Underscore

After focusing on Herbert Stothart's fantastic underscore, we bring our attention back to the magical songwriting partnership of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. The song score to The Wizard of Oz is unlike any other, built from infectious melody, peerless lyrics and surprising structure. Moving piece by piece through Arlen & Harburg's work brings us face to face with some of the most classic songs of the 20th century. 80 years since the film's release, titles like 'Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead', 'Follow the Yellow Brick Road', and 'If I Only Had a Brain' continue to be indispensable to our cultural lexicon. We chart the development of the many Oz songs, along the way uncovering music removed from the final cut of the film (but thankfully not lost to history). Today's episode is an absolute bash; we can't wait for you to join us in celebrating this stunning score of scores.Listen to episode 8m3 The Merry Old Land of OzThe Wizard of Oz -Herbert Stothart (score), Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg (song score) -