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).
Munchkinland
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And meet the young lady who fell from a star.
She fell from the sky,
She fell very far and Kansas she says is the name of the star.
Kansas she say is the name of the star.
She brings you good news or haven't you heard?
When she fell out of Kansas a miracle occurred.
It really was no miracle, what happened was just this.
and suddenly the hinges started
to unhitch.
Just then the witch, to satisfy an itch went flying
on her broomstick thumbing
for a hitch.
And oh what happen'd was rich.
The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch,
it landed on the wicked
witch in the middle of a ditch.
Which was not a healthy situation for a wicked witch.
The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch,
it landed on the wicked
witch in the middle of a ditch.
Which was not a healthy situation for a wicked witch who began to twitch
And was reduced to just a stitch of what was once the wicked witch.
The song Munchkinland is a part of the legendary movie, The Wizard of Oz. The song welcomes the audience into the magical land of Munchkinland, with Judy Garland playing the role of Dorothy singing the first verse. The lyrics are playful, with Dorothy inviting the Munchkins to come out and meet the lady who fell from a star. She explains that her name is Kansas, and she brings good news with her. The lyrics go on to describe how the magic occurred and how the infamous Wicked Witch of the East was defeated.
The song lyrics are a simplified version of the events that lead to Dorothy's arrival in Oz. The lyrics explain, in a fun and whimsical way, that Dorothy was whisked away from Kansas by the wind, which ultimately led to her house being dropped on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. The songwriters, Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, use clever wordplay and rhyme schemes to convey the story in an engaging way.
Munchkinland is one of the most iconic songs in movies and has become a timeless classic. It is a vibrant and catchy tune that sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The song is a celebration of the magic of the movie, with the lyrics transporting the audience into the magical world of Oz. It is a song that has stood the test of time, and its popularity has continued to grow since the movie's release in 1939.
Line by Line Meaning
Come out, come out wherever you are
Please reveal yourself, regardless of where you are
And meet the young lady who fell from a star.
Please come and meet the girl who fell from the sky
She fell from the sky, She fell very far and Kansas she says is the name of the star.
The girl claims to have come from a star named Kansas after falling from the sky from a great distance
She brings you good news or haven't you heard?
Have you not heard of the good news that she brings?
When she fell out of Kansas a miracle occurred.
A miracle occurred when she fell from Kansas
It really was no miracle, what happened was just this.
What occurred was not truly a miracle, but rather something else
The wind began to switch, the house to pitch, and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch.
The wind caused the house to sway and the hinges to come loose
Just then the witch, to satisfy an itch went flying on her broomstick thumbing for a hitch.
At that moment, the witch, for her own desire, flew on her broomstick searching for a ride
And oh what happen'd was rich.
What occurred was quite interesting and eventful
The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch, it landed on the wicked witch in the middle of a ditch.
The house swayed, causing the kitchen to move and land on the wicked witch who was in a ditch
Which was not a healthy situation for a wicked witch.
This was a perilous situation for a wicked witch to be in
The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch, it landed on the wicked witch in the middle of a ditch.
Again, the house moved and the kitchen fell onto the wicked witch in the ditch
Which was not a healthy situation for a wicked witch who began to twitch
This was an unfortunate state for the wicked witch who began to spasm
And was reduced to just a stitch of what was once the wicked witch.
Ultimately, she was reduced to a mere small piece of what she once was, thanks to the impact
Contributed by Juliana T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.