The Part of “Over the Rainbow” You Didn’t Know
We all grew up on Judy Garland’s beloved song “Over the Rainbow” from the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. The tune is simply embedded in our national consciousness. Most of us could sing it by heart.
But very few of us could sing the whole of it.
What most people don’t know is that the song’s creators, Yip Harburg (lyricist) and Harold Arlen (composer), wrote a prelude to the song that Judy Garland didn’t sing in the movie and that most popular renditions don’t include either.
The first rendition of “Over the Rainbow” below has the prelude. It’s marvelous not only in itself but also because it is performed by the phenomenal Ella Fitzgerald (1917 –1996), the most celebrated female jazz performer of the 20th century.
Ella has well-earned the titles, Queen of Jazz and the First Lady of Song. I just call her an unrepeatable gift to American music.
Older Americans will recognize some of her more popular and famous tunes like "A-Tisket, A-Tasket", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", and "Cheek to Cheek", among so many others. She won an unbelievable 14 Grammy Awards in her long career.
The second rendition lacks the prelude but it’s performed by the incomparable Martina McBride. She’s won so many Country Music Awards, it’s hard to keep track of them all!
Here is the wording of the obscure prelude:
When all the world is a hopeless jumble
And the raindrops tumble all around
Heaven opens a magic lane
When all the clouds darken up the skyway
There's a rainbow highway to be found
Leading from your window pane
To a place behind the sun
Just a step beyond the rain.
And, well, you know the rest….
[Photo Credit: dbking, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons]