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).
Last Night When We Were Young
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love was a star, a song unsung
Life was so new, so real so right
Ages ago last night
Today the world is old
You flew away and time grew cold
Where is that star that shone so bright
To think that spring had depended
On merely this: a look, a kiss
To think that something so splendid
Could slip away in one little daybreak
So now, let's reminisce
And recollect the sighs and the kisses
The arms that clung
When we were young last night
The first stanza of Judy Garland's "Last Night When We Were Young" is a reflection on the past. It is an observation of the beauty of the past when love was new, exciting and had a bright future. The second stanza is the contrast of the reality of the present, the song talks about how life changes and love fades when the people who loved each other move on to pursue their different lives elsewhere.
The third stanza of the song is an appreciation of the beauty of the past spring period. It is a tribute to the moments shared between two individuals during their youth, reminiscing about the season in which they met, the moments shared, and the love they celebrated. The final stanza winds up the song with melancholy lines, as the singer looks back on their past with the realisation that such beautiful moments have gone forever.
Overall, "Last Night When We Were Young" is a song that reflects on life's impermanence, specifically the fact that love can never remain new and exciting forever. However. the beauty of the past lives on in our hearts and memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night when we were young
Looking back on the past, when we were young and carefree
Love was a star, a song unsung
Love was bright and new, yet to be experienced fully
Life was so new, so real so right
Life was full of possibilities and promise
Ages ago last night
It feels like such a long time ago
Today the world is old
Things have changed, the world seems less vibrant and hopeful
You flew away and time grew cold
You left and things haven't been the same since
Where is that star that shone so bright
Where did the love and hope go?
Ages ago last night?
It feels like so much time has passed
To think that spring had depended
Reflecting on how something as delicate as love could have such a big impact
On merely this: a look, a kiss
Love can be sparked by something as simple as a glance or a touch
To think that something so splendid
To realize how wonderful love can be
Could slip away in one little daybreak
To understand that love can disappear just as quickly as it came
So now, let's reminisce
Let's look back and remember the good times
And recollect the sighs and the kisses
Let's remember the moments we shared and the affection we felt
The arms that clung
The warm embraces that gave comfort and security
When we were young last night
When we were full of hope and young at heart
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC
Written by: E. Y. HARBURG, HAROLD ARLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind