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 in St. Louis Louis
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He hung up his coat and his hat,
He gazed all around, but no wifey he found,
So he said "where can Flossie be at?"
A note on the table he spied,
He read it just once, then he cried.
It ran, "Louis dear, it's too slow for for me hear,
So I think I will go for a ride."
"Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,
Meet me at the fair,
Don't tell me the lights are shining
any place but there,
We will dance the Hoochee Koochee,
I will be your tootsie wootsie,
If you will meet in St. Louis, Louis,
Meet me at the fair."
The dresses that hung in the hall,
Were gone, she had taken them all,
She took all his rings and the rest of his things,
The picture he missed from the wall.
"What! moving!" the janitor said,
"Your rent is paid three months ahead."
"What good is the flat?" said poor Louis, "Read that."
And the janitor smiled as he read.
"Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,
Meet me at the fair,
Don't tell me the lights are shining
any place but there,
We will dance the Hoochee Koochee,
I will be your tootsie wootsie,
If you will meet in St. Louis, Louis,
Meet me at the fair."
The song "Meet Me in St. Louis Louis" is a classic tune about a man named Louis who comes home to an empty apartment and finds a note from his wife Flossie saying that she's leaving him. The lyrics describe Louis' reaction to the note as he realizes that Flossie has taken everything with her including his clothes and his favorite picture from the wall. The song then goes on to mention that Flossie wants Louis to meet her in St. Louis at the fair where they can dance the Hoochee Koochee and be each other's tootsie wootsie.
Overall, the song is a sweet and playful invitation for Louis to meet his estranged wife in St. Louis and reconcile their relationship. The upbeat melody and catchy lyrics make it a timeless classic that still holds up today.
Line by Line Meaning
When Louis came home to the flat,
When Louis returned to his apartment,
He hung up his coat and his hat,
He took off his coat and his hat and put them away,
He gazed all around, but no wifey he found,
He looked around but couldn't find his wife,
So he said "where can Flossie be at?"
He wondered where his wife Flossie could be.
A note on the table he spied,
He noticed a note on the table,
He read it just once, then he cried.
After reading it, he cried.
It ran, "Louis dear, it's too slow for for me here,
The note said: "Louis, it's too boring here for me,
So I think I will go for a ride."
So I'm going to take a ride."
"Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,
The note continued: "Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,
Meet me at the fair,
Meet me at the fairground,
Don't tell me the lights are shining
Don't tell me there are any lights shining
any place but there,
Anywhere else.
We will dance the Hoochee Koochee,
We'll dance the Hoochie Coochie,
I will be your tootsie wootsie,
I'll be your sweetheart,
If you will meet in St. Louis, Louis,
If you come to St. Louis, Louis,
Meet me at the fair."
Meet me at the fairground."
The dresses that hung in the hall,
He noticed that the dresses that were in the hallway,
Were gone, she had taken them all,
Were missing, as she had taken them all,
She took all his rings and the rest of his things,
She also took his rings and everything else he owned,
The picture he missed from the wall.
He noticed that the picture he liked on the wall was gone.
"What! moving!" the janitor said,
The janitor was surprised and exclaimed: "Moving!"
"Your rent is paid three months ahead."
But then he saw that Louis had paid rent for the next three months in advance.
"What good is the flat?" said poor Louis, "Read that."
Louis despaired and said: "What's the point of having this apartment? Read this."
And the janitor smiled as he read.
The janitor read the note and smiled.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: KERRY MILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind