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)
Out of Control
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I made the rules and they were followed
The men I loved would gather at my door
To wait the word for the day
I must admit I had my moments
When I wished the world would suddenly go mad
But then I'd come back to my senses
Out of control you send me
I never know where it will end for me
You put the lights in my head, a song in my bed
Oh, nothing I say can change you
You know your way, life is clear to you
All I can do when you call me is follow
Oh, I am a woman as sensible as can be
Out of control, you spin me
Take me again, your love is winning me
I'd follow you anywhere you say
I fell in love with you today
The song "Out of Control" by Judy Collins is a ballad about a woman who has always been in control of her life but suddenly finds herself overwhelmed by a new and exciting love. In the first verse, she contemplates her past life where she was always in charge and the men in her life would follow her lead. However, as she falls deeper in love, she realizes that she may not have as much control over her own heart as she thought she did. She admits to having moments where she wished the world would go mad but would snap out of it because of the sweet freedom she had.
In the chorus, she sings about how this person sends her out of control and she never knows where it will end for her. This person puts lights in her head and a song in her bed, making her fall deeply in love. She acknowledges that nothing she says can change this person because they know their way and their life is clear to them. She can only follow and give in to her feelings.
The second chorus is more intense, with the woman saying that this person spins her out of control and their love is winning her. She will follow this person anywhere because she has fallen completely in love with them.
Overall, the lyrics talk about the overwhelming feeling of falling in love and giving up control for the first time. It is a beautiful song that showcases Judy Collins's voice and her ability to convey emotions through her lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems I've always been in charge before
I have always been used to having control and power over my life.
I made the rules and they were followed
I have set the standards and everyone around me abided by them.
The men I loved would gather at my door
I had the authority and power to gather my loved ones whenever I wished.
To wait the word for the day
I had the final say and everyone respected that decision.
I must admit I had my moments
I am acknowledging that I did have a few moments of weakness.
When I wished the world would suddenly go mad
During those weak moments, I wished to lose control and let go of everything.
But then I'd come back to my senses
I would soon realise the chaos that it would ensue and bring myself back to reality.
And think how sweet was that freedom I thought I had
I reminisced about the freedom I had perceived while I had control over everything without the fear of losing it.
Out of control you send me
You have this power over me that I cannot resist.
I never know where it will end for me
I have no idea where this ride with you will take me, and I am okay with that.
You put the lights in my head, a song in my bed
You have brought light and happiness to my life, and made my nights even more beautiful and comforting.
Oh, nothing I say can change you
I know that you are set in your ways and nothing that I say will change that.
You know your way, life is clear to you
You have a clear understanding of your life and where you want to be.
All I can do when you call me is follow
I am willing to follow you and trust you because I love you, and I know that you will take me where I need to be.
Oh, I am a woman as sensible as can be
I am a rational and practical woman, but I cannot resist you.
Out of control, you spin me
You are exciting and exhilarating, and you keep me on my toes.
Take me again, your love is winning me
I am drawn to you, and I am willing to risk everything for your love.
I'd follow you anywhere you say
I am willing to go wherever you take me and trust that it is the right path for us.
I fell in love with you today
My love for you keeps growing each day, and I am grateful for it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JUDY COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind