Cruise studied French horn at Drake University and performed as a singer and actress in New York, where she also worked as a talent scout for Angelo Badalamenti. In 1985, Badalamenti was composing the score for David Lynch's Blue Velvet, as well as serving as the vocal coach for the film's star, Isabella Rossellini. A key scene in Blue Velvet was intended to feature Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil, but when the rights to the song proved prohibitively expensive, it was suggested that Badalamenti compose a pop song in the same style, with lyrics written by Lynch. Because the song required a vocalist with a haunting, ethereal voice, Badalamenti recommended Julee Cruise, who had sung "like an angel" in a New York theater workshop that Badalamenti had produced. The result of their initial collaboration was "Mysteries of Love", which figures prominently in Blue Velvet's closing scenes.
Positive reaction to "Mysteries of Love" led Badalamenti and Lynch to write and produce additional songs for Cruise, most of which were featured in her debut album, Floating Into the Night. The album was released on 12 September 1989 by Warner Bros. Records, and charted on Billboard the following year. A moody, tightly structured collection of pop songs with lush, idiosyncratic orchestrations and intentionally retro lyrics, Floating Into the Night became a favorite of such musicians as Tim Booth, lead singer of the band James, and techno artist Moby, who would go on to collaborate with Cruise on the unreleased track "Drown Disco". It also provided musical material for two of Lynch's other projects. The first was Industrial Symphony No. 1, a dark, intentionally obscure performance piece in which Cruise performed while "floating" from a harness dozens of feet above a stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The second, more significant project was the soundtrack to Lynch's Twin Peaks, for which Badalamenti composed the original score. The song "Falling", which became the orchestral theme for the television series, caused a minor sensation, winning a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental, while the Twin Peaks soundtrack, featuring Cruise on the songs "Into the Night" and "The Nightingale" as well as on the vocal version of "Falling", eventually became the best-selling television soundtrack of all time. Cruise made a number of appearances on Twin Peaks as a girl singer at a local bar, and was prominently featured in the show's landmark pilot episode, as well as in 1992's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
The campy but unsettling "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart", the second single from Floating Into the Night, was released in 1990. Cruise also made a controversial appearance on Saturday Night Live on 12 May 1990, when scheduled performer Sinéad O'Connor refused to appear on the same show as guest host Andrew Dice Clay. The following year, Cruise recorded a Lynch- and Badalamenti-produced cover of the Elvis Presley song "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears" for the soundtrack of Wim Wenders's Until the End of the World. Afterwards, Cruise maintained a relatively low profile until her second album, The Voice of Love, was released in 1993. To many listeners and reviewers, this album suffered in comparison to its predecessor, possibly due to the numerous other projects competing for Lynch and Badalamenti's attention. Many of the tracks were little more than instrumentals from Wild at Heart or Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me with added vocals. However, several songs, notably "Questions in a World of Blue", are ranked by fans among Cruise's best.
Cruise's early collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch were closely related to Lynch's film work, and their lyrics often reflect this. For example, "Into the Night" begins with the whispered words "Now it's dark", a line which was repeatedly spoken by Frank Booth, Dennis Hopper's character, in Blue Velvet. Lynch also photographed Cruise for the liner notes of Floating Into the Night and The Voice of Love, and created the sculptures featured on the covers of both albums.
The following decade found Cruise lending her vocals to works by a more miscellaneous list of collaborators, mostly in techno and dance music. She provided vocals and lyrics to several of the songs on Wide Angle, the debut album by Welsh electronic music group Hybrid, notably the epic techno track "If I Survive". She also appeared on two albums by dance artist Khan. The lyrics for many of these songs, such as "Body Dump", reflect Cruise's own interest in true crime. She appears on a number of tracks on the 2003 album "Dreams Top Rock" by German post-rock act Pluramon.
Cruise also acted and sang in the Off Broadway cast of Return to the Forbidden Planet, a spoof of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and toured with the B-52s in 1992 and 1993.
Cruise's long-delayed third album, The Art of Being a Girl, was released in 2002. This was the first of her albums for which Badalamenti and Lynch did not produce or write any of the music, with music and lyrics for each of the songs being written by Cruise herself (with the exception of an updated version of her classic single "Falling") and guest produced by Rick Strom and Mocean Worker. The following year, Cruise's song "The World Spins" was featured in an extended ballet sequence in Robert Altman's The Company.
Cruise passed away on June 9, 2022 at age 65.
Summer Kisses Winter Tears
Julee Cruise Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That was what he gave to me
Never thought that I'd travel all alone
The trail of memories
Happy hours, lonely years
But I guess I can't complain
For I still recall the Summer sun
The fire of love, the fire of love
Can burn from afar
And nothing can light the dark of the night
Like a falling star
Summer kisses, Winter tears
Like the stars they fade away
Leaving me to spend my lonely nights
With dreams of yesterday
Leaving me to spend my lonely nights
With dreams of yesterday
Summer kisses, Winter tears
The lyrics of Julee Cruise's "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears" describe the contrast between the warmth and the coldness of a love that has come and gone. The singer reminisces about a relationship that was filled with joy and happiness, but ultimately ended with heartbreak and loneliness. The repeated use of "Summer kisses, Winter tears" highlights the fleeting nature of the relationship - while the warm kiss of summer brings joy, it is soon replaced by the cold tears of winter.
The singer acknowledges that while she never thought she would travel alone down the trail of memories, she has come to accept the ups and downs of the relationship. The lyrics of the song are tinged with a sense of nostalgia, as the singer looks back on happy memories, but also expresses the sadness of being left alone with nothing but memories.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the transformative power of love, with the fire of love able to burn from afar and light up even the darkest of nights. However, this optimism is tempered by the bridge, which recognizes that even the brightest flames must eventually fade away, leaving the singer with nothing but bittersweet memories to keep her company.
Line by Line Meaning
Summer kisses, Winter tears
The emotions of love and loss that the singer experienced with their partner during different seasons of the year.
That was what he gave to me
The singer reminisces about the emotional experiences they shared with their partner.
Never thought that I'd travel all alone
The singer did not anticipate feeling alone after their relationship ended.
The trail of memories
The artist is reflecting on their past experiences and memories with their former partner.
Happy hours, lonely years
Mixed emotions of joy and sadness that the artist experienced throughout their relationship and after its end.
But I guess I can't complain
Despite the ups and downs in their relationship, the singer is somewhat satisfied with the experience.
For I still recall the Summer sun
The singer holds onto the positive memories of their relationship, which bring them comfort during difficult times.
Through all the Winter rain
Even during difficult times, the artist remembers the happier moments of their relationship.
The fire of love, the fire of love
Love is often referred to as a burning flame or fire that can connect people, even from a distance.
Can burn from afar
Love can still be felt even when people are not physically together.
And nothing can light the dark of the night
Love can be a source of comfort during dark, lonely times.
Like a falling star
Love can be an unexpected, beautiful moment that lights up one's life.
Like the stars they fade away
Love, like the beauty of stars, can fade and disappear with time or distance.
Leaving me to spend my lonely nights
The singer is now alone and feels the absence of their partner.
With dreams of yesterday
The singer remembers the happier times of their relationship and longs to return to those moments.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BENJAMIN WEISMAN, FRED WISE, JACK LLOYD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tropicwave1
Summer Kisses, Winter Tears
Julee Cruise
Album: Until The End Of The World (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Summer kisses, Winter tears
That was what he gave to me
Never thought that I'd travel all alone
The trail of memories
Happy hours, lonely years
But I guess I can't complain
For I still recall the Summer sun
Through all the Winter rain
The fire of love, the fire of love
Can burn from afar
And nothing can light the dark of the night
Like a falling star
Summer kisses, Winter tears
Like the stars they fade away
Leaving me to spend my lonely nights
With dreams of yesterday
Leaving me to spend my lonely nights
With dreams of yesterday
Summer kisses, Winter tears
Written by Benjamin Weisman, Fred Wise, Jack Lloyd
Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, BMG Rights Management US, LLC
℗ 1991 Warner Bros. Records Inc.
@ninjabakuraHD
RIP julee, what an incredible voice, talent and atmosphere ❤️
@robertgeranis4552
Finally got to see the five-hour version of Until the End of the World. Fell in love with the movie and this haunting, dream-like song. I don't want to wake up!!!
@earthpearl3790
I totally understand. Don't worry though . . . we are living it. It's a pretty okay dream too.
@deborahboomer9598
The 5 hour version....I’d like to see that!
@robertgeranis4552
Deborah Boomer it now streaming on the Criterion Channel. Also on blu ray from Criterion https://www.amazon.com/Until-World-Criterion-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B07XM9MN1S/ref=mp_s_a_1_19?dchild=1&keywords=criterion+collection+until+tje+rmd+of+the+world+blu+ray&qid=1598229051&sr=8-19
@fabiengerard8142
The so called WW’s cut — I definitely got addicted to it!
@dakewln8tive
RIP Julee. She did a good job on that Elvis song.
@vomeinsamenmadchensophie
Bought this soundtrack as soon as film came out...was watching film on repeat numerous times and made my partner at that time crazy..haha....anyway this music and film bring out such a beautiful memories of my youth...♡♡♡.
@xdmkii
I had this album in my teens and this track stuck with me.
@luisellaguerra8232
Rest in peace voice's angel