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).
Changing My Tune
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
December was battling with June
But on this bright afternoon
Guess I'll be changing my tune
Kept on despairing beyond any caring
If I jumped out of a balloon
But I'm arranging from now
To be changing my tune
At last the stars are bright and shiny
It's a human world once more
Yesterday's troubles are tiny
What was I worried for?
Wanted a permit to make me a hermit
To grumble and glare at the moon
But I'm arranging from now
To be changing my tune
At last the stars are bright and shiny
It's a human world once more
Yesterday's troubles are tiny
What was I worried for?
No more resentment, I'm full of contentment
Afloat on a dreamy lagoon
And I'm arranging from now
To be changing my tune
Judy Garland's Changing My Tune is a song about coming out of a dark phase in life and embracing positivity. The lyrics employ a number of metaphors to express the transformational journey described in the song. Garland sings about how castles were crumbling and daydreams were tumbling, indicating a time of great upheaval and disappointment. The line 'December was battling with June' is a reference to the contrast between winter and summer, symbolizing the dichotomy of darkness and light.
However, Garland’s mood shifts when she says, "but on this bright afternoon, guess I'll be changing my tune". It is as if the change in the weather also represents a change in her life. She goes on to marvel at the beauty of the stars, which are "bright and shiny" once again. Garland seems to emphasize that the things that seemed insurmountable in the past are now trivial. She says, "Yesterday's troubles are tiny, what was I worried for?" This line indicates a positive shift in her thinking.
Garland sings about no longer holding on to resentment and instead being full of contentment. She uses the metaphor of being afloat on a dreamy lagoon to signify being in a peaceful state of mind. Ultimately, the song is about shifting one's mindset from one of despair to one of hope and optimism, even in the face of difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Castles were crumbling and daydreams were tumbling
Everything was falling apart and my hopes were fading.
December was battling with June
The seasons were conflicting with each other.
But on this bright afternoon
On this sunny day.
Guess I'll be changing my tune
I'll change my attitude.
Kept on despairing beyond any caring
I was hopeless and didn't care about anything.
If I jumped out of a balloon
Even extreme actions wouldn't have mattered.
But I'm arranging from now
But I'm planning now.
To be changing my tune
To change my attitude.
At last the stars are bright and shiny
Now the world seems brighter and happier.
It's a human world once more
The world now feels more familiar and comfortable.
Yesterday's troubles are tiny
The problems of yesterday feel small and insignificant.
What was I worried for?
Why was I even worrying about those things?
Wanted a permit to make me a hermit
I wanted to be alone and seclude myself.
To grumble and glare at the moon
To complain and be angry about everything.
No more resentment, I'm full of contentment
I'm no longer angry or bitter, I'm happy and satisfied.
Afloat on a dreamy lagoon
In a peaceful and idyllic state.
And I'm arranging from now
And I'm planning now.
To be changing my tune
To change my attitude.
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind