I grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota, not far from Grand Rapids, MN. Its claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of Judy Garland. She lived there until she was four years old, and they moved to California, where Garland would become a massive star. At the age of sixteen, she was cast in the film The Wizard of Oz.
Despite only living there for a few years, Grand Rapids turned her childhood home into a museum, murals adorned buildings in the town, and one could not escape the imagery of the film, nor its musical numbers, which have etched themselves upon my own brain, as well as the bedrock of American arts. Interestingly, the most iconic song from the film was nearly cut altogether, which may have altered the history of both music and film.
How ‘Over the Rainbow’ Was Saved from The Wizard of Oz’s Cutting Room Floor
In the film, The Wizard of Oz, Garland sings a song called “Over the Rainbow,” which was written specifically for the film by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. It became a massive hit and remains part of the American lexicon via Wizard of Oz reboots like Wicked. Interestingly enough, the song was nearly cut from the film, and it was only the producer’s insistence that allowed it to stay – a decision that altered not only the history of music but also the film itself.
According to some original scripts at the Smithsonian, “Over the Rainbow” was initially intended to appear as a motif multiple times in the film as Dorothy arrived in Munchkinland, when she was captured in the Wicked Witch’s castle, and again at the very end. However, the film was already clocking in at over two hours according to studio records. This was an issue as audiences at the time expected films to be somewhere around the 90-minute mark.
Studio executives began cutting scenes, starting with extended dance numbers, including, according to Aljean Harmetz’s 2002 book “The Making of the Wizard of Oz,” one featuring a popular dance fad at the time, the jitterbug. All of these cuts reduced the film’s run time to 102 minutes, according to IMDb. They needed to cut something else to get it down to 90 minutes. Finally, their sights were set on the musical number “Over The Rainbow”.
The reasons for the executives targeting “Over The Rainbow,” according to Columbia News, ranged from opinions that the song slowed down the beginning of the film and should be cut for pacing purposes. Early scenes in a film are designed to grab the audience and pull them in. The rest of the Wizard of Oz certainly did that, but to have a young girl singing a ballad in a barnyard in Kansas seemed like a rather dull scene to place at the beginning of such a magical film. Oddly enough, the song aided in the stark contrast between Kansas and the land of Oz.
The other major issue was that the film’s primary audience was supposed to be children, and some deemed the song too poetic and abstract for that audience. The success of the film seemed to prove that this was a vast underestimation of a child’s ability to grasp and engage with abstract concepts.
Not everyone wanted “Over The Rainbow” to be cut. There was also intense advocacy from people involved in the production to keep the song, as they felt it was integral to the overall plot of the film. The most outspoken advocate was the film’s producer, Arthur Freed. According to a book “Listening for America” by Rob Kapilow, corroborated by other sources, after MGM executives cut the song following a preview, Freed essentially said to the studio head Louis B. Mayer, “Either the song stays or I go.” MGM chief Mayer then reportedly responded, “Let the boys have the damn song. Put it back in the picture. It can’t hurt.”
Eventually, his insistence and perseverance paid off, and the song stayed. Its inclusion helped create one of the most iconic and beloved moments in film history. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and was inducted into the Library of Congressin 2017.
Why ‘Over the Rainbow’ Endures as One of the Most Beloved Movie Songs Ever
The song itself works on multiple levels. While the scene in the film was criticized for not pulling viewers in, the song’s opening starts with an extraordinary octave leap in the melody (the word “Somewhere”) – this was by design, as if Dorothy was reaching toward another world she felt she could never reach. The expressive harmonic choices further convey a sense of longing. Much like some of the great film scores that followed, “Over The Rainbow” was used as a narrative device, helping viewers connect with and understand the character.
The instrumentation is smooth and flowing and doesn’t impede on Garland’s lyrical delivery. This balance between instrumentation and vocals mirrors the balance between yearning and hope, intimate yet universal, simple yet transcendent. Another interesting side note on the instrumentation in the film – the violin heard on the recording was actually a 1714 Stradivarius, which sold at auction in 2022 for $15.34 million, according to Newsweek.
From The Wizard of Oz to Wicked: The Enduring Legacy of ‘Over the Rainbow’
Today, the legend of the Wizard of Oz and the iconic song embedded within it continue to inspire great music from the same universe. Wicked has revitalized the Wizard of Oz story for a new generation, bringing along some new songs to accompany it – hits like “Defying Gravity“. “Popular” and “For Good“.
Part Two of the film series is scheduled for release on November 21, 2025. They will undoubtedly continue the great legacy of blending brilliant new songs and choreography with the fantastic story that began back in 1939.
