Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress and si… Read Full Bio ↴Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy Award, won a Golden Globe Award, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for her work in films, as well as Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award. She had a contralto singing range.

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).

Got a Pair of New Shoes
Judy Garland Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I look at you
I hear lovely music
Can it be my heart that sings?

When I look at you
I look at an angel
Tell me where you've parked your wings

Dizzy me, silly moon
Crazy quilt of a sky
Are you real, or a dream
That got caught in my eye?

When I look at you
I I'm looking at rainbows

Stars come tumbling down from above
And I'm in love with you, my love

Overall Meaning

The song "Got a New Pair of Shoes" was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1957 TV special "The Judy Garland Show." It was performed by Garland herself, who plays a character who has just bought a new pair of shoes and feels happy and in love. The song opens with the lines, "When I look at you, I hear lovely music, can it be my heart that sings?" which suggest the character's romantic mood.

The second stanza of the song continues this theme, as the character looks at their love interest and sees an angel, asking them where they've parked their wings. This line is a reference to the idea of angels being able to fly away, but it also plays on the idea of love being a heavenly or magical experience. The next lines, "Dizzy me, silly moon, crazy quilt of sky, are you real or a dream that got caught in my eye?" create a dreamlike atmosphere, suggesting that the character might be experiencing a surreal or unreal feeling of love.

The final stanza of the song features more romantic imagery, as the character sees rainbows and stars come "tumbling down from above" and declares that they're in love with their partner. The overall mood of the song is joyous and celebratory, with Garland's performance capturing the elation that comes from falling in love.

Line by Line Meaning

When I look at you
Your presence has an impact on my senses

I hear lovely music
I feel joyful and pleasant

Can it be my heart that sings?
I am overwhelmed with my affections for you

When I look at you
I see an ethereal being

I look at an angel
You appear heavenly to me

Tell me where you've parked your wings
Share your blessedness with me

Dizzy me, silly moon
I am bewildered, like how the moon appears to be

Crazy quilt of a sky
The sky is a chaotic yet captivating tapestry

Are you real, or a dream
I am unsure if what I am experiencing is real

That got caught in my eye?
Or is it just a fleeting illusion?

When I look at you
I see a promise of a new beginnings