Everyone who’s ever heard Judy Garland sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow never forgets it. The song is so special it’s ranked number one on the Songs of the Century list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. The American Film Institute (AFI) also named it the greatest movie song of all time, placing Somewhere Over the Rainbow atop its 100 Years…100 Songs list.
Actually titled Over the Rainbow, but referred to by most as Somewhere Over the Rainbow, this renowned number was written for the movie, The Wizard of Oz, by Harold Arlen (music) and E.Y. Harburg (lyrics). Not surprisingly, it won the Academy Award® in 1939 for Best Song.
Over the Rainbow is one of many unforgettable songs from The Wizard of Oz. Others include Come Out,.. and Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead, both sung by Billie Burke as Glinda and the Munchkins. And who can forget The Lullaby League performed by Lorraine Bridges, Betty Rome, and Carol Tevis as the Lullaby Girls, and The Lollipop Guild by Jerry Maren, Billy Bletcher, and Pinto Colvig as the Lollipop Kids?
The playlist of memorable melodies from The Wizard of Oz continues with Follow the Yellow Brick Road/You’re Off to See the Wizard by Judy Garland as Dorothy and the Munchkins. And, of course, there’s the trio of tunes sung by Dorothy’s trio of newfound friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion – If I Only Had a Brain, If I Only Had a Heart, and If I Only Had the Nerve.
With so many indelible ditties, it’s no wonder that The Wizard of Oz has everyone who watches it humming a happy tune or two or three or…well, you get the idea.