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).
Just in Time
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I found you just in time
Before you came my time was running low
I was lost
The losing dice were tossed
My bridges all were crossed
No where to go
And now I know just where I'm going
No more doubt or fear
I've found my way
For love came just in time
You found me just in time
And changed my lonely life that lucky day
Just in time
I found you just in time
Before you came my time was running low
I was lost
The losing dice were tossed
My bridges all were crossed
No where to go
Now you're here
And now I know just where I'm going
No more doubt or fear
I've found my way
For love came just in time
You found me just in time
And changed my lonely life that lovely day
Hey, you came along
I mean you came along
And changed my life that lucky day
The song "Just in Time," performed by Judy Garland, is a love song that tells the story of finding love at the right time. The lyrics describe how the singer's life was in a state of uncertainty, represented by the metaphor of "running low" on time, before the arrival of her lover. She felt "lost" and had exhausted all her options, as represented by the phrase "the losing dice were tossed, my bridges all were crossed, no where to go." However, when her lover arrived, everything changed, and she suddenly felt confident once again. The singer expresses gratitude for her lover's arrival, as it allowed her to find direction and purpose in life.
The song's melody and its lyrics are upbeat and optimistic, emphasizing the joy that comes from finding love. The songwriter Sammy Cahn, who wrote the song's lyrics, was known for his ability to craft simple, catchy songs with memorable phrases. The song's upbeat tempo and big-band sound, as well as Garland's energetic delivery, help convey the sense of urgency and excitement that the lyrics describe.
Line by Line Meaning
Just in time
At the perfect moment
I found you just in time
I met you at the right moment
Before you came my time was running low
I was running out of time before I met you
I was lost
I was confused and directionless without you
The losing dice were tossed
My luck had run out
My bridges all were crossed
I had exhausted all my options
No where to go
I had hit rock bottom and had nowhere to turn
Now you're here
You arrived at the perfect moment
And now I know just where I'm going
You gave me direction and purpose
No more doubt or fear
You gave me confidence and security
I've found my way
I have a clear path forward because of you
For love came just in time
Love arrived at the perfect moment
You found me just in time
You discovered me at the opportune moment
And changed my lonely life that lovely day
You transformed my isolated existence on that fateful day
Hey, you came along
You appeared in my life
I mean you came along
I am emphasizing how significant your arrival was
Lyrics ยฉ Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Adolph Green, Betty Comden
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aleolidemu6169
I hadn't heard this song before. I knew it with Fantastic Judy ๐, just this year..
Today I looked it up in other versions.
No one can hold the candle to Judy's version. Not even Dean Martin ๐, my absolute King. Peggy Lee's is pretty good. But the emotion I get listening to Judy, is totally different. It goes from her soul directly to mine.
Mesmerizing Judy Garland ๐.. ๐ชป๐ฟ
@m.a.6136
"I Could Go On Singing" is one of her very best films. There will NEVER be another performer like her.
@pattibrooks1907
Judy was a talented gifted funny lady and its sad she had to die so young only 47 now shed be 100 by now !
@annabellem.4014
I love the way Judy Garland not only sings a song, but she acts it as well. She tells a story. What a miraculous talent!
@ILikeDemocracy7
Right on!
@jimmynew-man6882
All these comments so eloquently state her magic...Judy does more than perform...the music is part of her and she gives her whole heart to it. I love her and miss her more than ever.โฃ๏ธ
@lenwelch2195
Beautifully said. Reading the comments I can see and feel that her fans โ get her โ.by their response to this performance. When you receive Garland your entire being is tickled when she sings a song of joy and when she sings a sad song like โ cottage for saleโ your devastated. Judy brings out our humanity and what it is to be a human being.
@SaxonC
When she starts to stand up, she launches into Garland mode and takes our breath away! โค๏ธ๐ถ
@lenwelch2195
And you can tell as she stands that she knows sheโs about to throw that feeling of delight like turning on a light switch that part in You that will be tickled. Must have given her such joy to know she could do that. My Lord what a talent.
@irvinemuscle
She's been gone 50 years now, hard to believe she left us an only 47, the wonderful thing is she's lived on longer than she was alive, and she will be alive as long as there are those who appreciate a magnificent voice and talent. We miss you Judy!