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).
Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries
Judy Garland Lyrics
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Why don't they stop someday, address themselves this way?
Why are we here? Where are we going? It's time that we found out
We're not here to stay; we're on a short holiday
Life is just a bowl of cherries
Don't take it serious; it's too mysterious
You work, you save, you worry so
So keep repeating it's the berries
The strongest oak must fall
The sweet things in life, to you were just loaned
So how can you lose what you've never owned?
Life is just a bowl of cherries
So live and laugh at it all
Life is just a bowl of cherries
Don't take it serious; it's too mysterious
At eight each morning I have got a date
To take my plunge 'round the Empire State
You'll admit it's not the berries
In a building that's so tall
There's a guy in the show, the girls love to kiss
Get thousands a week just for crooning like this
Life is just a bowl of, aw, nuts!
So live and laugh at it all!
In the first verse, Judy Garland expresses her confusion towards the human race and their tendency to always be in a rush, never taking the time to truly reflect on why they are here and where they are going. She sees life as a short vacation, not a permanent stay, and encourages people to stop taking it so seriously. The second verse is a reminder that we can work hard and save money, but in the end, we cannot take our material possessions with us. Therefore, we should enjoy the sweet things in life that we were only loaned - like cherries - and not worry too much about the uncertainties of the future.
The chorus reinforces the message of the song, stating that we should consistently remind ourselves that life is just a bowl of cherries and not to take it too seriously. Even the strongest of us will eventually fall, so we might as well enjoy the good things now. Judy also makes a reference to the Empire State building, where people are consumed by their busy lives, even though it's not necessarily a desirable lifestyle. Lastly, she tells us that life can be crazy sometimes, but we might as well laugh at it all.
Overall, the song is a reminder that life is meant to be enjoyed and not taken too seriously. We should take the time to appreciate the good things and not worry too much about the future.
Line by Line Meaning
People are queer, they're always crowing, scrambling and rushing about
People are strange, always talking, hurrying and moving around
Why don't they stop someday, address themselves this way?
Why don't they take a break and think about their lives?
Why are we here? Where are we going? It's time that we found out
We should figure out the purpose and destination of our lives
We're not here to stay; we're on a short holiday
Life is short, so we shouldn't waste it
Life is just a bowl of cherries
Life is unpredictable and should be enjoyed
Don't take it serious; it's too mysterious
Don't worry too much about life because it's uncertain
You work, you save, you worry so
We work too hard and worry too much about life
But you can't take your dough when you go, go, go
Material possessions are meaningless in the end
So keep repeating it's the berries
Keep saying life is great because it is
The strongest oak must fall
Even the strongest people eventually die
The sweet things in life, to you were just loaned
The good things in life are only temporarily ours
So how can you lose what you've never owned?
We can't lose what we never truly had
Life is just a bowl of cherries
Life is what you make of it
So live and laugh at it all
Enjoy life and find humor in it
At eight each morning I have got a date, to take my plunge 'round the Empire State
The singer goes for a swim around the Empire State Building every morning
You'll admit it's not the berries, in a building that's so tall
Swimming around a tall building isn't that exciting
There's a guy in the show, the girls love to kiss, get thousands a week just for crooning like this
A performer in a show makes a lot of money just for singing romantic songs
Life is just a bowl of, aw, nuts!
Sometimes life can be disappointing
So live and laugh at it all!
Despite disappointments, find joy in life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEW BROWN, RAY HENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind