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).
Mean to Me
Judy Garland Lyrics
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Why must you be mean to me?
Gee, honey, it seems to me
You love to see me cryin'
I don't know why
I stay home each night
When you say you phone
Sing the blues and sighin'
You treat me coldly each day in the year
You always scold me
Whenever somebody is near, dear
I must be great fun to be mean to me
You shouldn't, for can't you see
What you mean to me
The lyrics to Judy Garland's "Mean to Me" are a poignant lamentation of a lover's mistreatment. The opening line "You're mean to me" sets the tone for the entire song, which is essentially a plea for this person to stop hurting and neglecting the singer. The chorus "Why must you be mean to me? Gee, honey, it seems to me you love to see me cryin'" conveys a sense of confusion and desperation on the part of the singer. They are asking why this person continues to be hurtful when they clearly love the singer, and are left feeling bruised and defeated by their actions.
The second verse goes into further detail about the neglect and emotional abuse that the singer is experiencing, as they stay home each night waiting for a phone call that never comes. The bridge of the song "You treat me coldly each day in the year, You always scold me Whenever somebody is near, dear" reinforces this pattern of neglect and mistreatment. Yet despite all of this, the singer still holds feelings for this person, stating in the final lines of the song "I must be great fun to be mean to me, You shouldn't, for can't you see What you mean to me".
Line by Line Meaning
You're mean to me
You are unkind to me
Why must you be mean to me?
Why do you have to treat me unkindly?
Gee, honey, it seems to me
My dear, it appears to me
You love to see me cryin'
You take pleasure in watching me cry
I don't know why
I am unsure why
I stay home each night
I remain at home every night
When you say you phone
When you claim you will call me
You don't and I'm left alone.
You don't, and as a result, I am left by myself
Sing the blues and sighin'
I sing sad songs and sigh
You treat me coldly each day in the year
You treat me unkindly every day of the year
You always scold me
You always reprimand me
Whenever somebody is near, dear
Whenever there is someone nearby, my dear
I must be great fun to be mean to me
It must be entertaining to be unkind to me
You shouldn't, for can't you see
You ought not, because can't you perceive
What you mean to me
How much you matter to me
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, T.R.O. INC., Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALEX CONWAN, ALICE RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind