VIDEO: Composer Rob Kapilow Breaks Down 'Over the Rainbow' to Discover Why Song Endures

By: Oct. 07, 2015
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On the anniversary of the 1938 recording of "Over the Rainbow" from THE WIZARD OF OZ, PBS NEWS HOUR's Jeffrey Brown talked to composer and musician Rob Kapilow to discover why we love the story of a girl caught yearning for both home and adventure and why the classic tune endures to this day. Watch the fascinating clip below!

The classic Academy Award-winning ballad "Over the Rainbow", with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg was written for the 1939 movie THE WIZARD OF OZ, and was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role as Dorothy Gale.

It soon became her signature song, and one of the most enduring standards of the 20th century. About five minutes into the film, Dorothy sings the song after failing to get her aunt and uncle to listen to her relate an unpleasant incident involving her dog, Toto, and the town spinster, Miss Gulch. Dorothy's Aunt Em tells her to "find yourself a place where you won't get into any trouble."



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