US Trends

when was somewhere over the rainbow written

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (properly titled “Over the Rainbow”) was written in 1938 and published and released in connection with the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

Core facts

  • The song was written for The Wizard of Oz , with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. “Yip” Harburg.
  • Arlen and Harburg completed the song in 1938 while working on the film’s score in Los Angeles.
  • It was published in 1939 by Leo Feist, Inc., and Judy Garland’s famous recording was made in late 1938 and released in 1939 alongside the movie’s debut.

Mini timeline

  1. 1938 – Arlen composes the melody and Harburg writes the lyrics for Over the Rainbow for MGM’s upcoming film The Wizard of Oz.
  1. October 7, 1938 – Judy Garland records the song on the MGM soundstage with Murray Cutter’s arrangement for the film soundtrack.
  1. 1939 – The song is published and released to the public as part of the film’s promotion and recordings, quickly becoming Garland’s signature song.

In short: when people ask “when was Somewhere Over the Rainbow written,” the historically accurate answer is that it was written in 1938 and released with The Wizard of Oz in 1939.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.