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 Wizard of Oz
Judy Garland Lyrics
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There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Way above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds 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?
The song "Over The Rainbow" by Judy Garland is a beautiful and dreamy ballad that paints a vivid picture of a magical place that is beyond reach yet full of potential. The first verse sets the stage for this otherworldly place that is "somewhere over the rainbow, way up high." The land is described as one that the singer has "heard of once in a lullaby," giving it a mystical quality that is reinforced by the promise that "the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true." The second verse adds to the fantasy, as the singer imagines herself "where troubles melt like lemon drops" and looking down on the world "way above the chimney tops."
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There exists a place beyond the horizon, where everything is viewed from a higher perspective
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
In my dreams, I have heard of a land of pure bliss and tranquility
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
Beyond the horizon, the clear blue skies signify a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
All aspirations and longings that you are brave enough to wish for will indeed manifest themselves into reality
Someday I'll wish upon a star
One day, I will hope and yearn for something so badly that it will feel as if I am wishing upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
I will find myself in a place where all of my insecurities and concerns will be left far behind
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
The issues that burden me will melt away as easily as a lemon drop candy dissolves in the mouth
Way above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
I will be located in a place high above where everyday life's routine occurs
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Bluebirds can fly over the rainbow, so, why can't I also follow my dreams and achieve great things?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
When even small bluebirds can surpass the horizon and fly far beyond the reasonable, why shouldn't I do it too?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind