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).
Blue Prelude
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me go 'way from this lonely town
Won't be long till my song will be true
'Cause I know I'm on my last go round
All the love I could steal, beg, or borrow
Wouldn't heal all this pain in my soul
What is love but a cradle to sorrow
here I go
Now I know why I'm leaving
Got the blues
How can I lose?
Goodbye
Blue Prelude is a melancholic song sung by Judy Garland that expresses sorrow and heartache. The song is about a person who is going through a difficult time and seeking solace by leaving a lonely town. The lyrics suggest that the pain in her soul cannot be healed by any amount of love, and that love is nothing but a cradle to sorrow, with heartbreak as the only goal.
The first two lines of the song reveal the character's emotional state by stating, "Let me sigh, let me cry when I'm blue. Let me go 'way from this lonely town." She wants to leave the place where she is experiencing pain and heartache. She believes that she will be able to find solace in her blue mood, and it will be genuine. She also knows that this will be her last chance to do so, implying that she will not have any further opportunities.
The song's chorus emphasizes the character's belief that love will not heal her soul, despite her having tried to find it through stealing, borrowing, or begging. Love is seen as a cradle of sorrow since it is followed by heartbreak. The last lines of the song, "Now I know why I'm leaving. Got the blues. How can I lose? Goodbye," reveal that the character is aware of the reason why she is leaving and that she has accepted her fate. The song is a powerful expression of feelings of melancholy and defeat, sung with a poignant and emotive voice by Judy Garland.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me sigh, let me cry when I'm blue
Allow me to express my sadness through tears and laments when I am feeling down
Let me go 'way from this lonely town
I need to escape this desolate place and find a new home in search of peace and happiness
Won't be long till my song will be true
In a short time, my song will finally reflect the genuine emotions I am experiencing
'Cause I know I'm on my last go round
I am aware that this could be my final chance to achieve fulfillment and contentment, so I must take it seriously
All the love I could steal, beg, or borrow
Even if I were to acquire an abundance of love through dubious means, it still would not be enough to ease the agony of my soul
Wouldn't heal all this pain in my soul
The pain and suffering deep within me cannot be resolved by love alone
What is love but a cradle to sorrow
Love is often the origin of the melancholy and sadness that eventually comes to us
With a heartbreak ahead for your goal
The attainment of what you yearn for is typically accompanied by the heartbreak of reality
here I go
I am setting off now
Now I know why I'm leaving
I currently hold the purpose behind my departure
Got the blues
I am feeling exceptionally low and sorrowful
How can I lose?
What do I really have to lose at this point?
Goodbye
Farewell
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOE BISHOP, GORDON JENKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind