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).
Hello Bluebird
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hear him, what a song
Joy he's bringing, singing to me
Singing, all day long
Goodbye to skies of gray
For I'm back home today...
All day long I jump and run about
You can always hear me shoutin' out
Got no time for blues or anything
I'm so happy, I just want to sing
"Hello bluebird!"
Blue skies, sun shine
Friends that are real
Old folks, sweetheart
Oh, how I feel!
I'll not go roaming like I did again
I'll stay home and be a kid again
"Hello bluebird, hello!"
All day long
I keep singing
"Hello, I'm glad I found you, bluebird"
Make yourself at home...
No more blues
Just because I'm happy
When I'm around you, bluebird
No more need to roam
Up above the sun is shining
The World is ideal
I just can't describe the marvelous way
That I feel...
With nothing but the bluest skies above
What a rosy future lies ahead
Thank you, bluebird!
Happy, happy, bluebird!
Mister Bluebird, hello!
In Judy Garland's song Hello Bluebird, the singer expresses her happiness and freedom by greeting a bluebird. The bluebird's song brings joy and helps her forget about any previous troubles or negative emotions. She mentions that she is back home and therefore can enjoy the bluebird's song. She explains that she runs around and shouts out to the bluebird all day long. She is so happy that she wants to sing and has no time for blues or anything else. In the lyrics, she also talks about the good things that she has in her life, such as blue skies, sunshine, real friends, old folks and her sweetheart. She is grateful for the bluebird's presence and for how it has made her feel.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear that bluebird, up in a tree
Listen to that bluebird singing up in the tree
Hear him, what a song
Listen to the beauty of his song
Joy he's bringing, singing to me
The bluebird's song is bringing happiness to me
Singing, all day long
The bluebird never stops singing
Goodbye to skies of gray
No more unhappy days, only blue skies ahead
For I'm back home today...
I am finally back home, where I belong
All day long I jump and run about
I am full of energy and activity all day long
You can always hear me shoutin' out "Hello bluebird!"
I greet the bluebird with enthusiasm every time I see him
Got no time for blues or anything
I have no time for sadness or negativity
I'm so happy, I just want to sing "Hello bluebird!"
I am so happy to see the bluebird that I just want to sing to him
Blue skies, sun shine
The weather is perfect, with blue skies and sunshine
Friends that are real
I have genuine friends
Old folks, sweetheart
I have loving family and friends
Oh, how I feel!
I feel amazing
I'll not go roaming like I did again
I won't go wandering away from home again
I'll stay home and be a kid again "Hello bluebird, hello!"
I will stay home and enjoy my childhood once again, greeting the bluebird with joy
All day long I keep singing "Hello, I'm glad I found you, bluebird"
I just can't stop singing to the bluebird, so happy to have found him
Make yourself at home... No more blues
I want the bluebird to feel comfortable and at home, and I won't have any more sadness
Just because I'm happy When I'm around you, bluebird No more need to roam
I am so happy around the bluebird that I don't feel the need to leave home
Up above the sun is shining The World is ideal
The world seems to be perfect, with the sun shining up above
I just can't describe the marvelous way That I feel...
I feel so amazing that I cannot put it into words
With nothing but the bluest skies above
There is nothing but perfect, blue skies all around
What a rosy future lies ahead Thank you, bluebird! Happy, happy, bluebird! Mister Bluebird, hello!
I have a bright, happy future ahead of me, thanks to the bluebird. I am so happy and grateful to see him again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLIFF FRIEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marijane7636
Judy’s last film. She is a legend. Best singer ever.
@angelman51266
Agreed!
@emg8810
For those of you who never had the opportunity to see Judy in person, this clip is representative of how she performed on stage. Pure dynamite!
@allancuseo7431
very true
@elizabethdacosta5601
EMG: So you saw her live—wow! Lucky you; I’m so jealous!
@billwelsh882
I am so jealous too...I did see Liza in 1973
@Darrigrande
Herr life performances are noy legend. Nobody could "conect" with the audience the way she did. absolute nobody!
@ShyBug21
To see Judy live would have been a dream…
@mike48877
Gone over 50 years... And, she still gives me chills.
@brunoantony3218
This film will break your heart. It’s marvelous even without the songs. Judy’s portrayal is very moving and makes me cry.