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).
They Can't Take That Away from Me
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though by tomorrow you're gone;
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
The melody lingers on.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
The way you wear your hat
The memory of all that
No, no, they can't take that away from me
The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
W e may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
Can't take that away
Can't take that away from me
In "They Can't Take That Away From Me," Judy Garland sings about the enduring memories of a love that, although ending soon, will linger on. These memories include the way her lover wears his hat, sips his tea or smiles. As time passes by and the relationship fades, she knows that nobody can take away from her the unique qualities that made her fall in love with him. Despite the fact that they might never meet again, the memory - and the song - will always be there.
The lyrics evoke feelings of nostalgia and longing, and show that even after a relationship ends, there can still be a deep appreciation and admiration for what once was, and a sense of gratitude for having experienced it. The melody "lingers on" is the perfect example of this feeling. Even when the relationship is over, the memory of what made it special stays with us and becomes a part of our identity.
"They Can't Take That Away From Me" was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film, "Shall We Dance". The song was one of the last collaborations between the Gershwin brothers before George's untimely death from a brain tumor at the age of 38. The song was widely popularized by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the movie, and has since been covered by many prominent artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole.
Line by Line Meaning
Our romance won't end on a sorrowful note,
Our love story won't end unhappily,
Though by tomorrow you're gone;
Even if you leave tomorrow,
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
Our love song may be over now,
The melody lingers on.
But the memory of it will never fade.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
They might separate us, and I'll miss your loving touch.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
But even then, I'll still have the memories of all we shared.
The way you wear your hat
The way you stylishly wear your hat
The way your sip your tea
The elegant way you drink your tea
The memory of all that
The reminiscence of those moments
No, no, they can't take that away from me
Those memories will always be mine.
The way your smile just beams
The way your smile radiates happiness
The way you sing off key
The unique way you sing, even if it's not perfectly in tune
The way you haunt my dreams
The way you consistently linger in my dreams
We may never, never meet again
We may never cross paths again
On the bumpy road to love
As we navigate the ups and downs of love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
Nevertheless, I'll cherish the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way you hold your knife while eating
The way we danced till three
The way we danced until the early hours of the morning
The way you changed my life
The way your presence has revolutionized my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
Nobody can take those memories away from me.
No, they can't take that away from me
Nobody can take those memories away from me.
Can't take that away
Those memories can never be taken away
Can't take that away from me
Those memories can never be taken away from me
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marjolein Garland
Perfect, just perfect. I wish mister Mayer saw it to, and people told her she was beautiful. Then they wouldn't give her those pills, and she might be alive today. She was pure perfection in my eyes. I miss you Judy r.i.p.
Brown562
what beautiful voice
M S
She makes me cry at her age already... Love her!
digitalrazorbladez
they always put judy in these situations of rejection when she should have been the one everybody wanted
annie h.
America's forever sweet heart..
Tatyana Reyes
Judy is my idol!
Csík Emese
amazing....xD beautiful, very talented girl...
Qui habet nihil, perdidit nihil
Ya either got it or ya don't.
Hey folks, even back then some had it, and some didn't... that's just the way it is.
That's right. It's just as simple as that...
No reason to be sore or cross, or get hard feelings about it or anything.
Well now, as you can plainly see, just as plain as the nose on your face, that regarding Miss Judy -
Why it's simply irrefutable!
Oh she had it alright.
Yessiree Bob ... and by gum, she had it in spades too.
Laraee Johnson
she was 15 here/ wow/ Jackie Chicago and wow again.
Alastair Crosby
Not quite 15.