After appearing in Vaudeville theater with her sisters, Judy was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. There she made more than two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney, and the film with which she would be most identified, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). After 15 years, Judy was released from the studio but gained renewed success through record-breaking concert appearances, including a critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert, a well-regarded but short-lived television series, and a return to film acting beginning with "A Star Is Born" (1954).
Despite her professional triumphs, Judy battled personal problems throughout her life. Insecure about her appearance, her feelings were compounded by film executives who told her she was unattractive and overweight. Plied with drugs to control her weight and increase her productivity, Garland endured a decades-long struggle with addiction. Garland was plagued by financial instability, often owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes, and her first four of five marriages ended in divorce. She attempted suicide on a number of occasions. Garland died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 47, leaving children Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft.
Legacy
Judy Garland's legacy as a performer and a personality has endured long after her death. The American Film Institute named Garland eighth among the "Greatest Female Stars of All Time". She has been the subject of over two dozen biographies since her death, including the well-received "Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir" by her daughter, Lorna Luft. Luft's memoir was later adapted into the multiple award-winning television mini-series, "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows", which won Emmy Awards for two actresses portraying Garland (Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis).
Garland was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. These include "Over the Rainbow," which was ranked as the number one movie song of all time in the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Songs" list. Four more Garland songs are featured on the list: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (#76), "Get Happy" (#61), "The Trolley Song" (#26), and "The Man That Got Away" (#11).
Judy Garland has twice been honored on U.S. postage stamps, in 1989 (as Dorothy) and again in 2006 (as Vicki Lester from A Star Is Born).
A Cottage for Sale
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is lonely and silent, the shades are all drawn,
And my heart is heavy as I gaze upon
A cottage for sale
The lawn we were proud of is waving in hay,
Our beautiful garden has withered away,
Where you planted roses,the weeds seem to say,
From every single window, I see your face,
But when I reach a window, there's empty space.
The key's in the mail box the same as before,
But no one is waiting any more,
The end of the story is told on the door.
A cottage for sale.
In the lyrics of "A Cottage for Sale" by Judy Garland, the singer is lamenting the loss of a once-beautiful home and relationship. The dream castle that they had built together has crumbled, leaving only a sad and empty cottage behind. The shades are drawn, and the garden has withered away, a physical manifestation of the emotional decay that has taken place. Despite the empty space, the memories of the past are still present in every window, a haunting reminder of what was lost. The mail still arrives, but no one is there to receive it, and the end of the story is told on the door - the relationship and dream are over.
The lyrics are a poignant reminder of the impermanence of life and how even the strongest relationships can crumble over time. The imagery in the song highlights this, with the once-beautiful garden now overrun with weeds and the dream castle reduced to a lonely cottage. The reference to windows and faces speaks to the memories that we hold onto long after a relationship has ended. The song is a bittersweet reflection on love and loss, and a reminder to cherish the people and moments that we have while we have them.
Line by Line Meaning
Our little dream castle with every dream gone,
The home that we had built together with so much hope and anticipation has now lost all its charm and we feel defeated.
Is lonely and silent, the shades are all drawn,
The house is now devoid of any life or activity and everything is dark and dismal.
And my heart is heavy as I gaze upon
As I contemplate the state of our once-beautiful home, my heart is filled with sadness and regret.
A cottage for sale
This place, which was once filled with love and happiness, is now nothing more than a piece of real estate that we need to sell.
The lawn we were proud of is waving in hay,
The lawn that we had taken such great pride in maintaining is now overgrown with weeds and resembles a hayfield.
Our beautiful garden has withered away,
The lush and colorful garden that we had loved and nurtured has all but disappeared and is now just a barren piece of land.
Where you planted roses, the weeds seem to say,
Even the roses that we had planted with so much care now look like just another weed in this neglected garden.
From every single window, I see your face,
Every time I look out of one of the windows, I am reminded of you and the time we spent together here.
But when I reach a window, there's empty space.
However, as soon as I try to reach out to you or touch you, I realize that you are no longer here and there is only emptiness.
The key's in the mail box the same as before,
The key to the house is still in the mailbox, just like it always was when we used to come and go from the house.
But no one is waiting any more,
However, now there is no one waiting for us to return, and the house is empty and deserted.
The end of the story is told on the door.
The final chapter of our story together is written on the door of this cottage, as we prepare to leave it behind and move on with our separate lives.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Larry Conley, Willard Robinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Terry Smith
There is no singer anywhere in the history of the World that can play with your heart strings the way Judy did. This is one example of Judy's genius. One minute she has you on the edge of tears, the next she has you laughing. Judy is the queen of emotion. And NO-ONE is as great at it as Judy is. That's why Judy is the greatest singer/performer of all time, bar none.
Pamela Ledgerwood
Absolutely brilliant. Judy had a magical & magnetic way of pulling you in...into her soul & yours. Her subtle way of rendering this sad song is pure genius. I think its extremely difficult to sing a song like this & make it come to life in a forlorn, melancholy way, without stripping it to the bare bones. She could do this like no one else. And I agree with all the writers here who
stated that the suffering & struggles she had, gave her ample angst in her soulful singing. There will never be another like her.
isaacblue
Devastating. A rare instance where Garland keeps the entire song at the level of a whisper and yet still packs an enormous emotional wallop!
Toby Worthington
Pure artistry on so many levels. And it calls to mind a phrase from James Mason's eulogy at her funeral: "Judy's great gift, was that she could wring tears from men with hearts of stone,"
hellobluebird52
Not only a master class , she steps into the emotion fully completely and then just steps out of it .Never crossing the bounds into maudlin, every phrase gives you a glimmer of hope that she will survive! I forget sometimes in today's hustle of talent , thanks for reminding me of the brilliance of the one and only Garland
Edward Carrigan
+hellobluebird52
Love your comments!
Craig Campbell
Judy's ability as a singer and an actor to communicate her deep emotional vulnerability and enormous sadness and melancholy--without shattering--to an audience in a beautiful, elegant performance was and is unmatched. I was deeply touched by this amazing number the first time I saw and heard Judy sing this song, and I will never forget it.
Frankie Bowie
If you’re a student of acting, watch carefully. The sincerity, the tension and control. Every little movement has a meaning of its own.
George Bailey
Pure, unadultered and sublime talent. That's how to sing a song.
Alberto Fernández Carbajal
To me this is a masterpiece in conveying the emotional message of a song. I think I remember reading somewhere that at this point in her life, although already married to Mark Herron, Judy was dealing with her separation from Sid Luft and that this song in particular managed to strike a special chord with her. What's astounding is that this seems to hit her during the very rendition of her song, as though she's realised the song is about her and as if she couldn't help personalising the lyrics. When I first watched this clip in my late teens I was blown away by it. What a sentimental education watching and listening to Judy was!