Oooooo… 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, High above the chimney tops.
That’s where you’ll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow, Bluebirds fly. They fly over the rainbow, Why then – oh, why can’t I? I see trees of green, red roses too. I watch them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself, What a wonderful world. Well, I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white. The brightness of day and light, darkness of night. And I think to myself, What a wonderful world.
The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, Are also on the faces of people passin’ by. I see friends shakin’ hands, saying “How do you do!” They’re really sayin’ “I love you.” I hear babies cry and I watch them grow. They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know. And I think to myself, What a wonderful world. Someday I’ll wish upon a star, And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, High above the chimney tops. That’s where you’ll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow, Way up high. Birds fly over the rainbow, Why then – oh, why can’t I? Oooooo…
Judy Garland
In addition to her rich, exuberant voice, Judy Garland had a warmth and spirit that kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals during Hollywood’s Golden Era.
Avent “Frank” Gumm and Ethel Marian (Milne) Gumm had a daughter, Frances Ethel Gumm, on 10 June 1922. She was English, along with some Scottish and Irish ancestry. Her mother, an ambitious woman gifted in playing various musical instruments, saw the potential in her daughter at just 2 years old when she repeatedly sang “Jingle Bells” until she was dragged from the stage kicking and screaming during one of their Christmas shows. Immediately, she was drafted into the Gumm Sisters dance act with her older sisters, Mary Jane Gumm and Virginia Gumm. Knowing that her youngest daughter would eventually become the biggest star, Ethel removed Frances from the act and together they traveled across America where she sang in nightclubs, cabarets, hotels, and theaters alone.
She had a difficult family life, mostly due to her mother’s desire for her to succeed as a performer and her father’s closeted homosexuality. Her father’s illicit affairs with other men frequently forced the Gumm family to leave town, and they were often forced to live out of their cars. After hearing Frances sing, Louis B. Mayer, the mogul of leading film studio MGM, signed her in September 1935, answering the Gumms’ prayers. A popular ’30s song named “Judy” and film critic Robert Garland inspired the name change from Frances Gumm to Judy Garland.
