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)
Melody
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing together by the sea
Light on the water so beautiful in the dawn
I am looking into your eyes
Before the secrets, before the lies,
Your lips are smiling as though you meant to go on.
I don't remember the words
I don't remember the words
But the melody
Haunts me
I found a rose that you gave to me
Pressed in a book of your poetry
Deathless prose like the love I thought that we shared
You left my life with no backward look
I crushed the rose and I burned the book
I cursed the day that I ever thought you could care
I don't remember the words
That you said to me
I don't remember the words
But the melody
Haunts me
Melody, melody, melody
Melody, melody, melody
There's not a day I don't think of you
There's not a think that I know to do
To keep your memory from invading my heart
And though your flowers and books are gone
The melody of you lingers on
You are a part of my song so what can I do
I don't remember the words
That you said to me
I don't remember the words
But the melody
Haunts me
Melody, melody, melody
Melody, melody, melody
"Melody" is a melancholic song about the lingering essence of a lost love. The lyrics describe the reminiscences and memories of a relationship that has ended, but whose impact still remains ubiquitous. The first verse talks about a photograph of the couple by the sea, when everything was perfect and full of promise. The chorus mentions how the melody of that time still lingers, even though the words have vanished. The second verse talks about finding a rose that had been given as a gift, pressed in a book of poetry that was full of love. However, the relationship ended abruptly, and the rose and book were burned, but the melody of the relationship stays with the singer.
The song's lyrics are poignant and bittersweet, and Collins's melancholic voice complements them. The metaphor of the melody's haunting is intriguing, conveying how a melody, even without the words, will forever stay with the person, creating an emotional connection between the two. The song's tone is one of regret and longing, showcasing the depth of the relationship when it once existed.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw a photograph of you and me
A picture of us together was found
Standing together by the sea
We were standing near the ocean in the photo
Light on the water so beautiful in the dawn
The water was illuminated by the sunrise
I am looking into your eyes
We were making eye contact in the photo
Before the secrets, before the lies,
Before any hidden intentions or lies surfaced
Your lips are smiling as though you meant to go on.
You appeared happy and content in the moment captured in the photo
I don't remember the words
The exact words spoken are not remembered
That you said to me
The dialogue between us has been forgotten
But the melody Haunts me
The tune still resonates in my mind
I found a rose that you gave to me
A flower you gave me was discovered
Pressed in a book of your poetry
I saved it among your writings
Deathless prose like the love I thought that we shared
Your writing conveyed a love that I believed was eternal
You left my life with no backward look
You departed without a glance back
I crushed the rose and I burned the book
I destroyed the remnants of the past
I cursed the day that I ever thought you could care
I regretted believing your emotions were genuine
There's not a day I don't think of you
You are a constant presence in my thoughts
There's not a think that I know to do
I am unsure how to move on
To keep your memory from invading my heart
To prevent your memory from continuously affecting me emotionally
And though your flowers and books are gone
The physical reminders of you have vanished
The melody of you lingers on
However, the tune associated with you is still present
You are a part of my song so what can I do
You are intertwined with my life, making it difficult to forget or move on
Melody, melody, melody
The melody continues to be heard
Melody, melody, melody
The tune remains significant
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RADIM LINHART, - DP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind