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).
Somewhere over the Rainbow
Judy Garland Lyrics
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Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why oh why can't I?
Judy Garland's iconic song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from the movie "The Wizard of Oz" is a deeply moving and poignant number that has stood the test of time. The song speaks to the feeling of wanting to escape to a better place, a place where dreams come true and troubles melt away. As the song progresses, Garland's voice soars as she dreams of a place high above, where blue skies and lemon drops take the place of worries and strife.
The opening lines of the song, "somewhere over the rainbow, way up high," paint the picture of a magical and fantastical place that is out of reach for most people. This feeling of otherworldliness is then reinforced with the line, "there's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby," implying that this place may only exist in our dreams and imaginations.
The second verse of the song speaks to the idea that dreams can come true, with the line "the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true." It is a hopeful and optimistic message that encourages listeners to hold onto their dreams and aspirations, no matter how impossible they may seem.
Overall, the song is a wistful and hopeful reflection on the human desire for a better life and a brighter future, and Garland's soaring vocals give voice to this universal longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere over the rainbow
Beyond this world, in a place beyond our current reality
Way up high
In a place that seems distant and hard to reach
There's a land that I heard of
There exists a place that I've heard about
Once in a lullaby
It's a place that was mentioned in a soothing song or story
Skies are blue
The world in that other land is vibrant and full of life
And the dreams that you dare to dream
In that land, even the wildest and most daring dreams can come true
Really do come true
Such dreams are not just a fantasy, but can really be achieved
Someday I'll wish upon a star
I'll cast my hopes high up in the sky, perhaps with help from the universe
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Ultimately, my desires will take me to a place where my past troubles can't reach me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
In that other world, all problems dissolve effortlessly and naturally
Away above the chimney tops
Elevated from the mundane, everyday concerns of life
That's where you'll find me
In that place, my true self resides and is waiting for me to join it
Bluebirds fly
Even the birds in that world are imbued with joy and freedom
Birds fly over the rainbow
They soar above the normal limitations and boundaries of life
Why then oh why can't I?
Why can't I experience the same sense of boundless freedom and joy?
If happy little bluebirds fly
If even the smallest and humblest of creatures finds joy in that other world
Beyond the rainbow
In that place beyond our current reality
Why oh why can't I?
Why can't I attain that same level of happiness and contentment?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, E HARBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind