usic[edit]

Main article: Musical selections in The Wizard of Oz

Herbert Stothart conducts the MGM Studio Orchestra for The Wizard of Oz, which was recorded at the
MGM studios

The Wizard of Oz is famous for its musical selections and soundtrack. Its songs were composed
by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg. They won the Academy Award for Best Original
Song for "Over the Rainbow". The song ranks first in the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs and
the Recording Industry Association of America's "365 Songs of the Century".
MGM composer Herbert Stothart, a well-known Hollywood composer and songwriter, won
the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Georgie Stoll was associate conductor, and screen credit was given to George Bassman, Murray
Cutter, Ken Darby and Paul Marquardt for orchestral and vocal arrangements. (As usual, Roger
Edens was also heavily involved as an unbilled musical associate to Freed.)
The songs were recorded in the studio's scoring stage before filming. Several of the recordings
were completed while Ebsen was still with the cast. Although he had to be dropped from the cast
because of a dangerous reaction to his aluminum powder makeup, his singing voice remained on
the soundtrack (as mentioned in the notes for the CD Deluxe Edition). He can be heard in the
group vocals of "We're Off to See the Wizard". Haley spoke with a distinct Boston accent and did
not pronounce the R in "wizard." Ebsen, a Midwesterner like Garland, pronounced it clearly.
Bolger's original recording of "If I Only Had a Brain" was far more sedate than the version in the
film. During filming, Cukor and LeRoy decided a more energetic rendition better suited Dorothy's
initial meeting with the Scarecrow, and it was rerecorded. The original version was considered
lost until a copy was discovered in 2009.[45]

Songs[edit]
 "Over the Rainbow" – Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale