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).
Im Always Chasing Rainbows
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching clouds drifting by
My schemes are just like all my dreams
Ending in the sky
Some fellows look and find the sunshine
I always look and find the rain
Some fellows make a winning sometimes
I never even make a gain
Waiting to find a little bluebird in vain
I'm always chasing rainbows
Watching clouds drifting by
My schemes are just like all my dreams
Ending in the sky
Some fellows look and find the sunshine
I always look and find the rain
Some fellows make a winning sometimes
I never even make a gain
Believe me, I'm always chasing rainbows
Judy Garland's song "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" is an emotional ballad that captures the feeling of hopeless longing and endless yearning. The lyrics of the song describe the singer as someone who is always trying to find the good in life but never quite succeeding. She compares her life to chasing rainbows, where her schemes and dreams end up just like the rainbows, disappearing in the sky.
The singer expresses her frustration with her life by saying that while some people are able to find the sunshine, she always finds the rain. She feels like she is constantly chasing after something that she will never be able to catch. The bluebird that she is waiting to find is a symbol of hope and happiness, but she feels like her search for it is in vain.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm always chasing rainbows
I'm constantly searching for something unattainable or impossible to find.
Watching clouds drifting by
Watching the world go by without ever fully engaging or committing to anything.
My schemes are just like all my dreams Ending in the sky
My plans and aspirations are unrealistic and never come to fruition.
Some fellows look and find the sunshine I always look and find the rain
Others seem to have a happier and easier life, while I always find hardship and disappointment.
Some fellows make a winning sometimes I never even make a gain
Others have success and victories, while I constantly struggle and fail.
Believe me, I'm always chasing rainbows Waiting to find a little bluebird in vain
Despite the constant disappointment, I still hold onto hope for something better that will never come.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY CARROLL, JOSEPH JOE MC CARTHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thomase13
Amazing performance of a great song in an amazing scene — I find the ending especially emotional! I feel so sad for the old guy — it's soul crushing when you feel so impassioned by one kind of art, but the world abandons you as it goes out of fashion!
@SaxonC
She could stop people in their tracks when sang. Years ago in a south Florida hotel bar, I was walking through the lobby and heard her singing from a jukebox. I stopped and popped into the lounge and it was literally packed and everyone was silent and listening to her sing “I can give you anything but love” from Carnegie hall. These were younger couples and they were absolutely mesmerized by her voice. It gave me chills.
@cyberwolf_1013
Judy's version is what led me to the Hazbin Hotel pilot a few months ago. Thank you, Judy! Thank you, Vivzie and the HH team! Both are beautiful iterations.
@eatporknbeans
The second version is simply exquisite!!
@jburma
Thank you for uploading the whole scene, easily the best in the film IMO. The song is brilliant but it's really a Lana Turner movie. I love Turner (Sheila) jumping into after the lousy first try to make sure Judy Garland (Susan) gets another chance. I also love Lana Turner's expressions during the scene.
@carolrashee6346
Great song, wonderful singer
@celarasmith8030
So beautiful.
@paulcmccomas
True or false: *Instrumentally*, this song wound up -- unattributed -- in sections of the classic low-budget film noir "Detour" (1945). (The film's actual, credited theme song is the exquisite "I Can't Believe that You're in Love with Me" -- see: Billie Holiday; Helen Forrest.)
@jabraylonmiller
0:20 she is so beautiful
@akrenwinkle
3:32 Charles Winninger makes a boo-boo face because he was proven wrong. He had advised Judy to sell this song as peppy and up-tempo. But it only worked the second time as a sentimental ballad. This film did well by Judy, but it made Lana Turner a star.