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 Never Knew
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought that I'd like to stay free
I never thought my time would come to marry,
No wedding bells for me, I've changed my mind after all,
I used to smile at all the songs that were popular,
Nothing but love in each song,
I used to think those kind of songs were foolish,
Now I admit I'm wrong.
Love songs are part of my plan, show me the minister man, for...
I never knew I could love anybody,
Honey, like I'm loving you;
I couldn't realize what a pair of eyes and a baby smile could do.
I can't sleep, I can't eat,
I never knew a single soul could be so sweet,
I never knew I could love anybody,
Honey, like I'm loving you.
The lyrics to Judy Garland's song I Never Knew starts with her suppositions of being single forever. She begins by expressing her belief in "single-blessed-ness" and loyalty to the idea of staying uncommitted. She now admits that she thought that was how it was meant to be and that there would never be wedding bells in her life. The song progresses indicating that she found someone she did not anticipate and how she changed her mind after all. She admits that she never thought she would smile so much, for all the love songs, and she thought those were foolish. She iterates that love songs have become part of her plan, and she wants to find the minister.
In the chorus, Garland confesses how she never knew that she could love somebody like the person she is in love with now. She is amazed by how her lover's eyes and smile had that effect on her, and she had no inkling before. The love has consumed her in such a way that she cannot eat or sleep anymore. She had never experienced such a depth of joy before.
The song's underlying message centers on true love and how it can surprise even the most ardent protestor. The lyrics also highlight how it is possible to evolve from one's previous beliefs after finding love.
Line by Line Meaning
I always thought that I'd prefer single-blessed-ness
I believed that being single was what I wanted in life.
Thought that I'd like to stay free
I desired to remain independent for the rest of my life.
I never thought my time would come to marry,
I did not expect to get married at any point in my life.
No wedding bells for me, I've changed my mind after all,
I did not want to get married, but now I have changed my views.
You are the one made me fall, for...
You are the one I fell in love with and changed my mind about marriage for.
I used to smile at all the songs that were popular,
I used to enjoy listening to the popular songs.
Nothing but love in each song,
The popular songs were all love songs.
I used to think those kind of songs were foolish,
I used to consider love songs to be silly and pointless.
Now I admit I'm wrong.
I now acknowledge that I was wrong about love songs being silly.
Love songs are part of my plan, show me the minister man, for...
Love songs are now a part of my life plan, and I am ready to get married.
I never knew I could love anybody,
I was unaware that I could feel love towards someone else.
Honey, like I'm loving you;
I have fallen in love with you deeply, my dear.
I couldn't realize what a pair of eyes and a baby smile could do.
I did not know that a single look or smile from you could melt my heart so much.
I can't sleep, I can't eat,
I am so in love with you that I cannot even sleep or eat.
I never knew a single soul could be so sweet,
I did not think that someone could be as kind and sweet as you are.
I never knew I could love anybody,
I did not know that I was capable of loving someone with such intensity and passion.
Honey, like I'm loving you.
My love for you is unparalleled and unconditional, my dear.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
_classicbest_
her voice is AMAZING
SAMMY WHITE the Persian cat
Young Judy was dinamite.
Mature Judy was magic.
Nora Steel
I agree! Young Judy ,Dynamite! Older Judy, MAGIC! <3 Thanks so much for posting!! =)
Taylor Maddux
I'm surprised this wasn't a bigger hit for her. It really swings, and I like the way she bends the notes here and there. Maybe it would have been better without the introduction? Anyway, thanks for posting.
Aileen
Judy Garland is one of ,any singers God warned me strongly to not hear because of she sang with the devil’s voice. Oh now I not heard this bnow I only get to the video and stopped it somI could wrote this. Me and my friends NOT listen to singers as Judy Garland. We are christian peoples who not listen to singers with the devil’s voice and or used drugs as Garland. We love exsample listen to female singers as Ada Jones and Esther Walker
Jonathan Kieran
And also: “Let he who is without sin hit the singer with a stone!” (2nd Nutzaloonians 4:18)
Jonathan Kieran
Someone needs a heavy dosage of ... well, I don’t know what sort of medication might be required, but I am fairly certain that the dosage should be significant. Maybe even an IV-drip. Sincerely hope you get the help you need, and soon. And maybe complete that high school education when feeling a bit more chipper.
Elizabeth Dacosta
So let me get this straight—-her voice is so beautiful, so amazing, so beyond any other singer you’ve ever heard, that you think it must be the work of the devil; unchristian? What a twisted view of life and Christianity. As another commenter said, God gave her that voice, the voice of an angel actually. You go ahead and deny yourself the joy of listening to one of the greatest talents of all time, which you clearly love. THAT is what a twisted view of religion can do to a person who might have been a rational being without the influence of religion. Of course, I shouldn’t have responded to your IGNORANT comment. It’s always a mistake to engage with irrational people, but just this one time I couldn’t resist, because it was such a shock to see a barely literate comment on the GREAT Judy Garland under a video of her singing.
Daniel Gouge
Narcissism in your comment Ada Jones Fan. Having to be superior are we? From what I understand she got hooked on drugs when young they were pushed on her. If that wasn't your life be glad you didn't go through such a thing.
B. H.
God gave her that voice.