Chords + Lyrics | Over The Rainbow (capo 1)
Intro
| Gadd9 | Gadd9/D I Am11 | 6/4 D9sus4/A |
Chorus 1
| Gsus2 /F# | Em /D | Bm7b13 | G7 Amadd4 /B |
Somewhere over the rainbow,
| Cadd9 | Cm6 | Gmaj9 | G9 Amadd4 G/B |
way up high,
| C | Cm7 | Gadd9 G/F# | Em |
there’s a land that I’ve heard of once,
| Am13 | D7sus4 D/F# | Gadd9 | A7omit3 D/F# |
once in a lullaby.
Chorus 2
| Gadd9 /F# | Em | Bm7b13 | G7 Amadd4 /B |
Somewhere over the rainbow,
| C /A | Cm6 | Gmaj9 | G7sus2 Amadd4 G/B |
skies are blue.
| Cadd9 | Cm7 | Gadd9 G/F# | Em |
When the dreams that you dare to dream,
| Am13 | D7sus4 D/F# | Gadd9 | Am7 D/F# |
really do come true.
Verse 1
| Gadd9 | Gadd9 | Am11 | D/F# |
Someday I’ll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far
| Gmaj9 /F# | Emadd9 | Am7 | D6 D9sus4 |
behind me.
| Gadd9 | Gadd9 | F#7 | F#7 |
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, high above the chimney tops,
| Bm | Bm/Bb | Am7 | 7/4 D7/F# |
that’s where you’ll find me.
Solo
| 4/4 G Dadd4 | Cmaj13 | Bm | G9 |
| Cmaj7#11 | Cm13 | G | G7 |
| Cmaj7#11 | Cm13 | G D6add9/F# | Em9 |
| Am13 | 3/4 D7sus4 | 2/4 D6 | 4/4 Gadd9 | Am7 D/F# |
Verse 2
| Gadd9 | Gadd9 | Am11 | D/F# |
Someday I’ll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far
| Gmaj9 /F# | Emadd9 | Am7 | D6 D9sus4 |
behind me.
| Gadd9 | Gadd9 | F#7 | F#7 |
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, way above the chimney tops,
| Bm | Bm/Bb | Am7 | D7/F# | D7/F# |
that’s where you’ll find me.
Chorus 3
| G /F# | Em7 | Bm7 | G7 Am7add4 G/B |
Somewhere over the rainbow,
| Cadd9 | Cm6 | Gmaj9 | G9 Amadd4 G/B |
skies are blue.
| C | Cm7 | G G/F# | Em7 |
And the dreams that you dared to dream,
| Am13 | D7sus4 D/F# | Gadd9 | Gadd9/D |
they really do come true.
Outro
| Gadd9 | Gadd9/D | Am11 | D7sus4 |
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why,
| D7/F# | D7/F# | Cadd9 | Cadd9 | Ab | Ab | G |
oh why can’t I?
Over The Rainbow Chords: A Guide to the Progressions
If we set aside the complex chord extensions, the chords in Over The Rainbow can be described using Roman numerals, this is extremely complex so take your time and look at each line in depth.
Chorus
| Gsus2 (I) | Em (VI) | Bm7 (III) | G7 (I) Amadd4 (II) |
The second line starts with chord IV, followed by the characteristic IVm switch:
| Cadd9 (IV) | Cm6 (IVm) | Gmaj9 (I) | G9 Amadd4 (II) G/B |
This IV – IVm switch appears again on the next line:
| C (IV) | Cm7 (IVm) | Gadd9 (I) | Em (VI) |
The final line follows a II – V – I progression, with extensions adding complexity:
| Am13 (II) | D7sus4 (V) D/F# | Gadd9 (I) | A7omit3 (II) D/F# (V) |
Verse
For the verse progression:
| Gadd9 (I) | Gadd9 | Am11 (II) | D/F# (V/3) |
| Gmaj9 | Emadd9 | Am7 | D6 D9sus4 |
| Gadd9 | Gadd9 | F#7 (VIIx) | F#7 |
| Bm (III) | Bm/Bb (III/7) | Am7 (II) | D7/F# (V/3) | D7/F# |
Below is a simplified chord chart I made for you.
Over The Rainbow Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
The chord extensions in Eva Cassidy’s Over The Rainbow are so intricate that using TAB is essential to get it right. Once you’ve gone through the process of practising the song, a simplified chord chart can serve as a helpful reference.
If you compare this chart with the chords and lyrics, you’ll notice the simplifications made. If I included every variation across all verses, it would essentially resemble a transcription.
Should you wish to download the chart, here’s a PDF: Over The Rainbow chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s the link to that file: Over The Rainbow chord chart iReal Pro.
Below is a preview of what learning Over The Rainbow in the course looks like.
Over The Rainbow TAB | Course Preview
Eva Cassidy‘s live version of Over The Rainbow is one of the most beautiful guitar arrangements I’ve ever heard.
Recorded live in a jazz club when she was relatively unknown, this performance gained worldwide recognition after being broadcast by an English TV producer in 2000—four years after Eva had passed away.
The reaction to this recording was so intense it made her posthumously famous. I was so moved by this performance that I transcribed it note-for-note. As a preview, here’s the first half of the first chorus in TAB.
Members will explore the verses and remaining choruses the same way, using play-along TAB loops and in-depth video guitar lessons.
Only by learning Eva’s arrangement note-for-note can we truly appreciate this masterpiece. Each section is practised slowly, at a faster tempo, and with full TAB and practice loops.
It will take you six guitar lessons to master all sections of the song. In the final two lessons, we focus on practising Lydian in all its forms as it relates to the melody of Over The Rainbow.
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Over The Rainbow – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Over The Rainbow is the best song in the world!
Written by Harold Arlen and lyricist Yip Harburg for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Over The Rainbow was sung by Judy Garland and became an international hit.
In 2001, Over The Rainbow was voted the “Greatest Song of the 20th Century” by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America.
Since the best songs were written in the last century, this surely means Over The Rainbow is the best song in the world.
Two major covers of the song stand out. The first was by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole in 1993, performed on just a ukulele. Famously, he phoned the studio in the middle of the night, recorded it in one take, and left. This version has sold over 5 million copies.
The second iconic version was recorded live at the jazz club Blues Alley. Captured in one take and shown on Top of the Pops in 2001, this rendition launched Eva Cassidy to international fame, though, sadly, she had passed away by then.
There is a studio version by Eva, but it doesn’t compare to the live Blues Alley performance.
As a jazz standard, Over The Rainbow has been recorded by the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Doris Day, with nearly every jazz singer adding their own rendition.
To me, Eva Cassidy’s performance on that one special night in Blues Alley remains the best version of all.
Over The Rainbow Chords: Continue Learning
To play Over The Rainbow exactly as Eva Cassidy did, note-for-note, we need to break down each section and practise with loops and TAB.
Before diving into these details, we explore how she transformed a simple melody through jazz influences into her breathtaking version. Additionally, we work on the Lydian mode as part of these 8 step-by-step lessons.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Over The Rainbow – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
