1. Judy Garland. “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. MGM soundstages: 1939.
2. Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Ziv Zaifman. “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman. Atlantic Records: 2017
3. Carole Shelley, Idina Menzel. “The Wizard and I” from Wicked. Decca Broadway: 2003.
4. Kacey Musgraves. “Rainbow” from Golden Hour. MCA Nashville: 2018. 
5. Michael Jackson. “Man in the Mirror” from Bad 25. Epic Records: 1988.
6. Whitney Houston. “Greatest Love of All” from Whitney Houston. Arista Records: 1977.
7. Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. “Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World” from Facing Future. Mountain Apple Company: 1993.

A guide to Dorothy’s playlist:

A young girl from Kansas leans against a haystack and looks up into the sky with her dog, Toto. The town is quiet except for the cows and chickens her family is raising. Auntie Em calls out, “Dorothy, where are you?” Dorothy continues to sit and look out to the land of Kansas, watches
the birds pass by, and wonders what her life would be like “Over the Rainbow.”

Dorothy is searching for something, and she must find it within herself along with the help of others. At the end of her time in the Emerald City, just before Dorothy leaves Oz, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion ask her what she learned. She reflects on this and says, “The next time I go
looking for my heart’s desire, I won’t go looking any further than my own backyard, because if it isn’t there, I never lost it to begin with.”

This begs the question of what Dorothy would tell herself if she knew exactly what she would find “Over the Rainbow” when she first sang about a land she only imagined. If Dorothy was being interviewed about her experience several years later, what would she say? This playlist provides Dorothy’s perspective, not as events unfold, but rather, looking in the rearview mirror on her magical journey.

“Over the Rainbow”
Over the Rainbow is classified as an “I want” song, meaning it appears at the start of The Wizard of Oz and explains Dorothy’s motivations. Dorothy is a young girl, growing up on a farm in Kansas. She lives with her aunt and uncle, who are hard-working farmers. Dorothy sings, “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…” clearly establishing the fact that she is yearning for change. Listen to the orchestral arrangement along with Dorothy's warm and hopeful voice, which together reveal her vision of possibility. 

“A Million Dreams”
Similar to Dorothy, this song speaks to a yearning for more, but also a realization that it could be possible and not just a wish. The chorus “cause every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head, a million dreams are keeping me awake. I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see, a million dreams is all it’s gonna take.” Just like Dorothy, there is a clear yearning for change. Like “Over the Rainbow,” there is a clear vision of what the change feels like.

In the context of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy lands in Oz and says to Toto, “we’re over the rainbow.” Looking back on it Dorothy might say, “this song reminds me that I realized for the first time that real change was possible.” The upbeat rhythm reflects Dorothy's optimism and determination for a brighter future. 

“The Wizard and I”
This song is from the Broadway musical and new movie Wicked, in which Elphaba, the Wicked Witch sings about her desire to change herself in order to feel accepted. She sings she will “prove [her] worth” to the Wizard and once they meet, her “whole life will change.” Dorothy also longs for an escape and dreams of a place “where troubles melt like lemon drops” in “Over the Rainbow.” Both Dorothy and Elphaba are ordinary girls who look to the Wizard to fulfill a specific dream.

Elphaba's dialogue in the musical suggests she is an “ordinary girl” (Boyd 108) meaning she does not “shriek, cackle or speak with the stereotypical ‘witchy’ ” voice (Boyd 109). However, pay attention to Elphaba's singing voice, a “true alto” (Boyd 110) which characterizes her Wicked Witch character, whereas Dorothy and the Good Witch are both considered sopranos. These differences in vocal ranges reflect Dorothy's challenge to fight the Wicked Witch on her journey to Oz, another battle she must face before discovering her true self.

