Somewhere Over the Rainbow
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"Over the Rainbow", music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg, is one of the most famous and beloved songs of the late 1930s.
Many feel the song epitomizes the hopes and dreams of youthful aspiration for an ideal world of love and joy. The song was especially written to showcase Judy Garland's talents in the star vehicle The Wizard of Oz, and she was forever after called upon to sing it in all her public appearances, for it became her lifelong theme song.
Its plaintive melody and simple lyrics depict a pre-adolescent girl's desire for an escape from the "hopeless jumble" of this world, from the sadness of raindrops to the bright new world "over the rainbow". It expresses the childlike faith that "Heaven" will magically "open a door" to a place where "troubles melt like lemon-drops".
The song tops the "Songs of the Century" list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. It also topped the American Film Institute's "100 Years, 100 Songs" list.
The American troops in Europe in WWII adopted the song as a symbol of the faraway land taht, after long years of war, seemed like a dream, beyond the rainbow. Over the years, the song has also ironically become an anthem for gay men.
Modern listeners may be unaware that the song had an introductory stanza, as this was not sung in the film by Garland.
Hundreds of singers have recorded their own versions of "Over the Rainbow" , most notably by Patti LaBelle, Sarah Vaughn, Tony Bennett, and the late Eva Cassidy. One of the most interesting versions was recorded by the late Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole whose medley of "Rainbow" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" was featured on the soundtrack of the film Meet Joe Black.
The cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes covered the song for their 1999 album Are A Drag.
External links
- lyrics (http://thewizardofoz.warnerbros.com/movie/cmp/r-lyrics.html) at Warner Brothers website