https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/the-evening-pause/judy-garland-somewhere-over-the-rainbow/ Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:09:10 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/the-evening-pause/judy-garland-somewhere-over-the-rainbow/#comment-83590 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:09:10 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=21656#comment-83590 Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg once told a delightful story about writing this song. They said they labored weeks to come up with that first, now immortal line. They wanted to convey the idea of reaching the end of the rainbow but just couldn’t find the right word — they had gotten stuck “on the other side of the rainbow” and then “at the end of the rainbow.” Finally, they realized that “over” fit both the bill and the song’s meter, and the rest, as they say, is history. It’s a wonderful lesson on how even the simplest form of genius sometimes requires you to struggle endless to reach it.

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