It’s true. The song that defines The Wizard of Oz was almost cut from the movie. Some execs thought that the song slowed down the movie, and that it wasn’t exactly seemly for one of their stars to be singing in a farmyard, according to thewizardofoz.info.
Fortunately, they kept the song in—farmyard and all—and it became a signature song for the movie, as well as for Judy Garland.
You can download Garland’s version on Freegal. About a jillion people have recorded the song, so you’ll want to use the “Advanced Search” feature to pinpoint her performance.
As for the jillions of others: one of the most famous versions is by Katharine McPhee, American Idol finalist and current star on the TV show Smash.
Another group lighting up the Freegal charts, The Piano Guys has a medley of “Rainbow” and the tune “Simple Gifts.”
Also in the mix are Susan Boyle, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, John Williams, Doris Day, Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick, Jr., Placido Domingo, and Barbra Streisand. Mary La Plant does a version with violin & guitar, Cidade Negra serves up a Reggae version, and Sound of the Rockies does it barbershop quartet style.
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| Poster for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Image Credit |
Fortunately, they kept the song in—farmyard and all—and it became a signature song for the movie, as well as for Judy Garland.
You can download Garland’s version on Freegal. About a jillion people have recorded the song, so you’ll want to use the “Advanced Search” feature to pinpoint her performance.
As for the jillions of others: one of the most famous versions is by Katharine McPhee, American Idol finalist and current star on the TV show Smash.
Another group lighting up the Freegal charts, The Piano Guys has a medley of “Rainbow” and the tune “Simple Gifts.”
Also in the mix are Susan Boyle, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, John Williams, Doris Day, Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick, Jr., Placido Domingo, and Barbra Streisand. Mary La Plant does a version with violin & guitar, Cidade Negra serves up a Reggae version, and Sound of the Rockies does it barbershop quartet style.
