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).
Fascinating Rhythm
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That pit-a-pats through my brain;
So darn persistent,
The day isn't distant
When it'll drive me insane.
Comes in the morning
Without any warning,
I'll have to sneak up to it
Someday, and speak up to it.
I hope it listens when I say:
Fascinating Rhythm,
You've got me on the go!
Fascinating Rhythm,
I'm all a-quiver.
When a mess you're making!
The neighbours want to know
Why I'm always shaking
Just like a flivver.
Each morning I get up with the sun
Start a-hopping,
Never stopping
To find at night no work has been done.
I know that
Once it didn't matter
But now you're doing wrong;
When you start to patter
I'm so unhappy.
Won't you take a day off?
Decide to run along
Somewhere far away off
And make it snappy!
Oh, how I long to be the man I used to be!
Fascinating rhythm,
Oh won't you stop picking on me?
Judy Garland's Fascinating Rhythm is a playful and upbeat tune featuring lyrics that illustrate the catchy and persistent beat that the singer is plagued with. Garland sings in the first verse, "Got a little rhythm, a rhythm, a rhythm/That pit-a-pats through my brain/So darn persistent/The day isn't distant/When it'll drive me insane." This introduction gives the audience a glimpse into the central theme of the song, which is the singer's maddening experience with their internal rhythm that they cannot seem to control. Garland's voice is smooth and light-hearted, and the song's playful melody persona helps the words flow in a stream-of-consciousness style.
Throughout the song, Garland muses about how the rhythm that occupies her mind keeps her on the go and makes her shake like a flivver, a slang term for a run-down car. The singer reveals that it affects her daily life by distracting her from her responsibilities, as she sings in the second verse, “Comes in the morning/Without any warning/And hangs around me all day./I'll have to sneak up to it/Someday and speak up to it/I hope it listens when I say.” The chorus cleverly mixes the feelings of being out of control but simultaneously addicted to the fascinating rhythm, “Fascinating rhythm/You've got me on the go!/Fascinating rhythm/I'm all a-quiver.”
Line by Line Meaning
Got a little rhythm, a rhythm, a rhythm
I have a certain rhythm in my head that makes me move to its beat
That pit-a-pats through my brain;
It makes a repetitive sound in my head
So darn persistent,
It is extremely consistent and never goes away
The day isn't distant
It is only a matter of time
When it'll drive me insane.
When I won't be able to bear it anymore
Comes in the morning
It starts as soon as I wake up
Without any warning,
It comes unexpectedly
And hangs around me all day.
It affects me throughout the day
I'll have to sneak up to it
I will have to approach it carefully
Someday, and speak up to it.
Talk to it when I get the chance
I hope it listens when I say:
I hope it pays attention to what I am going to say
Fascinating Rhythm,
This rhythm is so captivating
You've got me on the go!
It makes me move and feel energetic
Fascinating Rhythm,
This rhythm is so captivating
I'm all a-quiver.
It gives me a great feeling of excitement
When a mess you're making!
The rhythm is so intense
The neighbours want to know
Other people around me can hear it
Why I'm always shaking
Why I keep moving uncontrollably
Just like a flivver.
Like an old car that shakes and vibrates while moving
Each morning I get up with the sun
My day starts very early
Start a-hopping,
I start moving with the rhythm
Never stopping
I keep dancing without taking a break
To find at night no work has been done.
At the end of the day, I realize I have done nothing productive
I know that
I am aware that
Once it didn't matter
It used to be insignificant
But now you're doing wrong;
The intensity of the rhythm is now affecting me negatively
When you start to patter
When the rhythm becomes too much
I'm so unhappy.
It makes me feel bad
Won't you take a day off?
Can you please stop for a while?
Decide to run along
Choose to leave
Somewhere far away off
Go too far away that I cannot hear it anymore
And make it snappy!
Do it quickly!
Oh, how I long to be the man I used to be!
I miss my old self, my peace of mind
Fascinating rhythm,
This captivating rhythm
Oh won't you stop picking on me?
Can't you stop bothering me?
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carly Sewell
God that voice. <3