Fresh Juice: Juice Newton's Finest Songs

Juice Newton in 1981
Photo Credit
Paul Natkin/Getty Images

The early ‘80s was a heyday for a certain kind of country music: the pop chart saw the likes of Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers, Alabama, Dolly Parton and Ronnie Milsap score big hits; heck, even the Oak Ridge Boys went Top 5. This commercial country wave even had an effect on movies – 1980’s Urban Cowboy was a big hit, with a soundtrack that made pop stars of Johnny Lee (“Lookin’ for Love”) and Mickey Gilley (a cover of “Stand by Me”).

READ MORE: The 'Urban Cowboy' Soundtrack Had Fans Lookin' for Love

Into the movement stepped an unlikely siren – one Judy Kay “Juice” Newton (born February 18, 1952), originally from Lakehurst, NJ. Newton grew up in Virginia, then went out to California to attend college, and while there, fell in with some local musicians that would form her first band, Silver Spur. She released five country-rock records from 1975 to 1979, but hit the big time in 1981, when her album Juice sent three singles into the pop Top 10. She followed up with more hits, riding the country-pop wave until it crashed in the middle of the decade, after which her songs climbed the country chart, including three that hit No. 1.

Newton’s is a legacy worth revisiting; let’s check out some of her best:

“Angel of the Morning”: Most listeners discovered Newton with this cover of Merrilee Rush’s 1968 Top 10 single. Newton had the bigger hit with the song, reaching No. 4 on the pop chart and No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart in 1981.

“Shot Full of Love”: Country songwriter Bob McDill wrote “Shot Full of Love,” and it was covered by country icons like Don Williams, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Billy Ray Cyrus, among others. None made the song sound like an arena-filling power ballad, though, which Newton did in 1981. Juice Newton wins.

“The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known)”: It’s easy to be taken aback by the peculiar way she voices the word "losin’" on this track, stretching it to five or so syllables. She more than makes up for it, though in the next line, how she elongates "chain" in such a delicate and wonderful way. That "chay-ee-yain" is crucial, and even if “The Sweetest Thing” was not her biggest hit, it is certainly the one many, if not most, people think of when they think of Newton. And that is a fine thing, indeed.

“Heart of the Night”: The first track on her 1982 album Quiet Lies is a dramatic, mid-tempo ballad. The themes here are escape and passion, or two would-be (or soon-to-be) lovers escaping to act out their passion. “We slip out / From the unseeing crowd / We find what we need,” she sings, and they’re off, into the darkness, finding what they need, realizing the moment might not be enough.

“Break It to Me Gently”: Brenda Lee had a hit in 1962 with this track, which hit the Top 5, as did several of her singles in that period, the peak of her popularity. Newton’s take is similar to Lee’s, but where Lee tends to end her lines abruptly, Newton handles them languidly, wringing every bit of sadness out of them. Her “Break” peaked just outside the Top 10.

“You Make Me Want to Make You Mine”: After a glossy, synthy pop album (1984’s Can’t Wait All Night) turned out to be a commercial disappointment, Newton leaned harder into country music than she had in years, and came up with 1985’s Old Flame, an all-around triumph and commercial comeback, sending five singles onto the country chart. Two of them went to No. 1, including this jaunty Dave Loggins-penned track.

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