Judy Collins (born Judith Marjorie Collins on May 1, 1939, in Seattle, Wash… Read Full Bio ↴Judy Collins (born Judith Marjorie Collins on May 1, 1939, in Seattle, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter known for the eclectic range of material she records (which has included folk, show tunes, pop, and rock and roll, as well as and standards) and for her social activism. Beginning in 1959, she was drawn to the music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and the traditional songs of the folk revival of the early 1960s. In 1968 she was awarded a Grammy for "Both Sides Now". Since then she has had an enviable reputation as a singer and for her own compositions.

Though born in Seattle, Washington (where she spent the first ten years of her life), she moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1949. As a child Collins studied classical piano with Antonia Brico, making her public debut at age 13 performing Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos. It was the music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and the traditional songs of the folk revival of the early 1960s, that piqued Collins' interest and awoke in her a love of lyrics. Three years after her debut as a piano prodigy, she was playing guitar. She eventually made her way to Greenwich Village, New York City, where she busked and played in clubs until she signed with Elektra Records, a record label with which she was associated for 35 years. In 1961, Collins released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, at the age of 22.

At first she sang traditional folk songs, or songs written by others, in particular the social poets of the time, such as Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, and Bob Dylan. She recorded her own versions of seminal songs of the period, such as Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and Pete Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn". Collins was also instrumental in bringing then little known composers to a wider public; for example, she recorded songs by Canadian poet Leonard Cohen, and Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell.

With her 1967 album Wildflowers, she began to record her own compositions, the first of which was entitled "Since You've Asked". This album also provided Collins with a major hit, and a Grammy award, with her version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now", which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1968's Who Knows Where the Time Goes was produced by Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills & Nash), with whom Collins was romantically involved at the time (she is the "Judy" of the Stills-written CSN classic "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"). It had a mellow country sound, and included Ian Tyson's "Someday Soon" and the title track, a Sandy Denny song which has been covered by several artists.

By the 1970s, Collins had a solid reputation as an art song singer and folksinger. She had also begun to stand out with her own compositions. She was also known for her broad range of material: her songs from this period include the traditional gospel song "Amazing Grace", the Stephen Sondheim Broadway ballad "Send in the Clowns" (both of which were top 20 hits as singles), and her own compositions such as "My Father" and "Born to the Breed".

In 1979 she posed nude on the album "Hard Times For Lovers".

In more recent years, Collins has taken to writing, producing a memoir, "Trust Your Heart" in 1987, and two novels. Though her record sales are not what they once were, she still records and tours. One of her more recent albums is a collection of songs based on her novel Shameless. She performed at US President Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993, singing "Amazing Grace" and "Chelsea Morning". (The Clintons have stated that their daughter Chelsea was named after Collins' recording of the Joni Mitchell song.)

Activism
Like other folk singers of her generation, Collins was drawn to social activism. She is a representative for UNICEF and campaigns on behalf of the abolition of landmines. Following the 1992 death of her son Clark Taylor at age 33 after a long bout with depression and substance abuse, she has also become a strong advocate of suicide prevention. Her 2003 book, Sanity & Grace, chronicles her recovery from her son's suicide and attempts to provide some comfort and guidance to other families dealing with the loss of a loved one to suicide. She describes the "Seven T's" as a means for going through this process of recovery: Truth, Therapy, Trust, Try, Treat, Treasure, and Thrive. The Truth is that there should be no guilt in suicide; Therapy helps people express their emotions and seek grief counseling; Trust is the effort to believe that one can make it through the loss and keep a belief in life and in the future; Try means to stay away from drugs and alcohol or any excess--including overeating--as a means to deal with the loss and pain; Treat means to take care of the mind, body, and spirit with exercise and meditation; Treasure means to keep the memory of the moments to be treasured, and for this Collins recommends writing and keeping a journal; and Thrive means to be positive, hopeful, open to love and others, and continuing to know that you can rebuild your life on a basis of hope.

Awards and recognition
Grammy Award, Best Folk Performance or Folk Recording, "Both Sides Now", 1968
Grammy Award, Song of the Year, "Send in the Clowns", 1975
Nominated with Jill Godmillow for an Academy Award for the documentary "Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman" (1975), about her classical piano instructor, conductor Antonia Brico.

Discography
Maid of Constant Sorrow (1961)
The Golden Apples of the Sun (1962)
Judy Collins #3 (1964)
The Judy Collins Concert (1964)
Judy Collins' Fifth Album (1965)
In My Life (1966)
Wildflowers (1967)
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (1968)
Whales and Nightingales (1970)
Both Sides Now (1971)
Living (1971) (Live)
Colors of the Day (1972) (Greatest Hits)
True Stories, and Other Dreams (1973)
Judith (1975)
Bread and Roses (1976)
So Early in the Spring (1977) (15th anniversary collection)
Hard Times for Lovers (1979)
Running for My Life (1980)
Times of Our Lives (1982)
Home Again (1984)
Trust Your Heart (1987)
The Stars Of Christmas (Selected Especially For Avon) (1988)
Sanity and Grace (1989)
Fires of Eden (1990)
Baby's Bedtime (1990)
Baby's Morningtime (1990)
Judy Sings Dylan... Just Like a Woman (1993)
Come Rejoice! A Judy Collins Christmas (1994)
Shameless (1994)
Voices (1995)
Christmas at the Biltmore Estate (1997)
Forever: An Anthology (1997)
Both Sides Now (1998)
Classic Broadway (1999)
All on a Wintry Night (2000)
Judy Collins Live at Wolf Trap (2000)
Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy (2004)
The Essential Judy Collins (2004)
Portrait of an American Girl (2006)

Videography
Baby's Bedtime (1992)
Baby's Morningtime (1992)
Junior playing the operator of a home for unwed mothers opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger
Christmas at the Biltmore Estate (1998)
The Best of Judy Collins (1999)
Intimate Portrait: Judy Collins (2000)
Judy Collins Live at Wolf Trap (2003)
Wildflower Festival (2003) (DVD with guest artists Eric Andersen, Arlo Guthrie, and Tom Rush)

Bibliography
Trust Your Heart (1987)
Amazing Grace (1991)
Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength (2003)

Hey
Judy Collins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin

Then you begin to make it better

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey Jude, don't let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you'll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh

Na na na nananana, nannana, hey Jude

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of the song, “Hey Jude, don't make it bad / Take a sad song and make it better” set the tone for the song. It is a comforting message to a dear friend who is going through a tough time. The song was actually written by Paul McCartney to comfort John Lennon's son Julian amidst his parents' divorce. It signifies that in life, one often experiences difficulties and struggles, and it’s important to find ways to cope with them. The lyrics encourage the listener to open up his/her heart and let people in. By doing so, it is possible to start healing and find a way to make things better.

“Hey Jude” is comprised of four verses, each one delivering a message of hope and encouragement. The song keeps getting more and more uplifting with each verse. The chorus “na na na nananana, nannana, hey Jude” has become one of the most iconic in music history. It is a perfect blend of melody, harmony, and rhythm that captivates the listener. The song has a powerful positive energy that can be felt by anyone who listens to it.

Some of the interesting facts about the song are that it was initially called “Hey Jules” and it was written by Paul McCartney to comfort Julian Lennon. The song is over 7 minutes long, making it one of the longest songs to top the pop charts. The recording of the song was not without its challenges, as John Lennon initially didn’t like the song, but he later warmed up to it. The backing vocals were recorded separately from the rest of the song, and in the final mix, the vocals slowly build up with each verse until the climactic ending. The song has been covered by various artists over the years, including Elvis Presley and Stevie Wonder, among many others.

Chords (Capo 0)

Verse 1:
(Em)Hey Jude, (D)don't make it bad(G6)
(C)Take a (C7)sad song and make it (G)better
(D)Remember to let her into your skin. (G) (G/F#)
(Em)Then you begin to make it better

Chorus:
(D)Na-na (G)na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na (Em)na-na-na-na-na-na, (D)Hey Jude(G)

Verse 2:
(Em)Hey Jude, (D)don't be afraid(G6)
(C)You were made to go out and get her(C7)
(G)The minute (D)you let her under your skin, now (G) (G/F#)
(Em)Then you begin to make it better

Chorus:
(D)Na-na (G)na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na (Em)na-na-na-na-na-na, (D)Hey Jude(G)

And so on with verses and choruses.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Hey Jude, don't make the situation worse than it already is

Take a sad song and make it better
Find the positive in a situation, and improve upon it

Remember to let her into your heart
Allow yourself to be open and vulnerable to someone you care for

Then you can start to make it better
Once you let someone in, you can work towards improving the situation together

Hey Jude, don't be afraid
Don't let fear hold you back from pursuing what you want

You were made to go out and get her
You have the ability to go after what you want and make things happen

The minute you let her under your skin
Once you allow someone to get close to you emotionally

Then you begin to make it better
You can then work towards improving the situation, and your relationship

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
When you feel overwhelmed or hurt, take a step back and don't act impulsively

Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Don't take on too much responsibility or burden yourself unnecessarily

For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
It's unwise to act like everything is fine, when it's not

By making his world a little colder
By suppressing emotions, you can create a negative environment

Hey Jude, don't let me down
Don't disappoint me, after getting my hopes up

You have found her, now go and get her
You have identified what you want, now take action towards it

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
Express your emotions and allow others to do the same, in order to move forward

You're waiting for someone to perform with
You want to find someone to share experiences and grow with

And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do
You have the power to accomplish what you want, without relying solely on others

The movement you need is on your shoulder
The solution you need is within you, you just need to take action

Better better better better better better, oh
Working towards improvement is a continual process, with the potential for limitless growth and self-discovery

Na na na nananana, nannana, hey Jude
A refrain to emphasize the overall message of the song

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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