Heart Food
Studio album by Judee Sill
Released	March 1973 (1973-03)
Genre	Folk[1] folk pop[2]
Length	36:14
Label	Asylum
Producer	Judee Sill Henry Lewy
Judee Sill chronology
Judee Sill (1971) Heart Food (1973) Dreams Come True (2005)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+[4]
Creem	B+[5]
Pitchfork	(8.8/10)[6]

Heart Food is the second studio album by American singer-songwriterJudee Sill, released byAsylum in March 1973^[7] to acclaim but minimal sales. Sill wrote, arranged, and produced the album. As with her debutJudee Sill, it was reissued by Rhino Records in 2003, featuring new liner notes and extra demos and unreleased tracks.

Some of the songs fromHeart Food date back to the time of her debut albumJudee Sill. "The Pearl" and "The Phoenix" (copyrighted in 1969) were originally recorded for the debut album in 1971 but were removed to make room for late inclusion "Jesus Was a Cross Maker". Instead, they were re-recorded forHeart Food. Sill had also been performing "The Vigilante" in 1971 when working as a support act.

Sill finished writing "The Kiss" around March 15, 1972, and "Down Where the Valleys Are Low" was also completed in early 1972. Songs like "The Kiss" reflect her fascination with hymnody and Christian imagery, while others, notably "Soldier of the Heart", feature fuller pop arrangements. The album is dedicated to Sill's then-boyfriend David Omer Bearden, who wrote the lyrics to the solo piano song "When the Bridegroom Comes". As with her debut, Sill's lyrics bear the hallmarks of her interest in theoccult and Christian theology. The song "The Donor" features an ambitious and intricate choral arrangement built around hymnal chants of "Kyrie Eleison".

Sill continued to perform live with the release ofHeart Food. She debuted "The Kiss" in a BBC session on March 23, 1972, saying it was written only seven or eight days before. She also played "Down Where the Valleys Are Low" at this session, aired on April 1, 1972. Sill also performed further BBC sessions in 1972 and 1973, including a TV concert in April 1972, a Radio 1 session on February 14, 1973, where she played six songs fromHeart Food, and two sessions for the BBC TV showOld Grey Whistle Test; her performance of "The Kiss" at the 1973 session is available on DVD.[1]

All tracks composed by Judee Sill; except lyrics on "When The Bridegroom Comes" by David Omer Bearden

Side one

1. "There's a Rugged Road" – 3:44
2. "The Kiss" – 4:36
3. "The Pearl" – 1:55
4. "Down Where the Valleys Are Low" – 3:52
5. "The Vigilante" – 3:50

Side two

1. "Soldier of the Heart" – 3:34
2. "The Phoenix" – 2:37
3. "When the Bridegroom Comes" – 4:14
4. "The Donor" – 9:12
5. "Jig" (hidden track) – 1:07

"The Kiss" has been covered byMatt Alber on his 2011 albumConstant Crows,^[8] byFleet Foxes on their 2024 live albumLive on Boston Harbor, by Neil Cavanagh on his 2008 albumShort Flight to a Distant Star, and byBonnie 'Prince' Billy on his 2004 CD single "No More Workhorse Blues".^[9]

Shawn Colvin covered "There's a Rugged Road" on her 1994 albumCover Girl, and it was sung by a character in the 2010 filmGreenberg, directed by Noah Baumbach.

Jane Siberry contributed vocals to a cover of "The Kiss" forGhostland's albumInterview with the Angel.^[10] This version was also released on Siberry's 2001 compilation,City.^[11]

Jackie Leven, under the pseudonym Sir Vincent Lone covered "When the Bridegroom Comes" on his 2007 albumWhen the Bridegroom Comes (Songs for Women).

• 1973 albums
• Asylum Records albums
• Judee Sill albums
• Albums produced by Henry Lewy

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