《綠野仙蹤》（The Wizard of Oz）是一部美國歌舞片，由米高梅電影公司於1939年發行。該片為維多·佛萊明指導，茱蒂·嘉蘭主演，內容改編自李曼·法蘭克·鮑姆撰寫的童話書《綠野仙蹤》，描述桃樂絲與三位夥伴前往歐茲王國（Oz）找回家路程的故事。由於該片劇情感人，適逢第二次世界大戰爆發，人們關心戰場上士兵的安危，因而引起相當大的共鳴。其中，茱蒂·葛蘭主演的桃樂絲所演唱的Over The Rainbow更是近代最膾炙人口的電影主題曲之一。
“Over the Rainbow” (often referred to as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role as Dorothy Gale. Over time it would become Garland’s signature song. In the film, part of the song is played by the MGM orchestra over the opening credits. About five minutes into the movie, actress Judy Garland playing the lead character, Dorothy, sings “Over the Rainbow” after unsuccessfully trying to get her aunt and uncle to listen to her relate an unpleasant incident involving her dog, Toto, and the nasty spinster, Miss Gulch (Margaret Hamilton). Dorothy’s Aunt Em tells her to “find yourself a place where you won’t get into any trouble”, prompting Dorothy to walk off by herself. She muses to Toto “Someplace where there isn’t any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It’s not a place you can get to by a boat, or a train. It’s far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain…..”, and begins singing the song. The famous sequence itself, as well as the entirety of the Kansas scenes, was directed (though uncredited) by King Vidor.
The song is number one of 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”. It was adopted (along with Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”) by American troops in Europe in World War II as a symbol of the United States–in fact, Garland even performed the song for American troops as part of a 1943 command performance. An introductory verse that was not used in the movie is often used in theatrical productions of The Wizard of Oz and is included in the piano sheet music book of songs from the film.It was also used in renditions by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan (among others). Garland herself sang the introductory verse only once, on a 1948 radio broadcast of The Louella Parsons Show. A second bridge is also used occasionally in theatrical productions. The short reprise, deleted from the final cut of the film, uses the melody of the bridge (or “B” section).
By Judy Garland
By Connie Talbot
Lyrics
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I’ll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That’s where you’ll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly Birds fly over the rainbow Why then, oh why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly Beyond the rainbow Why, oh why can’t I?