There are few songs with as rich a history as “Over the Rainbow.” Ariana Grande closed out One Love Manchester, her benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester concert bombing, with the Wizard of Oz ballad. The song has seen nearly 20 variations appear across different charts — five of which made it to the Billboard Hot 100.
Written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, this 20th-century standard was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress earlier this year. It topped the Record Industry Association of America’s Songs of the Century list and was also named the greatest movie song of all time by the American Film Institute. From Judy Garland to Ariana Grande, here are the most memorable versions of the song.
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Judy Garland (1939)
Image Credit: GI The first Billboard pop singles chart was published in July 1940, so the original recording of “Over the Rainbow” never charted. Fret not: It received an Academy Award for best original song. The track was adopted as an anthem for the LGBTQ community. In fact, the term “friend of Dorothy” — a reference to Garland’s Oz character — was underground slang for gay men.
The ballad also served as a beacon of hope during World War II. Garland performed the iconic song to the troops during a concert in 1943.
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Liza Minnelli (1960)
Image Credit: GI While Garland’s daughter never released the song as a proper single, Liza Minnelli has performed her mother’s signature song several times. At 13 years old, little Liza performed it on The Hedda Hopper Show.
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The Demensions (1960)
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo The first time “Over the Rainbow” saw chart success was in 1960, when The Dimensions, a vocal group from The Bronx, took the song to No. 16 on the Hot 100. A version by Gary Tanner peaked at No. 69 in 1978, but that version hasn’t made its way onto the internet.
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Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles (1966)
Image Credit: GI Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles took their version of “Over the Rainbow” to No. 20 on the R&B chart.
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Willie Nelson (1981)
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Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole (1993)
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s cheerful mashup of “Over the Rainbow” and Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” is one of the most recognizable covers of the song, appearing in several movies and TV shows. Though Bruddah Iz died at a young 38 in 1997, his ukulele medley bopped around the iTunes list of top 100 songs for more than six months after it was added to the store in 2003. In fact, it reached No. 12 on the Hot Digital Tracks chart and No. 22 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 2004.
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Rufus Wainwright (2006)
Image Credit: GI Rufus Wainwright performed a string of sold-out tribute concerts to Judy Garland in 2006. Backed by a 36-piece orchestra, Wainwright re-created Garland’s 1961 Judy at Carnegie Hall comeback performance. Wainwright re-created the show again 10 years later, in 2016.
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Katharine McPhee (2006)
Image Credit: GI “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” — yes, the word “somewhere” was added to to the title — reached its highest position ever, No. 12, on the Hot 100 thanks to season 5 American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee. Given her jaw-dropping performances of this song, it’s still insane to think that the future Smash star lost to Taylor Hicks. A few years later, season 7 contestant Jason Castro released his own rendition, reaching No. 46 on the Pop Digital Song Sales chart.
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Glee (2010)
Image Credit: GI Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and Puck (Mark Salling) covered Kamakawiowo’ole’s version of the song in Glee’s first season. Their rendition reached No. 43 on the Hot 100. Morrison also included a cover of “Over the Rainbow” on his debut album — as a duet with frequent Glee guest star Gwyneth Paltrow.
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P!nk (2014)
Image Credit: GI The Academy Awards celebrated The Wizard of Oz’s 75th anniversary with a jaw-dropping performance from P!nk. The big-voiced siren donned a glittering red gown to pay homage to Dorothy’s famous shoes while footage from the movie played behind her.
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Nicholas David (2012)
Image Credit: GI The song’s latest appearance on the Hot 100 is season 3’s The Voice contestant Nicolas David, which sneaked in at No. 96 in 2012.
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The Children of Newtown featuring Ingrid Michaelson (2013)
Image Credit: GI Demonstrating the true power of the song, a group of students from Newtown, Connecticut, joined singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson to release a version of “Over the Rainbow,” in dedication to the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook. The rendition charted at No. 45 on Pop Digital Song Sales. Proceeds of the song benefited the Newtown Youth Academy and the United Way of Western Connecticut.
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Ariana Grande (2017)
Image Credit: GI Ariana Grande used the uplifting ballad to close out One Love Manchester, her benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester concert bombing. In an interview with Variety, Grande’s mother said the song had a special meaning to their family, as Ariana had sang it at her grandfather’s funeral.