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).
My Romance
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My romance doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by
No month of may, no twinkling stars
No hide away, no softly guitars
My romance doesn't need a castle rising in Spain
Nor a dance to a constantly surprising refrain
Wide awake I can make my most fantastic dreams come true
My romance doesn't need a thing but you
My romance doesn't need a thing but you
The song My Romance is a beautiful love song that Judy Garland sang in a charming and soulful way. The song expresses the idea that true love does not need lavish gestures or extravagant symbols of love. The lyrics start by saying that the love shared by the singer does not need the magical appearance of the moon in the sky, a beautiful blue lagoon as a backdrop, or any typical romantic tropes. The singer further elaborates by saying that she does not need the spring month of May, no sparkling stars or hideaways, no sweet tunes from a guitar. These are all symbols of love and romance that have become iconic in literature, music, and art, but according to the lyrics, they are not necessary for true romance.
The chorus of the song is beautiful and reflects the core message of the song. The singer states that her romance does not require a lot of things, except the presence of her lover. She sings that her romance only needs her lover to be complete. The idea of true love and partnership as a means of completion is a beautiful message, and it resonates with audiences across generations.
Line by Line Meaning
My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the sky
I don't need a romantic backdrop or setting in order to feel love.
My romance doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by
I don't need the stereotypical idea of romance, such as being near water or by the beach.
No month of may, no twinkling stars
Even though certain months or celestial events may be associated with love, I can still feel it without those things.
No hide away, no softly guitars
I don't need a secluded place or music in order to feel romance.
My romance doesn't need a castle rising in Spain
I don't need extravagant or lavish surroundings in order to feel love.
Nor a dance to a constantly surprising refrain
I don't need elaborate or intricate activities in order to feel romance.
Wide awake I can make my most fantastic dreams come true
I don't need to be asleep or dreaming in order to experience my ideal romance, I can create it while I'm awake.
My romance doesn't need a thing but you
I only need the person I love in order to feel romance and happiness.
My romance doesn't need a thing but you
Repeating this line emphasizes that the artist truly believes that all they need is the person they love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
james rivers
Her voice is so beautiful here and he sounds great too. a gorgeous song!
SpaceGhost67
Their voices blend like no two voices ever.
TheBee87bee
Frank and Judy are perfect, emotion blending with emotion, sweet!
Danae Breshears
The two greatest people in musical history, together at last. It's astounding to me how they never made a movie together. Our maybe they did and I just don't know about it.
Lucy Foster
Who were Judy’s musical influences? How did she learn to interpret songs in the way she did? Why do we only speak about her personal life, and never how she developed as a singer given that she was one of the greatest singers of all time?
Gregory Maldonado
Her musical arranger and friend from her early MGM days, Roger Edens, was instrumental in helping Judy shape her musical style and delivery. 🎶❤️
NRZ
Al Jolson I think, for the mordents (wavering between two notes she'll do sometimes at the end of a sung phrase) 🎵
James McEwan
This is amazing - i have never heard this before and never new they had ever sung together - it's the same arrangement used with sinatra and Dinah Shore
dmnemaine
Judy Garland did a TV special in the 60s with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. It was popular enough to lead CBS to offer her a weekly series.
gyniest
Frank Sinatra had been named the greatest entertainer of the 20th Century and deservedly so. But Judy Garland ranks right up there as well. Both were supreme in the field of popular music and both had that special something that others did could not match.