This is an alternate recording of my song, Judy, which was initially presented as track 74.

Nothing new about this one, so here’s the same write-up in case you skipped it the first time…

I believe this is the only love song I ever wrote. I loathe love songs, with a few exceptions. I’m more interested in quirky ideas and odd perspectives. I suppose, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” is my ideal of a love song, or maybe “Lola.” Who the hell likes both of those?

Well, this one’s all schmaltzy and innocent and young (I was only about 18 and naïve as a newborn when I wrote it) – one of those shy introspective kids who led a sheltered life but tried hard to be all cool and “with it” but hadn’t a clue what that was. As Ziggy once put it, “Every time I figure out where it’s at, somebody moves it.”

Oh, and Judy? I can’t even remember who she is/was or whether I ever told her about the song, or whatever happened to her. Just another one of those teenage crushes that all blend together as an extended multi-year case of puppy love, the details lost in the mists of innocence.

Lyrics

Judy, you shine bright,
and like the sun above,
you brighten days, in a thousand ways.
Now I believe in love.

Judy, I need you,
but that can never be.
So I resign my heart and mind,
to faded memory.

And I knew you
before I met you.
And I had you in my mind.

Judy it’s you
Judy it’s you
Truly you,
Judy

Now I return to singing,
and live my life alone.
But like a star so near and far,
I’ll sing of how you’ve shown.

And I knew you
before I met you.
And I had you in my mind.

Judy it’s you
Judy it’s you
Truly you,
Judy

I always pictured an almost-rainy day when I listen to this one. I can see the clouds moving in, the sky darkening and the first droplets falling on the last crisp leave of fall, which twitch under the tiny impacts. The storm rises, but just as it appears to be a full blown shower, huge clouds part as the sun shines through, but only temporarily.

After but a brief moment of brilliant light reflecting off the shiny leaves, the rain returns, pummeling the final leaves to the ground. The song ends as the storm gradually moves off, leaving the trees now-barren against the threatening sky, a portend of the Winter to come.

This is one of the few complete songs I wrote in the 70s. Clearly influenced by Simon & Garfunkel’s unusual chord change-ups, this one shifts back and forth between major and minor keys and adds unusual sevenths, sixths, and diminished chords just to mix it up. I especially like the shift to the minor chord riff in the middle that almost has a folk ballad sound to it.

A youthfully optimistic song in which the mood acknowledges difficulties and obstacles but insists that determination and good spirits will ultimately overcome any problems and lead to the promised land of whatever goal you’re after.  Poppycock.

You’ll find the lyrics below my notes.

I believe this is the only love song I ever wrote. I loathe love songs, with a few exceptions. I’m more interested in quirky ideas and odd perspectives. I suppose, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” is my ideal of a love song, or maybe “Lola.” Who the hell likes both of those?

Well, this one’s all schmaltzy and innocent and young (I was only about 18 and naïve as a newborn when I wrote it) – one of those shy introspective kids who led a sheltered life but tried hard to be all cool and “with it” but hadn’t a clue what that was. As Ziggy once put it, “Every time I figure out where it’s at, somebody moves it.”

Oh, and Judy? I can’t even remember who she is/was or whether I ever told her about the song, or whatever happened to her. Just another one of those teenage crushes that all blend together as an extended multi-year case of puppy love, the details lost in the mists of innocence.

Lyrics

Judy, you shine bright,
and like the sun above,
you brighten days, in a thousand ways.
Now I believe in love.

Judy, I need you,
but that can never be.
So I resign my heart and mind,
to faded memory.

And I knew you
before I met you.
And I had you in my mind.

Judy it’s you
Judy it’s you
Truly you,
Judy

Now I return to singing,
and live my life alone.
But like a star so near and far,
I’ll sing of how you’ve shown.

And I knew you
before I met you.
And I had you in my mind.

Judy it’s you
Judy it’s you
Truly you,
Judy

A second stab at my composition, “Complications”. This one is a bit faster and cleaner, with the energy ratcheted up a notch.

This one reminds me of being stoned in a back alley off Times Square (not that I ever was, mind you). On the one hand, senses are dulled and life has slipped into slow motion. On the other hand, some overly energized tourist passes by from time to time and disrupts the whole thing with a momentary flurry of frenzy, only to slip back again in to same numbed ocean-wave undulations.

A simple but interesting downward musical progression that reminds me of the “Slinky” toy spilling down a flight of steps.

This is just a light-hearted fragment of a melody that popped in my head. I jotted it down in this recording and at the end, just let the last chord hang. Not quite sure what it meant, but it felt odd, like happiness sustained too long until it sours and becomes a bit uncomfortable. There is a litany in the Disney cartoon TV series, “Duck Tales” that sums it up nicely: “We’re happy, we’re happy, we’re very very happy; you cannot run from happy; there’s no escape from happy….”

When I wrote this I was at that point in being a teenager where you begin to realize that all the things you wanted to do when you grew up aren’t going to be just handed to you. In fact, unless you are really lucky, you are going to have to claw and scrape your way to any of those things.

Kind of depressing. And yet, at that age you haven’t become jaded or cynical. So while you aren’t looking forward to the effort and it does cast a pall over your dreams, you also believe in your ability, and that if you just believe hard enough and keep working you’ll get there.

Still, there is a suspicion that may not be true and that life may have other plans for you. And so, this song begins with some minor key progressions that end in hopeful major key, then drop off the crest into another trough of depression.

I particularly like the highly unusual ending chord as it was designed to have both major and minor key influences swirling around in the harmonics so you are not quite sure if it is a happy or sad ending (just as I felt when I wrote it).