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).
Something Cool
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something cool,
Something cool,
I'd like to order something cool!
Something cool, (something cool)
I'd like to order something cool; (something cool)
It's so warm here in town,
Yes, I'd like something cool! (something cool)
My! It's nice to simply sit and rest awhile;
Now I know it's a shame,
I can't think of your name,
I remember your smile!
I don't ordinarily drink with strangers,
I most usually drink alone.
You were so awfully nice to me,
And I'm so terribly far from home.
Like my dress? I must confess it's terribly old;
But it's simple and neat,
It's just right for the heat,
Save my furs for the cold!
A cigarette? Well I don't smoke them as a rule,
but I'll have one,
It might be fun
With something cool!
I'll bet you couldn't imagine
That I one time had a house
With so many rooms I couldn't count them all!
I'll bet you couldn't imagine
I had fifteen different beaus
Who would beg and beg to take me to a ball.
I'll bet you couldn't picture me
The time I went to Paris in the Fall,
And who would think the man I loved was quite so handsome,
Quite so tall?
Well it's true, (something cool)
It's just a memory I have; (something cool)
One I almost forgot
'Cause the weather's so hot!
And I'm feeling so bad (something cool)
About a date,
Oh wait!
I'm such a fool!
He's just a guy
Who's stopped to buy
Me something cool!
The song "Something Cool" is a classic pop jazz ballad performed by Judy Garland, in which a woman, who is feeling uncomfortable and out of place in the heat of the city, seeks refuge in a bar where she meets a stranger. She orders "something cool" to escape the stifling heat and begins to chat with the stranger next to her. Garland's soft and melancholic voice encapsulates the pain and feeling of being stuck in a life that's not what you truly want.
The lyrics include images of a grand past filled with large houses, balls, and handsome men, which contrast starkly with the woman's current reality of being alone with nothing but her old dress in a hot city. The woman's story is touching because she appears to have given up on the idea of finding happiness, settling for "something cool" as a temporary respite. The lyrics beg the question of whether life is worth it if you can't have what you want?
Line by Line Meaning
Something cool, (something cool)
I want to have something refreshing to deal with the heat.
I'd like to order something cool; (something cool)
I am seriously craving for a cold drink.
It's so warm here in town,
The weather is extremely hot, which is making me uncomfortable.
And the heat gets me down,
The heat is making me feel weak and exhausted.
Yes, I'd like something cool! (something cool)
Drinking something cold would make my day.
My! It's nice to simply sit and rest awhile;
I feel relieved that I finally have the chance to relax after a long day.
Now I know it's a shame,
I regret the fact that I can't remember your name.
I can't think of your name,
I am having trouble recalling your name.
I remember your smile!
Your smile is what I remember the most about you.
I don't ordinarily drink with strangers,
I typically prefer drinking alone rather than with those whom I just met.
I most usually drink alone.
Normally, I would rather have a drink by myself.
You were so awfully nice to me,
You were surprisingly kind to me.
And I'm so terribly far from home.
I feel homesick and distant from my place of origin.
Like my dress? I must confess it's terribly old;
I know that my dress is out-of-date.
But it's simple and neat,
Despite its age, my dress is still clean and tidy.
It's just right for the heat,
My dress is perfect to wear in this hot weather.
Save my furs for the cold!
I keep my fur coat for when it is cold outside.
A cigarette? Well I don't smoke them as a rule,
Normally, I never smoke a cigarette.
but I'll have one,
But this time, I am willing to smoke one.
It might be fun
It could be a fun experience.
With something cool!
A cigarette would go great with a cold drink.
I'll bet you couldn't imagine
I don't think you could envision.
That I one time had a house
That I previously owned a house.
With so many rooms I couldn't count them all!
There were so many rooms in that house that it was hard for me to keep track.
I'll bet you couldn't imagine
I'm certain you cannot imagine.
I had fifteen different beaus
I used to have fifteen boyfriends at once.
Who would beg and beg to take me to a ball.
All of them would want to take me to a social event.
I'll bet you couldn't picture me
It is highly unlikely that you can imagine me.
The time I went to Paris in the Fall,
The occasion when I visited Paris during Fall season.
And who would think the man I loved was quite so handsome,
And you wouldn't believe how stunning the man I fancied was.
Quite so tall?
...and tall too.
Well it's true, (something cool)
It's a fact that I am telling you...
It's just a memory I have; (something cool)
...a memory that I have in mind.
One I almost forgot
I almost lost that memory.
'Cause the weather's so hot!
I only remembered that memory because the weather now reminds me of it.
And I'm feeling so bad (something cool)
I feel terrible now... (something cool)
About a date,
I am worrying about a scheduled meet-up with someone.
Oh wait!
Actually, I might be wrong about my feeling...
I'm such a fool!
I am realizing that there's no reason to feel bad.
He's just a guy
At the end of the day, he's just an ordinary person.
Who's stopped to buy
He just happened to be buying me something to drink.
Me something cool!
I should just enjoy the moment and drink something refreshing.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM C. BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cindy Brodie
I appreciate that people can appreciate different vocals differently, but I love the emotion in Judy’s version. To me, Judy tells the story in each note she sings...
Scott Luster
Buzz, I've always appreciated your juxtapositioning of these two great ladies of song on what was June's signature song. I would add that June was a fan of many, but in awe of only two singers; Judy Garland and Sarah Vaughan. I have a picture in the archives of June and Sarah out to dinner back in the day. Not sure of how close she was to Judy, but Judy's stage presence was something June thought was sheer magic. I noticed how many speech affectations, diction cadences and head movements June shared with Judy in normal everyday discourse. I miss them both.
Russell Candy
Buzz, you always bring something new to the table!! Thank You!!
Marc Ballantyne
Judy attempted this during the agonizing and long-drawn-out taping of the final show - Show 26 - in her CBS series. She stumbled over the lyric "I don't ordinarily drink with strangers, I usually drink alone.." and was either too demoralized to go for another take, or perhaps thought twice about it being a bit too close to home. Whatever, I think it would have been a devastating version if Judy had managed to finish the song, since it foreshadows the circumstances of her own death, bereft of almost everything, barely five years later.
FLBoy46
A great song by two fantastic singers. June's album is very 1950's and a great tribute to that era. Thanks for posting!!
MrJazzohjazz
This combination was nicely done I had the biggest crush on June back in the late 50's. Her voice and girl next door looks became my secret love, Judy is just special ... not much you can say .... she understood songs like "Something Cool." thanks for posting... really enjoyed the trip back in time.
Josquinquin
I love Judy, but June owns this song. Especially on her second version in stereo. I keep her memory alive by listening to her often.
Buzz Stephens
The June Christy performance was recorded at the Deutches Museum in Munich, Germany on September 16, 1953. The other songs in her set were: Taking A Chance On Love, I'll Remember April, Great Scott, My Heart Belongs To Only You, How High The Moon, and Something Cool. Sorry this video frustrated you, but June was used specifically to finish where Garland left off....
Nun Ya
Betty Bryant used to play this when she performed in the lounge of The Westwood Marquis Hotel & Gardens about 25 years ago, when I worked there. She was a 59 year old black woman with a youthful face and the inner child still alive and well in her smile, but she rendered this great song so poignantly as well as livening it up on piano in the right spots.
Always reminded me of a star crossed lover back home I had left, nights we used to share listening to music like this, sharing an odd cigarette and a cold drink or glass of wine, reclined together in a booth.
Thanks so much.
Alexander Verney-Elliott
Judy Garland's is by far the greatest version version recorded; albeit a fragment; what a great pity that it was no completed....