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).
Almost Like Being In Love/This Can't Be Love
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What a rare mood I'm in!
Why, it's almost like being in love
There's a smile on my face
For the whole human race
Why it's almost like being in love
Like a bell that is ringing for me
And from the way that I feel
When the bell starts to peal
I would swear I was falling
I could swear I was falling
It's almost like being in love
The song Almost Like Being In Love/This Can't Be Love is a classic love song performed by Judy Garland. The song speaks about the feeling of love, beginning with the line “What a day this has been! What a rare mood I’m in! Why, it’s almost like being in love.” The singer expresses how she is feeling immense joy and happiness, with a smile on her face for the whole human race. She takes the listener on a journey of how all the music of life seems to be like a bell that is ringing for her, giving her the feeling of falling in love or actually falling in love.
The song’s lyrics illustrate the intense and euphoric feelings associated with falling in love. The music and melody match the sentiment of the lyrics perfectly, making it a great piece for any romantic moment. The tempo of the song is such that it can inspire the listener to tap or sway along, causing emotional elation, similar to falling in love. The song is almost an anthem in itself representing love and the joy it brings.
Line by Line Meaning
What a day this has been!
I have had an incredibly eventful and joyous day!
What a rare mood I'm in!
I am in an unusual and euphoric state of mind!
Why, it's almost like being in love
My emotions are so strong that it feels like I am experiencing the feelings associated with being in love!
There's a smile on my face
I am so happy that I am literally smiling!
For the whole human race
I feel an overwhelming affection and kindness towards all people!
Why it's almost like being in love
Once again, my emotions are so heightened that I feel as though I am in love!
All the music of life seems to be
Every aspect of my surroundings appears to be imbued with positivity and beauty!
Like a bell that is ringing for me
The sounds around me are harmonious and blissful, like they are beckoning me towards happiness!
And from the way that I feel
Based on how I am currently experiencing life!
When the bell starts to peal
As the beautiful sounds of life continue all around me!
I would swear I was falling
It almost feels like I am at risk of losing my balance due to the strength of my emotions!
I could swear I was falling
Once again, I feel as though I risk losing control due to how intensely my emotions have taken hold of me!
It's almost like being in love
To reiterate yet again, my heightened emotions are so potent that I feel romantically in love despite not experiencing the typical sensations associated with it!
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Saxon C
Alone on stage doing what she does best; slaying her audience! Truly the greatest! ❤️
michel casavant
Absolutely wonderful. When Garland was in voice...she was simply magical.
Elspeth Coogan
It astonishes me the amount of people commenting on Judy being “jittery” or not on good form compared to whenever (you name it). She was under enormous pressure at this time professionally (having to prove herself to tv executives), financially (dealing with unscrupulous agents who embezzled her earnings) and emotionally (going through an acrimonious divorce and addiction) as well as being a mother to her children. Juggling all that puts demands on anyone's mental and physical health. But to then have to perform at optimum level, which was expected of her every time, requires superhuman powers. She just couldn’t do it. The armchair critics frustrate me because they tap away their inane comments totally oblivious to the human aspect of an artist: they always want more and better. She endured this level of scrutiny and persistent demands for perfection during her lifetime. Let’s savour her catalogue of work whilst admiring her sheer effort and willpower to achieve what she did despite her battles with depression, anxiety and addiction.
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” — Khalil Gibran.
Lisa Hyde-Boland
Bless you! Totally agree.
Doubletake Pigeon
Imagine a Judy Garland/Freddie Mercury duet
Russell Candy
Absolutely Fabulous!!!
Jeffrey Adamsky
Love this medley. Judy dosent seem jittery just into the song. She never should have done a tv series 1 or 2 speciala a year
Norman Harrison
We Love You Judy! Looks like at 2:37 she swallowed real fast. Never saw her do that before. She is so missed! Instead of CBS cancelling her TV show, they should have aloud her to do "Specials" a few times during the years of just "Judy In Concert" and let her keep the monies they promised her. Why didn't other networks grabbed her after her show was cancelled and given her the do respect she was entitled too with a better time slot and different format for a TV show? She deserved to be treated better. She was JUDY GARLAND for goodness sake! I hope she knows how much she is loved, respected and missed by all! She is "The World's Greatest Entertainer"...Such a beautiful woman and beautiful soul!
Orlando Cordova
So GOOD!, LADY GREAT! My Girl! The Divine Garland! 🙂
Allan Cuseo
Fabulous