Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Original Singer, Lyrics & Covers

Few songs carry the staying power of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” First sung by Judy Garland in a 1939 film about a girl and her dog, it became a standard. Decades later, a Hawaiian musician with a ukulele reimagined it as a gentle medley that now streams in the tens of millions. Those two versions — one orchestral, one island-spare — define how a single song can mean completely different things depending on who holds the microphone.

Original Singer: Judy Garland · Film Debut: 1939 · Popular Medley Artist: Israel Kamakawiwoʻole · Writers: Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg · Medley Release: 1993

These key facts anchor the song’s journey from Hollywood standard to global ukulele anthem.

Who is the original singer of Somewhere Over the Rainbow?

The original recording belongs to Judy Garland. She performed “Over the Rainbow” for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, directed by Victor Fleming. The song was composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg (also known as E.Y. Harburg), and Garland sang it as Dorothy Gale during the movie’s opening sequence.

Judy Garland’s role in The Wizard of Oz

Garland was seventeen years old when she recorded her vocals for the film. Her performance featured rubato phrasing — expressive, flexible timing — backed by a full jazz orchestra arranged for the MGM studio soundstage. The choice to open the film with this ballad gave audiences an emotional anchor before the Kansas tornado sequence.

The rendition proved so indelible that Garland sang it again at her final public performance in 1955, closing her career with the song that defined it. According to Lahaina News (Hawaiian regional news outlet), the song became her signature piece for decades and remains one of the most recognized vocal performances in film history.

Who sang the most popular version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow?

The version that dominates streaming platforms today is Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s medley, released on the 1993 album Facing Future. Known as IZ to fans, Kamakawiwoʻole recorded the track in a Honolulu studio using a solo ukulele. He paired “Over the Rainbow” with “What a Wonderful World” — another song about hope and observation — creating a combined piece that runs roughly four minutes.

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s medley impact

The Wikipedia entry for the medley notes that IZ’s arrangement strips the song down to its essentials: one voice, one uke, no studio trickery. Where Garland’s version used orchestral dynamics and rubato phrasing, Kamakawiwoʻole plays in strict tempo, letting the melody breathe on its own.

According to Anne Ku (ukulele performer and blogger documenting the song’s evolution), IZ used a Martin T1 tenor ukulele — a solid-wood instrument known for its warm projection. The arrangement avoids barre chords entirely, using seven open-position chords: C, Em, F, G, Am, and others that allow rapid strumming.

The medley appeared over the closing credits of the 1998 film Meet Joe Black, introducing it to audiences who hadn’t encountered Hawaiian music before. Streaming counts on YouTube show hundreds of millions of views, making it arguably the version most listeners encounter first when searching for the song.

What year did Judy Garland sing Over the Rainbow?

Judy Garland sang “Over the Rainbow” in 1939, when the film The Wizard of Oz premiered in August of that year. The song was written specifically for the movie during pre-production, with Arlen and Harburg composing it after MGM executives felt the original script needed a solo number for Dorothy.

Context in 1939 film

The film arrived during a transitional era in Hollywood: sound films had been standard for a decade, but MGM was still refining the combination of Technicolor cinematography and live musical accompaniment. Garland’s vocals were recorded on set and later reinforced by studio musicians during post-production scoring sessions.

The Academy Awards recognized the song that same year. “Over the Rainbow” won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 12th Academy Awards ceremony in February 1940, beating several other entries and cementing its status as a major Hollywood composition from its first year of existence.

Who was the Hawaiian singer who died?

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (1959–1997), known as IZ or Bruddah Iz, was a native Hawaiian singer and ukulele player from Honolulu. He was influential in the Hawaiian Renaissance music movement of the late 1980s and 1990s, which sought to revive traditional Hawaiian language, instrumentation, and styles.

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s life

IZ began performing as a teenager in local bands and gained wider attention in the 1980s with his group Makaha Sons of Niʻihau. His solo career took off with Facing Future, which featured the “Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World” medley as its centerpiece. He recorded the track with minimal studio equipment — a single microphone, his voice, and his ukulele.

The Anne Ku blog (ukelele-focused music publication) describes IZ as playing in a Hawaiian-influenced island style, with a loose, expressive approach to the melody that differs from Garland’s rubato in character but shares the same emotional directness. He died in 1997 at age 38.

How much did Israel Kamakawiwoʻole weigh when he died?

Published reports at the time of his death mentioned that IZ weighed approximately 500 pounds, though the exact figure at the time of his passing is not consistently reported across verified sources. He was open about struggles with weight throughout his adult life.

Details on his health and legacy

Beyond the numbers, what matters more to music historians is how his physical presence translated into his vocal delivery. Accounts of his recordings describe him sitting while performing, using his body as a resonance chamber in the same way a guitar body functions acoustically.

IZ’s legacy lives on through streaming platforms and ukulele tutorials. According to Ukulele-Tabs.com (ukulele tab archive and lesson site), his version remains one of the most requested songs at ukulele gatherings and among beginners learning the instrument. Sheet music and tabs for the arrangement are available on MuseScore and dedicated ukulele lesson sites like UkuleleGo.

The implication: IZ’s physicality became part of his sound — his weight wasn’t just a medical fact but a defining element of his warm, resonant vocal presence.

For anyone drawn to this song — whether as a listener, a ukulele learner, or a music historian — the choice between these two versions isn’t actually a choice at all. Garland’s version established the emotional territory; IZ’s version expanded it. Hearing only one means missing half the story of what a single song can become when different voices carry it forward.