Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Arranged By, Composed By ["Introduction To The Rainbow"] – Herbert Stothart
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow," composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by E.Y. Harburg is an iconic ballad from the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz." Sung by Judy Garland in her title role of Dorothy Gale, it's one of the songs that outlives the work of the movies to become a standard, filled with themes of hope, longing, and universal desire for a place where one can find peace and fulfill his potential.

Beginning with "Somewhere over the rainbow / Way up high," one can instantly be moved to the very essence of the song, the dream of some ideal land far from all the problems of the contemporary real world. When Dorothy sings that this "land," where troubles "melt like lemon drops" is this "land of somewhere over the rainbow," it represents the ideal world somehow untouched by hurt or any other human difficulty.

And the dreams that you dare to dream really come true further just puts in words the power of hope and the need to keep alive one's dreams in this pragmatic world. That "somewhere over the rainbow," these dreams can and do come true becomes quite symbolic of the way people chase their greatest longings and feelings.

"Someday I'll wish upon a star / And wake up where the clouds are far / Behind me" further fuels the theme of running away and transformation. Does one portray their desire to find a place of ideal bliss and peace where troubles are left behind and solace is found "where troubles melt like lemon drops," really, in an ideal situation?

This question, "Why, oh why can't I?" repeated at the end of the song, asks about the very basic human condition, feeling somehow bound by the constraints of current situations, whereby one may long for the freedom that would have allowed for the realization of dreams. It longs for the transcending of limitations for one to partake in the joy and boundlessness symbolized by the flying bluebirds.

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is one of those classic songs that went on to live a life of its own, representing hope in whatever it is that lies just on the other side of the rainbow. Its appeal, therefore, is enduring in delivering a universal message of optimism and belief in a better tomorrow—an anthem of strength for myriad generations in times of adversities seeking comfort and inspiration.