“Rainbow”
“Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves is considered a song of encouragement. In the chorus she sings, “there’s always been a rainbow hanging over your head.” The title of the song is the obvious connection between “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Rainbow.” “Rainbow” co-written by Musgraves, Shane McAnally, and Natalie Hemby. McAnally called “Over the Rainbow” “just about the best song ever written” and said “it’s like ‘Over the Rainbow’ in the sense of: is this a happy song or a sad song… it goes back and forth.” A close listen to the song reveals lyrics that are similar to “Over the Rainbow” in the vividness of the rainbow. Musgraves sings, “if you could see what I see, you’d be blinded by the colors. Yellow, red, orange and green and at least a million others.” 

If Dorothy listened to Kacey’s “Rainbow,” her reflection would be that even in her darkest moments, her friends (Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Man) see beauty and strength in her that make them want to follow her, even when she didn’t see it in herself.

“Man in the Mirror”
Like “Over the Rainbow,” this is a song about change. And while the catchy beat of “Man in the Mirror” is musically different from “Over the Rainbow,” the connections between the songs are surprisingly deep. “Man in the Mirror” is a song encouraging social change to combat poverty and homelessness. Yip Harburg, the composer of “Over the Rainbow,” also composed “Brother Can You Spare a Dime,” a song about people suffering during the Great Depression. Harburg’s symbolism throughout The Wizard of Oz is consistent with his belief that social change was needed.

For Dorothy, she needed to realize for herself that she had the power to return home to Kansas the entire time. “Man in the Mirror” would undoubtedly resonate with her as she reflects on the fact that if she wants change, she must first start with herself.

“Greatest Love of All”
Like “Over the Rainbow,” “Greatest Love of All” is a beautiful ballad. The song appears on Whitney Houston’s debut album. “Greatest Love of All” is about realizing that you can’t wait to be rescued. Strength needs to come from within yourself and that strength can only come once you are comfortable in your own skin. Houston sings in the chorus, “the greatest love of all is easy to achieve, learning to love yourself, is the greatest love of all.” In Oz, Dorothy needed to find her own voice and strength within herself. When she returned home to Kansas, she realized she had found a newfound confidence and comfort in her own skin.

One of the album’s producers, Kashif Saleem, recalled a replay of the Mike Douglas show where Houston was singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” He says, “when I heard her singing it, something clicked in my head, and I knew what I could do with her. So, this is when I really started to dig in deep and write songs for her.” This demonstrates the connection between Garland's voice and Houston's voice. Both artists had the vocal capacity to handle big powerful ballads, reflecting Dorothy's empowerment and self-worth. The powerful ballad style is also seen in the early music of the Beatles, which helped contribute to their songs' high popularity (O'Grady 222). It's clear that this genre of music has strong resonance with listeners. 

“Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World”
This medley of “Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” is known as the most familiar version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and has been widely used in commercials, TV shows, and movies.

This variation combines a sense of hope with the appreciation for the world around us. Dorothy no longer needed to run away from home, because she realized how amazing the real world can be. This song touches on the emotions of beauty and love with its ukulele instrument, similar to how Dorothy looks at life through the love of herself, her family, her land, and the people around her. 

Hearing Dorothy sing “Over the Rainbow” at the start of The Wizard of Oz, her voice is unfulfilled and yearning. She looks into the sky for an escape, and envisions what might be without a true belief that it is possible. Walking along the yellow brick road with Tinman, Lion, and Scarecrow Dorothy was shaking with fear, but at the same time, she continued to move forward to get to Oz. Traveling to the Wizard, Dorothy fights for her life and finally defeats the Wicked Witch, melting her with a bucket of water. Dorothy experienced more evil than she could have imagined and at the same time, learns that love and friendship can be stronger than evil. Returning home at the end of the film Dorothy is lying in her bed with Auntie Em beside her. She realizes that “Over the Rainbow” could never compare to the home and family she has. Her newfound confidence and sense of self enables her to truly embrace the simplicity of her life in Kansas and the love of the people who surround her. 

Each song on this playlist serves as a piece of Dorothy’s multidimensional journey to finding herself: starting with her longing for change in “Over the Rainbow,” discovering the power within herself through self-reflection and self-love, and finally appreciating the love and environment that surrounds her for its depth as opposed to a superficial view of what is missing in it.  

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