Comments on: Is ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ the Perfect Song? http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/ Songwriter, Producer, and Coach, based in New York City. Tue, 10 Jul 2018 18:18:16 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7067 Tue, 10 Jul 2018 18:18:16 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7067 In reply to Lola.

Lola,
Sorry for the late reply; obviously too late to help with your essay. But…
The tempo is called Rubato… which means it doesn’t have a steady tempo. It flows with the singer, musicians, and/or conductor.
Find an older version – closer to when it was written – that’s sung and played at a steady tempo. You’ll get a much better idea of what the rhythm of the melody is.
Also, take a look at sheet music of the song (though these can be way off too!).
Best wishes,
Tony

]]> By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7066 Tue, 10 Jul 2018 18:13:57 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7066 In reply to Irwin Wikler.

Irwin,
Love that!
Sorry for the late reply.
Best wishes,
Tony

]]> By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7065 Tue, 10 Jul 2018 18:13:12 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7065 In reply to Nicholas Archer.

Nicholas,
Great point!
Sorry for the late reply.
Best wishes,
Tony

]]> By: Lola http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7064 Wed, 18 Apr 2018 22:50:58 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7064 Hey I don’t know if you’ll get back to me in time cause I have this essay due Friday, but I’m really struggling to describe the rhythm of this song for an essay I need to write. I’ve listened to it many times and I just can’t seem to figure it out because I feel like it changes from the beginning of the verse being slow and drawn out to the middle being a little faster. I’m trying to tap along and for whatever reason I still can’t seem to get it. If you have any advice for identifying or describing the rhythm of this song it would be very helpful.

]]> By: Irwin Wikler http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7063 Fri, 30 Dec 2016 05:57:25 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7063 Years ago, I was at a sound studio with the rest of the band, waiting for our time in the studio. While waiting, we watched and listened from the control room to a woman, accompanied by a pianist, sing several takes of “Never Never Land” from the musical “Peter Pan.” After a few takes, I began to notice how all the pieces fit together.I don’t have the musical vocabulary to explain it, but for those few minutes I felt an unexpected twist in my gut and thought, “So this is how a song is supposed to grab you, huh?” and it was, for those moments, a perfect song. I listened to the original Broadway cast recording just before I wrote this comment and it grabbed my gut the same way.

]]> By: Nicholas Archer http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7062 Sun, 11 Sep 2016 22:59:45 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7062 The proportions of the melodic line are just about perfect and I agree with your assessment. I might also mention it is an excellent choice, when coaching younger players who are new to improv or jazz, for experimenting with voicings, chord substitutions, etc. The song lends itself to a great many alternate choices, harmonically, which is another reason for its continued popularity.

]]> By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7061 Mon, 22 Aug 2016 18:23:09 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7061 In reply to Joyce Rogers.

Yes!

]]> By: Joyce Rogers http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7060 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 12:41:36 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7060 In reply to Tony Conniff.

well, okay… so what about ‘My Girl’. Pretty tight song, yes?

]]> By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7059 Thu, 04 Aug 2016 06:48:00 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7059 In reply to Joyce Rogers.

Sometimes less is actually less, but in this case…
Thanks,
Tony

]]> By: Joyce Rogers http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7058 Wed, 03 Aug 2016 18:55:13 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7058 A great example of less is more. Thanks.

]]> By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7057 Wed, 27 Jul 2016 05:10:45 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7057 In reply to Alfred.

Alfred,
You make a great point… like almost every moving part in the song, when you take a look at the rhythm of the melody, it really is outstanding.
Thanks,
Tony

]]> By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7056 Wed, 27 Jul 2016 05:08:41 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7056 In reply to sarah.

Great points, Sarah. Songs this good and this direct rarely go out of style.
Thanks,
Tony

]]> By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7055 Wed, 27 Jul 2016 05:07:36 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7055 In reply to Billy Mulligan.

Thanks for reading and for sharing your knowledge and insight, Billy.
Best wishes,
Tony

]]> By: Alfred http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7054 Mon, 25 Jul 2016 23:42:29 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7054 Agreeing with all your points, Tony. One of the things that makes it satisfying is the tempo of the lyric, going from the drawn out octave leap (some-where) to the almost staccato (Over-the-rainbow), with that pattern repeating and being echoed in the B section (someday I’ll wish upon a star). Slow to fast, and repeat. Rinse, lather, repeat.

]]> By: sarah http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7053 Mon, 25 Jul 2016 18:15:24 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7053 i grew up with this song – my mother loved musicals – but I only recently learned it and performed it. It truly has so much emotion in it, and I don’t think that’s just nostalgia. Another point that I think proves how great a song it is: the many, very successful covers of it over the years. these come to mind immediately: Eva Cassidy’s version and Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole’s version.

]]> By: Billy Mulligan http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7052 Sat, 23 Jul 2016 07:50:01 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7052 Being a song from the depression era, I think that people were drawn to it for its message of hope. Yip was a socialist and by being very subtle got his lyrics by the censors. The best protest songs are the gentle ones and or the funny ones. He even had the munchkins singing a union song. I certainly agree ‘Somewhere’ is a masterpiece.

]]> By: Tony Conniff http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7051 Thu, 21 Jul 2016 21:34:22 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7051 In reply to David Counts.

Maybe it does slow the movie down (although it’s just started)… but in a GOOD way!
Thanks for reading and commenting, David.
Best wishes,
Tony

]]> By: David Counts http://tonyconniff.com/is-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-the-perfect-song/#comment-7050 Thu, 21 Jul 2016 15:32:41 +0000 http://tonyconniff.com/?p=2871#comment-7050 What an exceptional song this is. It’s interesting to note that MGM head Louis B. Mayer cut “Over the Rainbow” after an initial preview of the movie thinking it slowed the film down. Thankfully, he was talked out of it.

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