"Over the Rainbow"

"Over the Rainbow"
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Name	"Over the Rainbow"
Artist	Judy Garland
Published	1939
Composer	Harold Arlen
Lyricist	Yip Harburg
Album	The Wizard of Oz soundtrack
Recorded	1939

"Over the Rainbow" is a popular song introduced in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and sung by actress and singer Judy Garland. Composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg, the song quickly became associated with Garland's persona and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical tradition. The piece has been interpreted across genres by artists linked to Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Eva Cassidy, and Ray Charles.

Origin and Composition

Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg created the song during production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for The Wizard of Oz, with influences from Arlen's work for Irving Berlin-era shows and Harburg's political lyricism tied to New Deal-era themes. The composition process involved input from director Victor Fleming, producer Mervyn LeRoy, and musical director Herbert Stothart, while casting decisions involving Judy Garland and stage experience from MGM contract players shaped the vocal arrangement. Arlen referenced jazz and blues idioms heard in performances by Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie when crafting the melody, and Harburg's lyrical choices echoed protest-poem techniques similar to those of Langston Hughes and Woody Guthrie.

Film and Media Context

In The Wizard of Oz, the song functions as Dorothy Gale's emotional exposition, aligning with cinematic motifs developed by cinematographer Harold Rosson and art direction by Cedric Gibbons. Filmed on sets at MGM Studios and edited under the supervision of George Hively, the sequence uses leitmotifs comparable to those in Gone with the Wind and orchestration strategies akin to Max Steiner. The number serves as a narrative pivot comparable to musical set pieces in films featuring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland's co-stars like Ray Bolger and Bert Lahr, and later influenced sequences in films by directors such as Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton.

Recordings and Notable Performances

The song has been recorded by a wide range of performers and ensembles tied to labels like Columbia Records, Decca Records, Capitol Records, and Atlantic Records. Notable studio versions include recordings by Judy Garland for MGM Records, jazz interpretations by Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, pop renditions by Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee, and a ukulele-medley by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole produced in sessions influenced by Hawaiian producers associated with Hawaii studios. Live performances have occurred at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square Garden, and state events attended by figures including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

The song became an emblem for American popular culture, appearing in broadcasts on networks like NBC, CBS, and BBC Radio and in tribute concerts at institutions such as The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. It inspired cover projects by artists affiliated with movements around Civil Rights Movement concerts and benefit events for causes supported by United Nations initiatives. The melody has been sampled in recordings by artists who worked with labels such as Motown Records, Island Records, and Sony Music Entertainment, and its image has been invoked in visual art exhibits at museums including the Museum of Modern Art, Smithsonian Institution, and Victoria and Albert Museum. The song's cultural symbolism has been referenced in literature by authors like Ray Bradbury, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth, and in television programs produced by companies such as Warner Bros. Television and BBC Television.

Musical Structure and Lyrics

Musically the composition employs a 32-bar AABA popular song form with harmonic progressions reflecting George Gershwin-style modulation and chromaticism found in works by Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. The melody spans an octave-plus range characteristic of vocal standards sung by Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Frank Sinatra. Harburg's lyrics use imagery reminiscent of poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman while maintaining an accessible idiom comparable to contemporary songwriting by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer. Arrangements have featured orchestration techniques used by arrangers such as Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Quincy Jones.

Awards and Recognition

The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 12th Academy Awards and later appeared on lists compiled by institutions like the Library of Congress, which selected the music for the National Recording Registry, and organizations such as ASCAP and RIAA. It has been honored in ceremonies at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, inducted in various halls including the Grammy Hall of Fame, and cited in lists by periodicals like Rolling Stone, Time (magazine), and The New York Times. Performers associated with the song have received honors from bodies including the Kennedy Center Honors, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and national awards conferred by governments such as United States cultural medals.

Category:Songs