Over the Rainbow

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"Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz

On this day 120 years ago (1900), L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was first published, later becoming a classic of children's literature. The 1939 film adaptation is among the most beloved movies in American cinema. The song "Over the Rainbow", originally sung by Judy Garland was written by Harold Arlen (music) and E.Y. Harburg (lyrics). Listen:





"Over the Rainbow" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, but its future success did not feel so secure during the creative process.  By the time all the other songs for the film had been written, Arlen was feeling the pressure to produce a song for the Kansas scene. Arlen would often carry blank pieces of music manuscript in his pockets to jot down melodic ideas. Arlen described how the inspiration for the melody to "Over the Rainbow" came to him suddenly while his wife Anywa was driving:

"I wasn't thinking of work. I wasn't consciously thinking of work, I just wanted to relax...as we drove by Schwab's Drug Store on Sunset, I said, 'Pull over, please.'...And we stopped and I really don't know why - bless the muses - and I took out my little bit of manuscript and put down what you know now as 'Over the Rainbow' "
- Harold Arlen


Books
The original book by L. Frank Baum

                                                                                  Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia

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