The 2013 film 20 Feet From Stardom recounts Hill's rise to prominence as a backup singer for Michael Jackson, who selected her to perform with him as a duet in his posthumously cancelled This is It Tour, and Josh Groban, who would later bring Judith on tour as a supporting act.
Hill was selected by Adam Levine on Season 4 of the musical talent show The Voice and supported John Legend on his #AllOfMe Tour, before recording her first studio album, Back in Time. The album was produced by Prince at his Paisley Park Studios.
Back In Time
Judith Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To travel back in time
I would go back to the day
When we both were nine
On your bedroom dresser
I'd leave my picture behind
Then I'd come back here
Back in time
If I had some magic
That could set you free
I'd make you not love her
Any more as much you love me
I'd send her on a journey
Accross the yellow sea
Nothing should be closer
Than you and me
Back in time
High up in the mountain
Our hearts up on a shelf
I'm settling on the notion
Of being all by myself
If I had the power
To travel back in time
To the day before the
Two of y'all met
I'd somehow make you mine
The lyrics of Judith Hill's song "Back In Time" revolve around the idea of time travel and the longing for a lost love. In the first verse, the singer expresses her desire to go back in time to a specific moment in her childhood - when both she and her love interest were nine years old. The nostalgia of this moment is emphasized by the fact that the singer would leave her picture on his bedroom dresser, hoping that he would find it and remember her. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer continues to explore the idea of changing the past and the present in order to be with her love.
The second verse delves deeper into this desire to change the present. The singer expresses her willingness to use magic to make her love interest stop loving someone else and focus solely on her. She even goes so far as to send this other person on a journey far away, in order to remove any obstacles that may be in the way of her love. The chorus reinforces the significance of the past by repeating the desire to go "back in time" and be with the person she loves.
The bridge of the song is melancholic, as the singer contemplates the possibility that her love is lost forever. The image of their hearts being on a shelf in a place as unreachable as a mountain is used to convey the idea that they may never be able to be together again. However, the final verse brings a glimmer of hope as the singer declares that she would do anything to be with her love, even if it means going back in time to the day before he met his current girlfriend.
Overall, "Back In Time" is a nostalgic and romantic song that explores the theme of missed opportunities and the longing for a lost love. It also touches on the idea of altering the present in order to change the future, and the sense of desperation that can come with wanting something that may be impossible to achieve.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had the power
If there was something I could do
To travel back in time
To go back to the past
I would go back to the day
I would revisit the exact day in history
When we both were nine
When we were both nine years old
On your bedroom dresser
On top of your table by your bed
I'd leave my picture behind
I would leave my photograph there
Then I'd come back here
I would return to the present
And wait for you to find me
And wait for you to discover me
If I had some magic
If I possessed magical abilities
That could set you free
That would liberate you
I'd make you not love her
I would remove your love for the other person
Any more as much you love me
As much as you love me, but not her
I'd send her on a journey
I would cause her to embark on a voyage
Accross the yellow sea
Across the expanse of water named 'Yellow Sea'
Nothing should be closer
No one should be nearer
Than you and me
Than the two of us
High up in the mountain
At a high altitude on a mountain
Our hearts up on a shelf
Our emotions kept aside and kept away
I'm settling on the notion
I am convinced of the idea
Of being all by myself
To live on my own
To the day before the
To the day right before the
Two of y'all met
The two of you came into each other's lives
I'd somehow make you mine
I would find a way to make you belong to me
Writer(s): Prince Rogers Nelson, Judith Glory Hill
Contributed by Cooper T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David DiMuzio
Thank you for sharing this. Sounds great!
The Bajan Empress
This is insane. The progression. The production.. Your vocals! The visuals. Amazing. The music industry must have completely lost its way if you're not at superstar status.
Doctor Mu
This should have 700million views. Epic. Prince's guitar and Judith's vocals rock.
Deanne Ah Sing
I agree, surprised this isn't playing on radio and receiving media attention. It's THAT good!
Noah Nordengren
Prince's Bass on this track is amazing. I love how Prince could make his bass tell a story.
☨ The Tourbus Individual ☨
The year Prince passed this was the song that I listened to over and over again. I am so incredibly sorry for what you've had to endure since his passing, Judith. It has been absolutely wrong and I know that you having the ability to grieve as an actual close friend of his has had to be extremely difficult. The online world can be a horrid place, but in the end the opinions of random, anonymous strangers...those opinions do not matter. He loved you. You loved him. The End.
I truly hope your heart and your beautiful soul are both finding a way to heal 💜
Dana Featherstone
Absolutely love her.
v reese
Nice song
Deanne Ah Sing
@Noah Nordengren Agreed. The online media hasn't been particularly nice to Judith and I'm happy she never gives up.
Noah Nordengren
Thank-you for this. People have been absolutely terrible towards her over Prince and Michael. It's clear that Judith working with two legends right before they passed was just cruel irony.