Optimistic Voices
Encyclopedia
"Optimistic Voices" is the name of both a song and the choir singing it, from the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz
. The music is by Herbert Stothart
& Harold Arlen
and the lyrics are by E.Y. Harburg.
It is heard on the soundtrack when the group is saved from a sleeping spell in a poppy field as they approach the Emerald City. The song is a bouncy number sung by an offscreen female chorus.
The track breaks the fourth wall
to some extent. When the song starts, the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger
) looks around, reacting to the music.
After the verse, the underscore switches to the witch's theme, as the film cuts to the witch's castle, where she jumps on her broomstick and takes off for the Emerald City herself.
Cutting back to the entrance to the Emerald City, the group of four approaches the city gate. The verse of the song is reprised, and then is closed by a single line instrumental from "We're Off to See the Wizard
" just as Dorothy (Judy Garland
) rings the bell.
This song is one of several in the film presumably intended to speak to its American audience, which by then was ten years into the Great Depression
.
According to the CD liner notes, the choir was a studio group consisting of the MGM orchestra and two individual groups called The Debutantes and The Rhythmettes.
The final line in the film version, "March up to the gate and bid it open", is rendered in an outtake as "March up to that gate..." [Deluxe CD]
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. The music is by Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart was a song writer, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for nine Oscars, winning Best Original Score for The Wizard of Oz.-Biography:...
& Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
and the lyrics are by E.Y. Harburg.
It is heard on the soundtrack when the group is saved from a sleeping spell in a poppy field as they approach the Emerald City. The song is a bouncy number sung by an offscreen female chorus.
The track breaks the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
to some extent. When the song starts, the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger
Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
) looks around, reacting to the music.
Action as the song occurs
As the song progresses, the whole group seems to hear it—they skip toward the Emerald City in time to the music.After the verse, the underscore switches to the witch's theme, as the film cuts to the witch's castle, where she jumps on her broomstick and takes off for the Emerald City herself.
Cutting back to the entrance to the Emerald City, the group of four approaches the city gate. The verse of the song is reprised, and then is closed by a single line instrumental from "We're Off to See the Wizard
We're Off to See the Wizard
"We're Off to See the Wizard" is one of the classic and most memorable songs from the Academy Award-winning film The Wizard of Oz. Composer Harold Arlen described it, along with "The Merry Old Land of Oz" and "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead", as one of the "lemon drop" songs of the film.The melody's...
" just as Dorothy (Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
) rings the bell.
This song is one of several in the film presumably intended to speak to its American audience, which by then was ten years into the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
According to the CD liner notes, the choir was a studio group consisting of the MGM orchestra and two individual groups called The Debutantes and The Rhythmettes.
The final line in the film version, "March up to the gate and bid it open", is rendered in an outtake as "March up to that gate..." [Deluxe CD]
Other uses
- Bette MidlerBette MidlerBette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
recorded a cover of the song for her album Bette MidlerBette Midler (album)Bette Midler is the eponymous second studio album by American female vocalist Bette Midler, released in 1973 on the Atlantic Records label...
of 1973. The song is performed as a medley with "Lullaby of BroadwayLullaby of Broadway (song)"Lullaby of Broadway" is a popular song with music written by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin, published in 1935. The song was introduced by Wini Shaw in the musical film, Gold Diggers of 1935, and, in an unusual move, it was used as background music in a sequence in the Bette Davis film...
". - The song was also used during Dr. Melfi's dream involving Tony SopranoTony SopranoAnthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
in the third and fifth episodes of The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, Season 2 (i.e., "Toodle Fucking-Oo" and "Big Girls Don't Cry", respectively). - In 2008, this song was used in IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
commercials for their "Go Green" campaign. Animated plants and animals accompanied the music.