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).
Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Under the silv'ry moon.
Meet me tonight in dreamland,
Where love's sweet roses bloom.
Come with the love light gleaming
In your dear eyes of blue.
Meet me in dreamland,
There let my dreams come true.
Meet me tonight in dreamland,
Under the silv'ry moon.
Meet me tonight in dreamland,
Where love's sweet roses bloom.
Come with the love light gleaming
In you dear eyes of blue.
Meet me in dreamland,
Sweet, dreamy dreamland,
There let my dreams come true.
Judy Garland's song Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland is a sweet and romantic invitation to enter a dreamy world where love is in full bloom. The song opens with a call to meet under the silv'ry moon, painting a cozy and serene picture of a peaceful night. The singer is calling for their lover to join them in a place where love's sweet roses bloom, suggesting the space they share is magical and fertile.
The second verse invites the beloved to come with their love light gleaming in their eyes of blue. Here, the singer is emphasizing the necessity of emotional connection and intimacy in their love. The repetition of the phrase "Meet me in dreamland, sweet, dreamy dreamland, there let my dreams come true," reinforces the idea that this is a dreamy haven where anything is possible. In this realm, desires can be fulfilled and dreams can come true.
Overall, Judy Garland's Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland is a beautiful ode to love, dreams and the hopeful and magical space they create together.
Line by Line Meaning
Meet me tonight in dreamland,
Join me in the imaginary place we visit while dreaming
Under the silv'ry moon.
In a place seemingly lit and enchanted by a moon that's brighter than the one in reality
Meet me tonight in dreamland,
Come to me, where real-world limitations don't matter
Where love's sweet roses bloom.
In a place where love flourishes and blooms beautifully
Come with the love light gleaming
Bring to our dreamworld the light of your love
In your dear eyes of blue.
Within your figurative windows to your soul, that somehow have a blue hue
Meet me in dreamland,
Let's rendezvous in the realm of dreams
Sweet, dreamy dreamland,
A charming, enchanting place where dreamscape endeavors arise
There let my dreams come true.
In that place, let the desires of my imagination be fulfilled.
Meet me tonight in dreamland,
Once more, let's meet in that imaginative wonderland we know
Under the silv'ry moon.
Once again, under that moonlight that can make an unreal place seem so real
Meet me tonight in dreamland,
Join me in the land where we are free to do what we want with no consequence
Where love's sweet roses bloom.
Where love blossoms and grows unobstructed
Come with the love light gleaming
Bring the feelings of fondness and kindness that glow from the center of you
In you dear eyes of blue.
In the eyes that are bright and enchanting that you love to stare into
Meet me in dreamland,
Join me when we are together without the impediments of real life
Sweet, dreamy dreamland,
A picturesque world to envision and explore
There let my dreams come true.
In that space, let all that's improbable be actualized.
Lyrics © PAUL RODRIGUEZ MUSIC LTD.
Written by: BOB WILBER, KENNY DAVERN, LEO FRIEDMAN (DP)
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind