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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

December 20, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Over The Rainbow

The song of the day for Saturday, December 20, 2014 is “Over the Rainbow.”

About This Song

“Over The Rainbow” is, of course, written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg in 1939 for The Wizard of Oz. As beloved as this song is, it was cut during previews by studio executives who felt that it slowed down the movie and was out of character for the role played by Judy Garland. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the song was put back into the film before its official opening.

The song is ranked first 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 also ranked “Over the Rainbow” the greatest movie song of all time on the list of “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs.” Judy Garland sang it in all of her concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Over the Rainbow” in 1995 for his album Here’s to the Ladies. In this album, he sings the great standards associated with America’s finest female singers. This song, of course, is for Judy Garland.

Somewhere over the Rainbow

Listen to Somewhere over the Rainbow on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1995.


“Over The Rainbow,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies, is available from iTunes.

As a bit of an early Christmas present, we have two videos. The first is from Tony Bennett and the second is from the song’s lyricist, Yip Harburg.

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Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Harold Arlen, Here's To The Ladies, Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz, Yip Harburg

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