Juice Newton
The Queen of Hearts
Revealed
Juice Music
Juice Newton penetrated
the dharma and hit the jackpot in 1977 when she formed what proved to be a
long-term collaboration with guitarist/songwriter Otha Young. Together they
penned Sweet Sweet Smile intended for their band Silver Spur but picked up by
the Carpenters who rode it to the top of the charts. It put Juice Newton on the
map. By 1978she went solo and never looked back. Her first solo release Well
Kept Secret was a rock & roll album of the first degree that put Newton’s
versatility on display and hit you like a punch. Though it didn’t chart, it
created a buzz that persisted even as she shifted her focus to country music.
In retrospect it was a clever strategy as evidenced by the success of her one
off single Let’s Keep It That Way. It was a great song and climbed up to the
Top Ten in the Country Charts. The release of the LP Juice in 1981 proved to be
a sentinel event for Newton as it spawned three consecutive Top Ten Pop Hits:
Queen of Hearts; Angel of The Morning; The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known).
The LP sold more than a million copies in the U.S. and went triple Platinum in
Canada. In 1982, Newton received Grammy nominations for Best Female Vocalist in
both the Pop and Country Categories. And the hits kept on a coming.
The exquisitely arranged
Loves Been a Little Bit Hard on Me reached #1 on Billboards Adult Contemporary
Charts. Newton’s vocal was playful and note-perfect. Her stoned immaculate
remake of Break It to Me Gently won her a Grammy for Best Female Country
Performance. She continued to chart Top Ten Country hits throughout the
eighties with songs such as You Make Me Want to Make You Mine, Hurt, Tell Me
True, and What Can I Do with My Heart. In October 2010 she released Duets:
Friends and Memories with guest appearances by such luminaries as Willie
Nelson, Melissa Manchester and Frankie Valli. It’s been quite a ride. I first
saw Juice Newton perform in the eighties. She was long and lean with hair down
to her waist and enough energy to fill up a stadium. She had spunk and a bit of
the devil in her eyes but she sang like an angel. She didn’t take crap from
non-believers, rack jobbers or the press. She was nobody’s fool. Juice Newton is
an original who walks her own musical path whether it’s rock & roll,
country, or pop. She’s a rebel with a cause who is stubborn enough to keep on
singing with just enough spark and strut to heat up a stage with some of the
best music in the business - Juice Music.
Juice, I first saw you in
Saginaw opening for Mickey Gilley in the 80’s. You stole the show. What was
that tour like for you?
We worked with
Mickey a few times but luckily I was able to play with a whole litany of
artists over the years. Each time I go out I feel happy to be on the stage and
everything seems to come together and come alive. So every tour is always fun.
I always look forward to working.
So you enjoyed
working with Gilley? He was a country artist and I thought of you as kind of a rocker
at the time? You had all those hits that spanned genres.
If the music is
compatible it works out fine. I personally
play a variety of music,
a bit on the pop side or pop rock then we were fortunate enough to cross over
from that side to country. So if its good music, you have a good audience.
You had a lot of
spunk at that show and you sang your heart out. I loved your response to a TV interviewer
who asked you to describe your music, you simply said, “Juice Music” – can you
describe “Juice Music”
I think I can. I
try to pick songs that I really like that speak to me, if I didn’t write
them, I choose them because they speak to me as an interpreter. And I
think that’s the key – if I pick those types of songs or write those types of
songs it just translates into my energy and my commitment and because I really
love performing then it works its way to the surface. So I think Juice Music
would be the same in a sense as Springsteen Music or Beyoncé Music or Justin
Timberlake Music. They like the music they create and it all translates into
their own particular musical identity.
What is your favorite type
of music?
There isn’t just
one genre. If the song touches you then it’s your music. I don’t think you
should be afraid of any genre you can do well and relate to. For me I was
fortunate - still am – to be drawn to crossover material that appeals to me and
seems to appeal to other people. I don’t focus on just one type of music
The first time I
saw you I felt you had some rebel blood like a countrified Kid Rock – Did you
see yourself as outside the mainstream?
Well, yeah. I’ve
kind of have always been …over there. I’m doing music that the label or Program
Director wants – you can’t second guess it. You need to be true to yourself.
I’m just trying to do music that I can live with for a long time
I thought you
were a great rock & roller. You leaned in that direction a few times. Why
did you let it go?
Radio changed and
the songs changed. I was writing a little bit of everything but it didn’t
change my insides. I think that if anything I’m back in that direction again
now because I truly like to do the music I like if it’s a little rock or pop
that’s what you do. You write it and you like it and you own it, so to speak,
then that’s your music.
Juice, you have some
great pipes. How do you rate yourself as Singer
I don’t necessarily see
myself as a great singer. But what I do see myself as someone that commits -
every time I step onstage I commit and I think that translates to the audience.
Like Kid Rock – he may not have a great voice but he commits and though he
doesn’t sing as well as Justin Timberlake, for instance - it doesn’t matter because
he has soul.
What was your
lucky break?
I believe that hooking up
with Richard Landis who produced those first big hits on the Juice LP (Queen of
Hearts, Angel in the Morning) was my lucky break. I actually think that the
timing was just so lucky as we were both available at the same time – doesn’t
always happen. We sort of interviewed each other and did a few demos to see if
we really liked the way we worked together in the studio. I consider that
excellent timing.
What happened
when you first went out on your own? Were you accepted right away?
People liked the
music and liked my voice but we didn’t have a breakout tune at that point. It didn’t
matter we just kept going. We had a great support system – a great producer,
personal management – sometimes it was just our families. Your support system
can sustain you emotionally and morally and keeps that energy moving forward
You’ve had a
long prosperous career. What are your most precious memories, proudest
achievement?
Well, I’m really proud of
the fact I’ve been noticed by my peers – that’s more on the inside. I’ve had
Grammy nominations and I’ve won a Grammy; In the Bay Area - an Emmy award. I
feel really blessed by having all those accolades and recognition – that’s not
what really keeps me going – but it is a way to measure how all that hard work
has paid off. One time I brought my dad to the Grammys - it was a thrill of a
lifetime!
You did a great
version of Hank DeVito’s Queen of Hearts right around the time Dave Edmunds released
his LP version. Did you hear it? Are you inspired by Edmunds?
Edmunds is a very
cool guy. I didn’t hear his version of it until much later. I started doing the
song live and I did it live for about year before I recorded kit. Then I
brought it to Richard Landis when we started the Juice album. He wasn’t
convinced at that point that it was a breakout song but I told him I think it
this is a real cool song… so we cut it.
Do you have
a favorite road story?
Hmm…no. Weird stuff
happens. It’s not for everyone. You travel across country and you go to the
wrong hotel. You have no place to sleep and nothing to eat. You would get lost
or go to the wrong venue. It’s grueling and it’s tiring. Years ago one of the
roadies told me, “The music just gets in the way of setting up and breaking
down.”
How did you hook
up with the County Sheriffs?
Well, it is a great
organization. They help bring music to the area and they have a dedicated
volunteer staff. The people have a good reason to go out. The audiences
are very welcoming and it’s a cool thing to do. I’ve also done shows for the
military folks. I’m very much looking forward to be back in Saginaw. I hope the
weather cooperates, it’s so unpredictable. I guarantee we’re going to have a good
time and can’t wait to see all the people in the audience.
Juice Newton Interviewed
with this author on September 8th, 2011 She performed in Concert at
the historic Temple Theatre on Monday September 26th, 2011. It was a
fantastic show that included many of her most cherished songs including Queen
of Hearts, Love’s Been a Little Bit Hard on Me, Angel of the Morning,
Hurt/Break It to Me Gently, You Make Me Want You To Be Mine, The Sweetest
Thing, Any Way That You Want Me and Restless Heart. Get the Juice!
Peace
Bo White
