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).
This Is It
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to hang on to this one big chance
You're mine, my loneliness dies
I feel fine, with stars in my eyes
Oh, it fills me up to such a height
To know this is so very real and right
And I, thought love passed me by
But I must admit this is it!
This is it, this is it, this is it...
In the song "This Is It," Judy Garland celebrates finding true love after feeling like it had passed her by. She declares that this is the great romance she's been waiting for, and that she's going to hold onto it tightly. The happiness she feels in this moment makes her forget all about the loneliness she felt before. She sings about feeling so full and energized, knowing that this love is the real deal.
These lyrics convey the joy and elation that come with finding that special someone. It's clear that Garland is treasuring this moment and is committed to making the most of her newfound love. The repetition of "this is it" throughout the song underscores the significance and finality of her feelings. She's found what she's been looking for, and she knows it.
Line by Line Meaning
This is it, my great romance
This is the moment I have been waiting for, the love of my life.
I want to hang on to this one big chance
I am willing to fight for this and not let it slip away.
You're mine, my loneliness dies
Being with you takes away my loneliness and makes me feel fulfilled.
I feel fine, with stars in my eyes
You make me so happy that I feel like I am on top of the world.
Oh, it fills me up to such a height
Being with you brings joy and contentment beyond measure.
To know this is so very real and right
I am certain that our love is genuine and meant to be.
And I, thought love passed me by
I had given up hope of finding true love, but now I have found it.
But I must admit this is it!
I can't deny that this is the one for me, the love that I have been looking for all my life.
Repeat last verse
The feeling is so strong that I have to express it again and again.
This is it, this is it, this is it...
This love is everything to me, and I am never letting it go.
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CINDY WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind