8A: “The Wizard of Oz”
Musicians aren’t just inspired by music. Sometimes, they get inspiration from books, art, or movies.
The movie “The Wizard of Oz” came out in 1939. (Question: Do you know anyone who was a kid in 1939?) It was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Here’s a modernized version of a commercial.
“The Wizard of Oz” dealt with many things that we encounter in our lives: joy, fear, friendships, and “there’s no place like home.” But it was done in a magical, fantasy-like story. It was totally weird.
Music was a big part of the movie. It was written by Harold Arlen, who composed the music, and Yip Harberg, who wrote the lyrics. You have to start somewhere, and Harold and Yip started by thinking about the tone. They wanted the music to feel like “In the Shade of the Apple Tree,” which Harold had written. Listen for a minute and you’ll get it.
Music in a movie can help define a character, communicate a mood, or tell part of the story.
They wrote “theme” songs for each character and plot twist. (Question 1 — What’s a plot twist?) When Dorothy learns how she can get home to Kansas — “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” — we hear one of her theme songs.
When you hear the Wicked Witch’s theme music, you know she’s nearby. Listen to it here as she commands her flying monkeys to capture Dorothy.
Harold and Yip wrote small snippets of music to stitch the story together. They called them “lemon drop songs.” Here’s an interview about the Scarecrow’s song (from 4:50-5:50).
And here’s a clip about “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” (7:15-8:22). He talks about how they recorded the Munchkin voices.
In the 1970s, the band Pink Floyd recorded an album called Dark Side of the Moon. Some people liked to watch “The Wizard of Oz” with the sound down, while listening to the Pink Floyd album at the same time. Here’s an example of what this looks like.
Answer:
1 — A “plot twist” is when a story takes an unexpected turn.