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).
I Don't Care
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got no sense
But I don't care
They may or may not mean offense
But I don't care
You see, I'm sort of independent
I am my own superintendent
And my star is on the ascendant
I don't care, I don't care
What they may think of me
I'm happy-go-lucky, they say that I'm plucky
Contented and carefree
I don't care I don't care
If I do get a mean and stony stare
If I'm not successful
It won't be distressful
Cause I don't care
A girl should know her etiquette
Alas, alack
Propriety demands we walk a narrow track
When fellas used to blink at me
I'd freeze 'em and they'd shrink at me
But now when fellas wink at me
I wink at them right back!
I don't care I don't care
If people frown on me
Perhaps it's the lone way
But I go my own way
That's my philosophy
I don't care I don't care
If he's clerk or just a millionaire
There's no doubt about it,
I'll sing and I'll shout it
Cause I don't care
Oh, I don't care, I don't care
When it comes to happiness,
I want my share
Don't try to rearrange me
There's nothing can change me
'cause I don't care!
In Judy Garland's song "I Don't Care," she declares her independence and freedom from social norms and expectations. She sings that she doesn't care about criticism or judgment from others and that she will live life on her own terms. She describes herself as a happy-go-lucky person who is contented and carefree. According to her, she is the superintendent of her own life, and her star is on the ascendant, meaning her success is rising.
The song's catchy tune and playful lyrics suggest that Garland may have written this song as a personal anthem for herself or her fans who may have felt restricted by societal norms. She encourages listeners to be themselves and not let others dictate their lives. She even jokes about male attention, saying that when men used to blink at her, she used to freeze and make them shrink. However, she now winks back at them, indicating that the times have changed, and she is more in control.
Garland's message of independence and freedom is timeless, and her song has become a classic. It continues to inspire generations to be true to themselves and not let others' opinions dictate their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
They say I'm crazy
Others may think I am crazy
Got no sense
They believe I lack common sense
But I don't care
But I am unfazed by their opinion
They may or may not mean offense
I am unsure whether their intention is to offend me
But I don't care
But regardless, I am indifferent
You see, I'm sort of independent
As a matter of fact, I am quite independent
I am my own superintendent
I oversee and control my life
And my star is on the ascendant
Furthermore, I am on the rise to success
That's why I don't care
This is why I am carefree
I don't care, I don't care
Repeatedly, I am stating my indifference
What they may think of me
I am not concerned about their opinions of me
I'm happy-go-lucky, they say that I'm plucky
They describe me as carefree and brave
Contented and carefree
I am satisfied and untroubled
I don't care I don't care
Once again, I am repeating my indifference
If I do get a mean and stony stare
Even if I receive hostile or judgmental looks
If I'm not successful
If I do not achieve success
It won't be distressful
It will not cause me distress
Cause I don't care
Because I am indifferent
A girl should know her etiquette
It is expected of a girl to observe proper behavior
Alas, alack
Unfortunately
Propriety demands we walk a narrow track
There are certain behavior expected of us
When fellas used to blink at me
In the past, when men would make suggestive gestures to me
I'd freeze 'em and they'd shrink at me
I would react coldly and it would intimidate them
But now when fellas wink at me
However, now when men make suggestive gestures to me
I wink at them right back!
I respond in kind
If people frown on me
If others do not approve of me
Perhaps it's the lone way
Perhaps it is the way of living alone
But I go my own way
I will go my own path regardless
That's my philosophy
This is my way of life
If he's clerk or just a millionaire
Whether he is just a clerk or a wealthy man
There's no doubt about it,
There is no question
I'll sing and I'll shout it
I will celebrate it
Cause I don't care
Because I am indifferent
When it comes to happiness,
Regarding happiness
I want my share
I want my portion
Don't try to rearrange me
Do not attempt to change me
There's nothing can change me
Nothing has the power to change me
'cause I don't care!
Because I am indifferent!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RAUL MALO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
eliotfranklin
Lyrics below:
They say I'm crazy
Got no sense
But I don't care
They may or may not mean offense
But I don't care
You see, I'm sort of independent
I am my own superintendent
And my star is on the ascendant
That's why I don't care
I don't care, I don't care
What they may think of me
I'm happy-go-lucky, they say that I'm plucky
Content and carefree
I don't care
Don't care if I do get a mean and stony stare
If I'm not successful it won't be distressful
Cause I don't care
A girl should know her etiquette
Alas, alack
Propriety demands we walk a narrow track
When fellas used to blink at me
I'd freeze 'em and they'd shrink at me
But now when fellas wink at me
I wink at them right back!
I don't care
I don't care if people frown on me
Perhaps it's the lone way
But I go my own way
That's my philosophy
I don't care
I don't care if he's clerk or just a millionaire
There's no doubt about it, I'll sing and I'll shout it
Cause I don't care
Oh, I don't care, I don't care
When it comes to happiness, I want my share
Don't try to rearrange me
There's nothing can change me 'cause I don't care.
L Rosex
a lot of people are having serious debates about judy's life and all i can think of is how beautiful and talented she is and how much i love that dress!
Sussy ass motherfucka
@evie w Well her mom made her do drugs before the wizard of oz
Sussy ass motherfucka
Yeah don’t think of the shit treatment that she got in her life and pity her. Envy what a beautiful woman she was and those happy times that she did have.
evie w
@just sayin she was forced, to look younger, and better for the wizard of oz, since it took her a year, she got used to it and formed herself to be normal around the diet.
evie w
@petre Tepner her diet was made out of almost 80 cigarettes a day and black coffee.
evie w
she died because during the film wizard of oz, she was forced to be on drugs and got addicted them and died years later.
Napat Quinn
this song speaks to me on so many levels.
lashonda haddock
It became my life song at 15 and almost 20 years later, still is lol
RabuHina
The perfect song when you have 0 fucks to give XD
April Bennett
Me too.