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).
The Man That Got Away )
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The stars have lost their glitter
The winds grow colder
Suddenly you're older
And all because of the man that got away
No more his eager call
The writings on the wall
Gone astray
The man that won you
Has run off and undone you
That great beginning
Has seen the final inning
Don't know what happened
It's all a crazy game
No more that all-time thrill
For you've been through the mill
And never a new love will
Be the same
Good riddance, goodbye
Every trick of his you're on to
But, fools will be fools
And where's he gone to?
The road gets rougher
It's lonelier and tougher
With hope you burn up
Tomorrow he will turn up
There's just no letup the live-long night and day
Ever since this world began
There is nothing sadder than
A one-man woman looking for
The man that got away
The man that got away
To Judy Garland,
The lyrics of "The Man That Got Away" paint a vivid picture of heartbreak, despair, and hopelessness. The song speaks about the pain of losing someone you loved deeply and how such a devastating experience can profoundly alter one's perspective on life. The night is described as bitter, and the stars have lost their glitter, symbolizing how everything beautiful and enchanting about the world has suddenly turned bleak and lifeless. The wind grows colder, and suddenly, the singer feels older, perhaps signifying how the experience has aged her spirit and drained her vitality.
The chorus becomes more poignant as the song progresses as it conveys how the man that got away has all but destroyed the singer. The dreams she once had have gone astray while the man who won her heart has undone her. The song's lyrics describe the relationship's great beginning but reveal how it has ended in the final inning, leading the singer to play a "crazy game" of figuring out what happened. Through it all, the woman is left alone, feeling desolate, and unable to love anew.
Therefore, "The Man That Got Away" is a powerful song that underscores the pain and loneliness of losing someone you love. Still, it also suggests that despite what one may feel in the aftermath of such a loss, there is always hope that tomorrow may bring them back.
Line by Line Meaning
The night is bitter,
The night is full of disappointment, sadness, and resentment...
The stars have lost their glitter,
...and even the stars above that once shone bright now seem dim and unimportant.
The winds grow colder
...as if to emphasize the chill felt within one's heart and soul.
And suddenly you're older,
The pain and sorrow felt during such a tumultuous time can cause one to feel as if they have aged significantly.
And all because of the man that got away.
All of these negative feelings are due to the loss of that one person who got away.
No more his eager call,
The sound of his voice and the attention he used to give is all but gone...
The writing's on the wall,
...and it's clear that the relationship is over and there's no going back.
The dreams you dreamed have all
The hopes and aspirations one had are now...
Gone astray.
...lost or forgotten, and the future is uncertain.
The man that won you
The person who won your heart...
Has gone off and undone you.
...has caused so much pain and distress that you feel broken and undone.
That great beginning
The relationship started off so well...
Has seen the final inning.
...but it's come to an end far sooner than expected.
Don't know what happened.
The reasons for the break-up remain unclear and it's hard to understand what went wrong.
It's all a crazy game!
Love is unpredictable and can make one feel like they're stuck in a nonsensical game of chance.
No more that all-time thrill,
The rush and excitement that one felt from being with that person has vanished...
For you've been through the mill,
...and there's no recapturing the blissful ignorance of the past. You've been through too much to be able to return to that.
And never a new love will
No other love will...
Be the same.
...feel just as special or significant as what was lost.
Good riddance, good-bye!
At this point, it's better to say farewell and good riddance to the cause of so much pain and strife.
Every trick of his you're on to.
The deceptions and manipulations employed by the person are no longer effective; you see through all of their lies and know the truth.
But, fools will be fools,
However, some people will remain blind to the truth and continue to suffer despite the knowledge they possess.
And where's he gone to?
It's unknown where the person who left is or what they're doing, causing further confusion and pain.
The road gets rougher,
The journey ahead will only become more challenging and arduous...
It's lonelier and tougher.
...the loneliness and difficulty of moving on weighing heavily on one's heart and mind.
With hope you burn up,
Despite the despair, there remains a flicker of optimism...
Tomorrow he may turn up.
...that the person who left may return and make things right.
There's just no letup the live-long night and day!
However, until that happens, the pain and disappointment will remain constant and relentless, affecting every moment of every day and night.
Ever since this world began
Throughout history and time itself...
There is nothing sadder than
...there is no greater sadness than...
A one-man woman looking for
...a woman who is so devoted and committed to just one person who has left her, searching endlessly for...
The man that got away,
...the one person who seemingly slipped through her fingers.
The man that got away.
The repetition of the line emphasizes the weight of the loss and the pain it brings.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maya Hay-Nicholls
The night is bitter
The stars have lost their glitter
The winds grow colder
Suddenly you're older
And all because of the man that got away
No more his eager call
The writings on the wall
The dreams you dreamed have all
Gone astray
The man that won you
Has run off and undone you
That great beginning
Has seen the final inning
Don't know what happened
It's all a crazy game
No more that all-time thrill
For you've been through the mill
And never a new love will
Be the same
Good riddance, goodbye
Every trick of his you're on to
But, fools will be fools
And where's he gone to?
The road gets rougher
It's lonelier and tougher
With hope you burn up
Tomorrow he will turn up
There's just no letup the live-long night and day
Ever since this world began
There is nothing sadder than
A one-man woman looking for
The man that got away
The man that got away
Anne Hajdu
Best quote about Judy Garland: "She didn't sing a song, she inhabited it." She was only 23 in 1945 !! Her voice carried a hundred years of emotion, pain, passion, and perfection. She was in a league by herself. And still is.
Yolie C
Preach!
Macho Voce
This is 1954, not '45. Despite that, one could make a strong case that she was the greatest non-classical singer of the 20th century.
Joyce Richens
Anne Hajdu ss
Song ssong that's for me
Bing Crosby
Phoebe Dinsmore
She was 32 not 23, she was born in 1922 and the movie was 1954. Still a staggering voice though.
termar
I wholeheartedly agree!!! People laugh when I tell them Judy is 1 of my 2 favorite vocalists of all time! Her range, pitch, power- unmatched and unrivaled.. yes, she was in a class of her own back in her day, and the mark she left behind will never fade. She didn't just sing a song.. she took it, threw it up, threw it down, flipped it, and turnt it inside out! Ability and talent of her caliber is rare indeed..
Alex Linhardt
She should have won the Oscar for this performance alone. Before watching this, I have never experienced being truly blown away by someone singing. Judy Garland did that for me.
melisa GALVALIZI
she was a great actress and singer, no ust a great singer, don't forget that
Karli Woods
While I love Grace Kelly, who beat Judy out of the Oscars, I think Judy should have won it.
Tony From Coney
Her time to shine and she was ripped off at Oscar time.