Over the Rainbow
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| "Over The Rainbow" | |
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| Music by | Harold Arlen |
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| Lyrics by | E.Y. Harburg |
| Published | 1939 |
| Language | English |
| Original artist | Judy Garland (1939) |
| Recorded by | Ray Charles, Patti Labelle, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Chris Impellitteri Eva Cassidy Plácido Domingo Livingston Taylor Sylvia McNair Sarah Vaughan Carly Simon Harry Connick Jr. Eric Clapton Norah Jones Shawn McDonald Jason Castro Luiza Possi (2003) Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Katharine McPhee (2006) Art Pepper |
"Over the Rainbow" (mistakenly known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow") is a popular song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and it became Judy Garland's signature song.
The song's plaintive melody and simple lyrics depict a pre-adolescent girl's desire to 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 a door will magically be opened to a place where "troubles melt like lemon-drops".
The song is so popular that it 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.
Along with Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", the song was adopted by the American troops in Europe in World War II as a symbol of the United States, the faraway land that, after long years of war, seemed like a dream beyond the rainbow. Modern listeners may be unaware that the song had an introductory stanza, as this was not sung in the film by Garland. However, there is one known recorded instance of her singing the full song with the introductory verse, on The Louella Parsons Radio Show in December 1948.
The song has come to epitomize the gesture of the rising octave, which makes its opening so distinctive. Sight-singing instructors and other musicians use the song as an example and a reference point for hearing the interval. The music is heavily inspired by the 'Song to the Moon' by Dvorak's opera Rusalka.
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[edit] The Wizard of Oz
A time-honored story tells that this classic song was cut from the film after a preview, because MGM head Louis B. Mayer thought the song "slowed down the picture" and that "our star sings it in a barnyard". Most of the music in the film is medium-to-high energy, in contrast to this gently paced melody. However, the frequent instrumental references to the song throughout the film, including its title sequences, meant that the deleting of the song was short lived. Harold Arlen, who was at the preview, and executive producer Arthur Freed lobbied to get the song reinstated in the film, which it was.
Part of the song was cut from the film. An additional verse was to play when Dorothy was locked in a room in the witch's castle, helplessly awaiting death as the witch's hourglass ran out. A rehearsal recording of the song survives and was included in the Deluxe CD set. In that rendition, Dorothy weeps her way through it, unable to finish, concluding with a tear-filled, "I'm frightened, Auntie Em; I'm frightened!"
That phrase was retained in the film, followed immediately by Auntie Em's appearance in the witch's crystal, and then replaced by the image of the witch, mocking and taunting Dorothy and then turning toward the camera and laughing hideously, directly at the audience.
[edit] Eva Cassidy
Eva Cassidy arranged her own version of the song and performed it at Blues Alley, a nightclub in Georgetown. This particular performance was recorded on hand-held video camera by Eva's friend, Bryan McCulley. 5 years after Eva passed away, this amateur recording of Eva was played on Top Of The Pops 2, a TV show in the UK. The producer, Mark Hagen, was having doubts about playing it on air due to the video's poor quality and amateur style of recording but took a risk by airing it on December 13, 2000. The video had a phenomenal reaction from viewers. People were bombarding the studio with calls about the song, trying to find out more information about this unknown person Eva Cassidy. The video was later announced as the most requested video in the history of Pop.[1] Additionally, The Sunday Times said that Eva's version was "maybe the best version of Over the Rainbow ever recorded."[2]
[edit] Impellitteri
Guitarist Chris Impellitteri covered an instrumental version of the song for his solo bands debut album Stand In Line. Impellitteri's version has become a classic for guitar students around the world. Chris actually performed his version in just one take and due to the slightly rushed production, the first note was faded in almost instantly giving the effect that part had been cut off. When the album was remastered, Chris left this as it was. Other guitarists such as Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani are mistakenly credited for this version due to its widespread popularity over p2p services. According to the various band members, Chris never actually performed the song live.
[edit] Original Garland recordings
Garland first pre-recorded the song on the MGM soundstages on October 7, 1938. It was released as a single by Decca Records in September of 1939. In March of 1940, that same recording was included on a Decca "Cast Album" entitled "The Wizard of Oz." Although this is not the version of the song featured in the film, Decca would continue to re-release the "Cast Album" well into the 1970's. Garland always performed the song without altering it. She sang exactly as she did for the movie. She did this because she said that she was staying true to the character of Dorothy and the message of really being somewhere over the rainbow.[1].
It was not until 1956, when MGM released the first true soundtrack from the film that the film version of the song was available for sale to the public. The 1956 Soundtrack release was timed to coincide with the television premiere of the movie.[2] The Soundtrack version has also been re-released numerous times over the years, most notably in a "Deluxe Edition" from Rhino Records in 1995.[3]
[edit] Lyrics
The song is often referred to as "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," but the actual title is simply "Over The Rainbow." The introduction was not used in the movie, nor was there ever any intention of using it; but it is often used in theatrical productions of The Wizard of Oz. In addition, contemporary singers often use the introduction to lengthen the single for their album. Verse two was intended to be used when Dorothy was locked in the Witch’s castle. But that intent was never carried out: Dorothy simply resang the main verse. The only time verse two has been used in a recording was in the recording of The Wizard of Oz In Concert, where it was performed by singer/songwriter Jewel. The second verse is used occasionally in theatrical productions too, but it remains almost unknown.
"Over the Rainbow" is one of many popular songs whose lyrics use a "Bluebird of Happiness" as a symbol of cheer. ("If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why oh why can't I?")
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by "Thanks for the Memory" from The Big Broadcast of 1938 |
Academy Award for Best Original Song 1939 |
Succeeded by "When You Wish upon a Star" from Pinocchio |
