Song 115 - The Wizard of Oz - Harold Arln and E.Y.Harburg

I hope people don't think putting The Wizard Oz in as an album of the week is a cheat as I have already had Over the Rainbow as a song for the day, but I think it is wrong to have an Oscar month that fails to mention The Wizard of Oz.

As well as winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the score for the move won Best Original Score, it was Herbert Stothart who composed the instrumental underscore. Since its premiere, the music reaches a new set of hearts every time one of the songs is played on the radio, television or streamed through web.  Who doesn't love The Wizard of Oz? The journey that Dorothy takes with Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and the Lion is as a famous as any of the Grimm's Fairy tales and the Wicked Witch of the West is one of the most terrifying on-screen villains  for children.

Like I have said before; sometimes music is too precious for me to layer it up with my memories or associations with the song, it is also too widely written about to add any new other than saying this is a classic of musical film and if this soundtrack has been released in any year there is no doubt in my mind that this would have won the Oscar against any competing song or score in the whole oscar history.

To listen to the whole album again and have a magical start to the weekend:
Wizard of Oz full Soundtrack


Oscar for Best Song: 1939 for Over the Rainbow
Album: The Wizard of Oz
Written by Harold Arln, E.Y. Harburgh & Herbert Stothart. 

Song 106 - Over the rainbow - Judy Garland

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high, there's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Over the rainbow needs very little introduction. Written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburgh, it was written for the file The Wizard of Oz and has become one of the most iconic songs of all time. Though many artist had sung it; this song belongs to wonderful Judy Garland, who sang it in the Wizard of Oz right after Toto is condemned by the town spinster, Miss Gluch and she is told by Aunty Em to find a place where you won't get into any trouble. The only place Dorothy can think that matches this is somewhere far, far way, behind the moon, beyond the rain... Somewhere over the rainbow.

Over the rainbow became Judy Garland's signature tune, she was only 17 when the film was release and won her the Juvenile Oscar in 1940 and her song won the Oscar for  best original song in the same year. Performing it for the next 30 years of her life, Garland never changed the arrangements of the song and always performed it like she performed it for the film.  In a letter to Harold Arlen, Garland wrote: Over the rainbow has become part of my life. It's so symbolic of everybody's dreams and wishes that I'm sure that's why some people get tears in their eyes when they hear it. I've sung it thousands of times and it's still the song that's closest to my heart.  I really don't have to say anything more but perhaps a little fact that it was until 1956 that MGM released the Wizard of Oz soundtrack and the original version of Over the rainbow was available.

Without argument, Judy Garland's recording is the best, however there has been many covers of the songs by an array of different artists due to the universal message of hope and following your dreams. One of the most noticed covers in recent times and a version that I have fallen in love with is Irasel Kamakawiwo'ole's, which was released in 2004 as a single. Using the ukulele as the accompanying instrument, which gives the song a reggae chilled out feel to this version that works. Kamakawiwo'ole's version has gone on to sell over 4 million of digital sales (up until 2014) something unfortunately Irasel didn't see how successful his version has been, as he died in 1997. For me, I remember the song being used in the series of ER when they killed off Dr. Mark Green. I wept buckets but found this version of the song.

To hear Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz:
Somewhere over the rainbow - Judy Garland as Dorothy

To hear Irasel Kamakawiwo'ole's version:
Somewhere over the rainbow - Irasel Kamakawiwo'ole

Written by Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburgh
Performed by Judy Garland as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, released 1939.
Album: The Wizard of Oz, released 1956.