The well-known, Over the Rainbow or often called Somewhere Over the Rainbow, is a classic ballad written by E. Y. Harburg, composed by Harold Arlen and sung by Judy Garland in the film The Wizard of Oz in 1939.

However, the best-known version is not the original one, but the medley performed by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole on the album Facing Future.

Israel was born in 1959 and died in 1997 (38 years) with weight-related respiratory illness. At one point came to weigh 350kg (770 pounds), and he was 1.88m. More than 10 000 people attended to his funeral. and he was the third person (first non-political) to be buried in the capitol of Honolulu, Hawaii. Although he died young, this singer has left us this legacy that has been used frequently in programs, commercials and movies.

Sources:
Wikipedia – Over the Rainbow
Wikipedia – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

Este artigo também está escrito em Português | This article is also written in Portuguese

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