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)
Song for Judith
Judy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the world was filled with sorrow
You might have thought I was livin'
But I was all alone
In my heart the rain was fallin'
The wind blew and
The night was callin'
Open the door and come on in
I'm so glad to see you my friend
You're like a rainbow comin' around the bend
And when I see you smilin'
Well, it sets my heart free
I'd like to be as good a friend to you
As you are to me
There were friends who could always see me
Through the haze their smiles would reach me
Saying okay, saying good-bye, saying hello
Soon I knew just what I was after
Was life and love, tears and laughter
Hello, my good friend, hello my darlin'
What do you know
Open the door and come on in
I'm so glad to see you my friend
You're like a rainbow comin' around the bend
And when I see you smilin'
Well, it sets my heart free
I'd like to be as good a friend to you
As you are to me
I used to think it was only me feeling alone
Not feeling free to be alive to be a friend
Now I know we all have stormy weather
The sun shines through when we're together
I'll be your friend right through to the end
Open the door and come on in
I'm so glad to see you my friend
You're like a rainbow comin' around the bend
And when I see you smilin'
Well, it sets my heart free
I'd like to be as good a friend to you
As you are to me
Judy Collins's "Song for Judith" is a song about the joy and love of friendship. The lyrics reveal a longing for connection and a deep appreciation for the people who provide it. The opening lines express nostalgia and sadness for the past when things were difficult. Despite being surrounded by people, the singer felt completely alone in her heart. The rain and wind symbolize the difficulty and turmoil she was facing, and the night calling is a metaphor for the darkness and loneliness she felt. However, the song takes a positive turn as the singer opens the door and invites her friend in. The lyrics describe the joy of seeing her friend's smiling face and the feeling of being free that comes with it. The singer pledges to be as good a friend to her friend as her friend is to her. It’s a song about the beauty of human relationships, that no matter how beaten down we may feel, the love and comfort of a true friend can restore our spirit and lift us up.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I remember the old days
I look back on the past
When the world was filled with sorrow
When there was a lot of pain
You might have thought I was livin'
You may have thought I was happy
But I was all alone
But really I felt very lonely
In my heart the rain was fallin'
In my heart I felt sad
The wind blew and
There were many problems
The night was callin'
I felt a sense of isolation and longing
Come back, come back, I'm all you've ever known
I wanted someone to comfort me
Open the door and come on in
Please enter and join me
I'm so glad to see you my friend
I am happy to have you here
You're like a rainbow comin' around the bend
You bring joy and light into my life
And when I see you smilin'
When you're happy, it makes me happy too
Well, it sets my heart free
It makes me feel more alive and joyful
I'd like to be as good a friend to you
I hope to be a great friend to you
As you are to me
Just like you have been a great friend to me
There were friends who could always see me
There were people who truly understood me
Through the haze their smiles would reach me
Even in difficult times they uplifted me
Saying okay, saying good-bye, saying hello
Encouraging me to keep going
Soon I knew just what I was after
Finally I knew what I wanted
Was life and love, tears and laughter
To experience all the ups and downs of life
Hello, my good friend, hello my darlin'
It's great to see you
What do you know
What's new with you?
I used to think it was only me feeling alone
I thought I was the only one feeling lonely
Not feeling free to be alive to be a friend
I felt like I couldn't be myself around others
Now I know we all have stormy weather
Now I know that everyone goes through hard times
The sun shines through when we're together
But when we're together it's easier to get through it
I'll be your friend right through to the end
I'll always be there for you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JUDY COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@williambaylis1875
Saw Judy sing this in concert on Boston common in 1971.... She had the entire audience singing the chorus... A couple thousand people. I'm not crying you're crying
@Pintuuuxo
😭 😄
@ritagatti7380
I was singing back up for Judy on this song, along with a group called the Big Sur Choir. It was great fun recording with her. Haven't listened to it in years. Pretty nice.
@Pintuuuxo
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rita. Thank you.
@kenanmccaleb8327
@Rita Gatti thank you for your contribution to the musical community. I'm only 37, but I have a fondness for older music because it just touches my soul. As a black man I love all forms of music. God bless you
@jameskaplan263
The backup adds a lot. THANKS!
@barbaran.6360
@Kenan McCaleb 5
@andym3603
I 1st heard this song in 1977. I was a very naive 21 yr old kid. I'd left an abusive husband, became a single mother, lost my job & felt I'd hit the bottom of the bottom. I stayed with a friend I loved dearly & the last night I was there she picked up her guitar & played me a song that just wrapped itself around my heart & wouldn't let go. She told me things would get better & they did. It was years later that I heard this song & found out that it was Judy Collins. I'm very glad you put it on YouTube & I just happened to find it. I got it on vinyl but vinyl went out. Fortunately, my friend wrote out the music & chords & I've picked up my guitar & am playing it. My friend was "like a rainbow coming around the bend." Thanks Bislindo! And Joycie...thank-you for being my friend!
@michaeljones7455
keep it vinyl is back.
@OhSmexyGirlfriend
Andy M I love hearing people's stories from the 70s. Bless ya.