Song of the Century?

In 2001, the Recording Industry of America Association (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Scholastic Inc., and AOL@School compiled 365 songs of the 20th century to "promote a better understanding of America's musical and cultural heritage" to American school children. Being such a long list, you would rightly imagine that it has songs from every decade and every genre, from Broadway musicals to rap and hip-hop, from big bands to disco.

What are the top 10 songs of the 20th century?

Having looked over the list, I would hope that the songs aren't ranked. Why would the Village People's "YMCA" outrank Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" by six slots? But the top 10 songs and the performing artists on the RIAA list are:

1 "Over the Rainbow" Judy Garland



2 "White Christmas" Bing Crosby
3 "This Land Is Your Land" Woody Guthrie
4 "Respect" Aretha Franklin
5 "American Pie" Don McLean
6 "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" The Andrews Sisters
7 West Side Story (Album) Original Cast
8 "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" Billy Murray
9 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" The Righteous Brothers
10 "The Entertainer" Scott Joplin

At number one, "Over the Rainbow" has nearly 150 recordings on listed iTunes by about 135 different artists. It has been recorded by variety of artists from Judy Garland to Willie Nelson.

Who wrote "Over the Rainbow"?


Yip Harburg wrote the lyrics for composer Harold Arlen's melody. The two had teamed up on Broadway before heading to Hollywood in 1934. Harburg wrote most of the lyrics for "The Wizard of Oz," winning an Oscar for Best Song for "Over the Rainbow."

Harburg wrote the lyrics for more than 600 songs for film and Broadway, including "It's Only a Paper Moon," "How are Things in Glocca Morra" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" Because of his liberal political ideals, he fell victim to the Committee on Un-American Activities in the 1950s and was blacklisted in Hollywood. He did, however, continue to work on Broadway.

Did the song win a Grammy?

The Grammy Awards were not established until 1958, nearly 20 years after the song's debut in "The Wizard of Oz." The Judy Garland recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1981, and the Ray Charles and Johnny Mathis recording won arranger Victor Vanacore a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) in 2004.





Other noted recordings of "Over the Rainbow" include Eva Cassidy and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

Meet…playwright and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II

What should you know about Oscar Hammerstein II?

Born in 1895 in New York City into a prominent theatrical family, Oscar Hammerstein II contributed more to American musical theater than any other single person. His grandfather, whom he was named after, was an opera producer. His father managed the Hammerstein's Victoria, a vaudeville theatre, and his uncle was a successful Broadway producer. Though encouraged by his father to study law at Columbia Law School, he couldn't deny the draw of theatre, and he soon talked his uncle into hiring him as an assistant stage manager for his current production. He soon was promoted to stage manager for all his uncle's productions.

He began writing books and lyrics for musicals, although primarily for operettas. His first play, "The Light", produced by his uncle in 1919, ran for four performances, but Hammerstein kept writing with a series of collaborators. His two most successful partnerships were with Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers. With them, Hammerstein would change musical theatre forever.

What were Hammerstein's greatest contributions to American musical theatre?


Hammerstein wrote eight musicals with composer Jerome Kern, including "Show Boat" which is widely considered the first modern American musical play. Produced in 1927, "Show Boat" transcended previous musical comedies with rich, dynamic songs that served to move the plot, developed the characters and helped to reinforce the setting and time. Later, he and Kern later won Best Original Song Academy Award for "The Last Time I Saw Paris" in the film "Lady be Good" in 1941, making him the first Oscar to win an Oscar.

In his partnership with Richard Rodgers, Hammerstein won a Pulitzer Prize for "Oklahoma!" in 1943 and a second Academy Award for "It Might as Well be Spring" in the film "State Fair" in 1945. "Oklahoma!" broke new ground in musical theatre. It was a musical without humor, without sight gags. It drifted into tragedy, killing one of the main characters at the climax of the story. Instead of showgirls dancing in scant outfits, it incorporated an extended ballet sequence. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen.


With their seemingly simple and accessible lyrics and music, the duo tackled social issues in many of their musicals. "South Pacific," which won the duo a second Pulitzer in 1949, examined racial and social prejudices, as did "The King and I" two years later. Hammerstein's last musical "The Sound of Music" in 1959 dealt in part with the pervasiveness of the Nazi movement through Europe in the late 1930s.

Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960.

What is Hammerstein's legacy?

With Rodgers, Hammerstein produced numerous plays, musicals and revivals including Irving Berlin's widely popular "Annie Get Your Gun". He was a mentor to Alan Lerner, who wrote "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot" with composer Frederick Lowe, and a mentor and close friend of Stephen Sondheim, who penned such hits as "Sweeney Todd" and "Sunday in the Park with George."


Hammerstein served on the board of directors for many theatrical and film professional organizations, won five Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Academy Awards and received five honorary degrees. During the centennial anniversary of his birth in 1995 and 1996, three of his musicals played simultaneously on Broadway. "Show Boat" and "The King and I" took home the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 1995 and 1996 respectively, while "State Fair," which was the only musical Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote for film, was nominated for the 1996 Tony Award for Best Score.




Sources: Broadway: The American Musical on PBS.com, Songwriters Hall of Fame, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, TheatreHistory.com

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

I Write the Songs.....

Do you know these people?

Tom Higgenson, Shawn Carter, Chris Thompkins...

They're just a few of the songwriters nominated for Song of the Year at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards airing February 10 on CBS. On the surface, the Grammy's seem to be all about the performers, but without the songs, there'd be no performances. That's where these folks come in.

Tom Higgenson wrote "Hey Ther Delilah" for the Plain White T's. Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash and Christopher Stewart penned "Umbrella" for Rihanna. Chris Thompkins and Josh Kear wrote Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats". Singers Amy Winehouse and Corinne Bailey Rae round out the category, writing "Rehab" and "Like a Star" respectively.