On This Day in 2001, a Song From a Famous 1930s Fantasy Musical Was Voted the Song of the Century in an American Poll

“Somewhere over the rainbow / Way up high / There’s a land that I heard of / Once in a lullaby…”

Videos by American Songwriter

No matter your age or where you are from, you probably have heard the song “Over The Rainbow” at least a few times in your life. How could you not? The song was massively popular  after it was released in 1939 from the legendary film The Wizard Of Oz. It’s a ballad beautifully sung by actress Judy Garland in the film. And it’s hard to believe that the song was explicitly written by Yip Harburg for the film. “Over The Rainbow” was not a cover written by some massive musician at the time. It was meant to be a song in a musical film, and what a song it was (and still is today).

On this day, March 12, 2001, decades after “Over The Rainbow” first hit movie theaters and radio airwaves, a poll of American musicians, music fans, and music critics voted “Over The Rainbow” as the Song of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Who knew that a song sung by a young girl in a movie would have such an impact on listeners?

The Impact of “Over The Rainbow” Was Huge

“Over The Rainbow” wasn’t just a massive hit across the globe. It was an award winner, too. The single, released by Decca, was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014 with the Towering Song Award. “Over The Rainbow” has since been entered in the National Recording Registry for being  “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” In addition to the RIAA’s list, “Over The Rainbow” was also No. 1 on the National Endowment for the Arts’ similar list. The tune also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Outside “Over The Rainbow”, there were quite a few contenders for the Song of the Century. Second place went to “White Christmas”, written by Irving Berlin and famously sung by Bing Crosby in 1942. Third place went to Woodie Guthrie’s 1940 classic “This Land Is Your Land”. Fourth place went to Aretha Franklin with her 1967 rendition of Otis Redding’s “Respect”.

I wonder what the Song of the Century will be for our current 100-year stretch?

Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images