Definition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" (also known as "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World") is a medley of "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland and "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, recorded by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. First released on the 1990 album Ka ʻAnoʻi, an acoustic rendition of the medley became notable after its release on his 1993 album Facing Future. The cut version — Over the Rainbow — was released in 2001 on the posthumous album Alone in IZ World.
The cut version became a sleeper hit, after charting across Europe in 2010 and 2011 and in the meanwhile being featured in numerous film and TV soundtracks throughout the 2000s and 2010s. In 2020, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The song has also gained over 1.6 billion views on YouTube.
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What is Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World?
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" (also known as "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World") is a medley of "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland and "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, recorded by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole.