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).
Purple People Eater
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It had the one long horn, one big eye
I commenced to shakin and I said "ooh-eee"
It looks like a purple eater to me
It was a one eyed, one horned, flyin purple people eater
One eyed, one horned, flyin purple people eater
A one eyed, one horned, flyin purple people eater
Well he came down to earth and he lit in a tree
I said Mr. purple people eater, don't eat me
I heard him say in a voice so gruff
I wouldnt eat you cuz you're so tough
It was a one eyed, one horned, flyin purple people eater
One eyed, one horned flyin purple people eater
One eyed, one horned, flyin purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me {one horn}
I said Mr. purple people eater, what's your line?
He said it's eatin purple people and it sure is fine
But that's not the reason that I came to land
I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band
Well bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin purple people eater
Pigeon toed, undergrowed, flyin purple people eater
We wear short shorts
Flyin purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me
And then he swung from the tree and he lit on the ground
He started to rock, really rockin around
It was a crazy ditty with a swingin tune
Sing a boop boop aboopa lopa lum lum boom
Well bless my soul flyin purple people eater
Pigeon toed, undergrowed, flyin purple people eater
I like short shorts
Flyin little people eater
Sure looks strange to me purple people
Then he went on his way, and then what do you know?
I saw him last night on a tv show
He was blowing it out, a really knockin them dead
Playin rock and roll music through the horn on his head.
The lyrics of Judy Garland's "Purple People Eater" describe a bizarre creature with one long horn and one big eye, that comes from the sky and is referred to as a "flying purple people eater". The singer, quite frightened at first, soon realizes that this creature only wants to find a job as a rock and roll musician. Despite its strange appearance, the creature is able to wow audiences with its music talent, as seen in the final lines where it performs on a TV show with a horn on its head, truly knocking them dead.
The song's lyrics may be interpreted in various ways, some drawing comparisons to societal expectations of individuals and their talents. The creature, at first feared and dismissed for its unusual appearance, is given a chance to prove its worth and talent, showcasing how talent can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places. The song also takes inspiration from popular music trends of the time, specifically rock and roll and rhythm & blues.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I saw the thing comin out of the sky
I looked towards the sky and noticed an unusual object approaching me
It had the one long horn, one big eye
This object featured a single extended horn and a large, prominent eye
I commenced to shakin and I said "ooh-eee"
I began to tremble and express my surprise
It looks like a purple eater to me
The object appeared to be a creature that consumes purple things
It was a one eyed, one horned, flyin purple people eater
The object was indeed a creature that had a single eye, horn, and could fly. It consumed purple people.
Well he came down to earth and he lit in a tree
The creature descended to the ground and perched on a tree
I said Mr. purple people eater, don't eat me
I requested that the creature refrain from consuming me
I heard him say in a voice so gruff
The creature spoke in a harsh tone
I wouldnt eat you cuz you're so tough
The creature declined to eat me because it perceived me to be too resilient to consume
I said Mr. purple people eater, what's your line?
I inquired as to the creature's purpose or occupation
He said it's eatin purple people and it sure is fine
The creature indicated that its primary goal is consuming purple people and that it enjoys doing so
But that's not the reason that I came to land
However, its purpose for descending to Earth is not related to consuming purple people
I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band
The creature is interested in becoming a member of a rock band
Then he swung from the tree and he lit on the ground
The creature moved from the tree and landed on the ground
He started to rock, really rockin around
The creature began moving energetically to music
It was a crazy ditty with a swingin tune
The music was peculiar yet catchy
Sing a boop boop aboopa lopa lum lum boom
A memorable phrase from the tune being played
Then he went on his way, and then what do you know?
The creature soon departed
I saw him last night on a tv show
I subsequently observed the creature appearing on television
He was blowing it out, a really knockin them dead
The creature was performing with great skill and impressing the audience
Playin rock and roll music through the horn on his head.
The creature was using its horn to play rock and roll music
Lyrics © DOTSON-WOOLEY ENTERTAINMENT
Written by: Sheb Wooley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@imsixftsix
Singing this shows she had a good sense of humor....I was 4 when the Sheb Wooley version came out...One of my first 45's...Now at 57, I wish I could have heard her performance at the Coconut Grove...
@dellotti
When Judy sings this...always makes me smile
@kateh6549
32 years to the day before I was born. I watched Wizard of Oz as a kid, and I just wanted to be able to sing like Judy, or look like her. I would actually get dressed up as Dorothy any chance I got. Still love her voice after all these years!
@Zrelia
She was gorgeous.
@waldenandwilson
As far as I'm concerned, this may be the most wonderful moment in history.
@hudsony777
I agree!
@ariadnerodrigues5464
Judy is rock n roll! 😂🤘
@italoman9
Judy had a great, comic speaking voice and sense of humor...too bad she didn't narrate more documentaries on TV going into the '60s, including children's specials -- she'd have been great.
@vintage1520
nice
@TheLibrarianMarian
Not to argue, but it does sound like Judy is saying "eyed" instead of "live" here, regardless of whether lyric websites say differently or not. The joys of dozens of different versions of the same song, right? Haha.