time I can call you home
And on from this time I will stand alone
It's the last time I can call you friend, my friend
But it's the last time I can call you home
And on from this time I will stand alone
It's the last time I can call you friend, my friend
Where is the heart I came miles to find?
With friends that you welcomed still in my mind
I hate to leave all that love behind
The years that pass can be so unkind
It's the last time I can call you home
And on from this time I will stand alone
It's the last time I can call you friend, my friend
It's the last time I can call you home
And on from this time I will stand alone
It's the last time I can call you friend, my friend
The lyrics to Judie Tzuke's song "You Were The Place" seem to be about the end of a meaningful relationship. The singer refers to the person they were once close to as "the place I had longed to be," indicating that this person was their home, their comfort. However, something has changed - perhaps this person has become distant or stopped caring about the relationship. The reference to "the men who took all that I loved you for" suggests that the person may have been influenced by others or perhaps even cheated on the singer.
Despite the pain of losing this person, the singer acknowledges that it is time to let go. They must move forward alone, without the support they once relied on. The sadness of this realization is reflected in the repeated line "It's the last time I can call you home, and on from this time I will stand alone." The final verse echoes this pain, with the singer lamenting the loss of the love they once shared and the inevitability of time passing and changing things.
Overall, the lyrics to "You Were The Place" are deeply emotional, conveying the bittersweet nature of the end of a significant relationship. The combination of longing and resignation in the words creates an evocative portrait of someone coming to terms with a painful reality.
Line by Line Meaning
You were the place I had longed to be
You were the destination I always desired to reach.
You'd captured the sun for your company
You had everything that made life bright and cheerful.
Across the mountains you'd call for me
You used to call me from faraway places, across the mountains, to come to you.
I was always so sure of your sympathy
I had complete faith in your kindness and understanding.
But it's the last time I can call you home
This is the final time I can refer to you as my haven.
And on from this time I will stand alone
From now on, I will have to face life's challenges alone.
It's the last time I can call you friend, my friend
I can no longer consider you my friend, this is our last goodbye.
Nightrunners watch from another shore
People who operate in darkness and secrecy observe from a distance.
As they tear at your walls to make room for more
As they destroy the protective walls around you to create more space.
Of the men who took all that I loved you for
Of the people who took away everything that I cherished about you.
Put an end to the hideaway I once saw
The place of refuge that I saw in you has come to an end.
Where is the heart I came miles to find?
Where is the love and affection that I traveled a long distance to find?
With friends that you welcomed still in my mind
I still think of the friends that you kindly welcomed in my memory.
I hate to leave all that love behind
It saddens me to leave behind all the affection and adoration I had for you.
The years that pass can be so unkind
Time passes so quickly and can be harsh to us.
It's the last time I can call you home
This is the final time I can refer to you as my haven.
And on from this time I will stand alone
From now on, I will have to face life's challenges alone.
It's the last time I can call you friend, my friend
I can no longer consider you my friend, this is our last goodbye.
Contributed by Eli S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.