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).
After You've Gone
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
Someday, when you grow lonely
After you've gone, after you've gone away
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You're gonna feel bad
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
But baby, think what you're doin'
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
It's gonna drive you to ruin
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
The lyrics of the song After You've Gone sung by Judy Garland is about someone who has been abandoned by a lover. The chorus speaks of how the person who left would eventually feel the pain of separation as they realize that they have lost the best companion they have ever had. It is a classic song of heartbreak and longing. The lyrics describe how the person who left will suffer from loneliness and eventually come to regret their actions. The singer warns that the person who left will be haunted by memories of their past relationship and that it will drive them to ruin.
The first verse articulates the heartbreak of the singer as the person who was their closest companion walks away. The despondency of the singer is palpable as they can’t imagine living without their partner. The chorus highlights that the person who left would also be affected by this intense pain and feeling of loneliness. The second verse has the singer prophesying that the one who left would regret their decision and would someday want to return. It’s a warning to the person who left that once they realize the extent of their mistake, they might not be able to fix it.
Overall, the song After You’ve Gone is a beautiful anthem of heartbreak that portrays the agony and anguish of losing a loved one. The lyrics are a poignant reminder of the adage, “you never know what you have until it's gone." The song encourages us to value the people in our lives while they are with us because we never know when they might be gone forever.
Line by Line Meaning
After you've gone and left me cryin'
Once you've left me sad and alone
After you've gone there's no denyin'
It will be clear that you have parted ways with me
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll experience a sense of sadness
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
You'll long for the company of the closest friend you ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There will be a point in time when this will happen
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
You'll feel remorse over leaving me
Someday, when you grow lonely
At a time in the future when you feel alone
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
You'll experience heartache and realize you want only me
After you've gone, after you've gone away
Once you've left and are no longer near me
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You'll experience a sense of sadness
You're gonna feel bad
You'll feel guilty
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
You'll long for
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
You'll long for the company of the closest friend you ever had
But baby, think what you're doin'
Consider the consequences of your actions
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
I will constantly remind you of what you gave up
It's gonna drive you to ruin
It will lead you to your own destruction
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Henry Creamer, Turner Layton, Ray Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bradly2007
Garland looks & sounds magnificent, pure soulful bliss, greatness like this will never happen again & so easy to stay up all night jumping from one incredible performance from Judy on youtube after another...Bravo great lady, you are loved and missed!
CreatedForInsanity
She sings so effortlessly! Judy Garland will live through those with good taste in music!
Micky Finn
Oh, the naivety of these armchair critics who think you can sing like that, keep that timing and hit those notes while drunk or drugged. I might ask 'what are you on?' And she's smiling...because she's having fun!
Evie Smail
Thank u Mickey
Terry Grant
Perfectly said. People always seem to WANT her messed up. So they can wallow in poor Judy. Besides, I am one who thinks the alcoholism thing is a bit overstated. I have been around alcoholics a lot in my life and when you are a for real alcoholic it's an everyday thing, and she doesn't look or act like an alcoholic. At least not like the many I've known.
Terry Grant
Perfectly said. People always seem to WANT her messed up. So they can wallow in poor Judy. Besides, I am one who thinks the alcoholism thing is a bit overstated. I have been around alcoholics a lot in my life and when you are a for real alcoholic it's an everyday thing, and she doesn't look or act like an alcoholic. At least not like the many I've known.
Marc Ballantyne
The magnificent Judy Garland in pure BELTING mode. Love it.
winrx
Such an adorable song - very "vaudevillian" in sound......
cliff9685
Iconic “poppy” dress.
Gileohi
By jove, I've never realized how AMAZING a singer Judy Garland was!