On March 12, 2001, the Recording Industry of America Association (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released a list of the top 365 songs of the 20th century, with the beloved Wizard of Oz track, "Over the Rainbow," ranked at No. 1.
At just 16 years old, Garland first recorded "Over the Rainbow" in 1938 for the groundbreaking film The Wizard of Oz, and it would go on to be one of the biggest movie soundtrack songs of all time.
So beautiful??Somewhere Over the Rainbow - The Wizard of Oz pic.twitter.com/JNpqTMiNFt
— Love Music (@khnh80044) March 10, 2025"Over the Rainbow" became Garland's signature song for the duration of career. In 1967, she was asked during a press conference in Cherry Hill, N.J., if she ever gets tired of singing the song, to which she replied, "[Am I] tired of 'Over the Rainbow?' Listen, it’s like getting tired of breathing."
2 years later, Garland died in June 1969 from an accidental barbiturates overdose at the age of 47.
Here are the rest of the RIAA and NEA's Top 10 Songs of the 20th Century:
"Over the Rainbow"Judy Garland"White Christmas"Bing Crosby"This Land Is Your Land" Woody Guthrie"Respect" Aretha Franklin"American Pie" Don McLean"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" Andrews Sisters "West Side Story" (album), original Broadway cast"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" Billy Murray"You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" Righteous Brothers"The Entertainer" Scott JoplinSee the full list of the RIAA and NEA's Top Songs of the 20th Century here.
Related: At 13, Liza Minnelli Became Her Mother Judy Garland’s ‘Caretaker’
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