Over the Rainbow — studio executives wanted to cut Judy Garland’s number from The Wizard of OzThe 1938 song became a classic, a cry of despair from the forgotten, rural heartland of AmericaThe Look of Love — Bacharach and David’s song was perfect for a Bond movieDusty Springfield recorded the 1967 track for a seduction scene in ‘Casino Royale’Lara’s Theme — melody from Dr Zhivago travelled far and wideNamed after Julie Christie’s character in the 1965 film, Maurice Jarre’s tune became a global hit with added lyricsQue Sera, Sera — song from a Hitchcock movie belongs to Doris DayIn ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’, she put her stamp on a ballad sung in mangled SpanglishNight and Day — Cole Porter’s yearning number had north African roots Inspired by Moroccan rhythms and first sung by Fred Astaire, the track became a fixture in the Great American SongbookSomewhere — Leonard Bernstein’s classic is studded with ‘borrowings’ from other composersThe song from West Side Story has fascinating roots — and a fruitful afterlifeMore from this SeriesMy Favorite Things — the Broadway number was transformed by John ColtraneThe saxophonist took a song from The Sound of Music into uncharted territorySummertime — the Gershwins’ tune is probably the most recorded song everTheir composition from Porgy and Bess went on to become a standardSomeday My Prince Will Come — how an unknown teenager got to sing Snow WhiteAfter featuring in the Disney film, Frank Churchill’s composition found a new life in the world of jazzIf I Were a Rich Man — indelibly associated with Topol, but it could have been Sinatra’s songThe late singer spent a lifetime singing the tune from Fiddler on the Roof, though others expressed interest in the roleSkyfall — Adele captured the essence of the James Bond songThe singer and her co-writer Paul Epworth created an epic track with a secret ingredientWhen You Wish Upon a Star — the Disney song taps into a need for escapismThe track from Pinocchio, now remade as a live-action film, has a yearning quality that has brought dozens of artists to cover itNew York, New York — celebratory song that became a New Year favouriteFirst sung by Liza Minnelli and popularised by Frank Sinatra, this paean to the city is bawled out at parties and in karaoke barsYou’ll Never Walk Alone: from Broadway to Liverpool FCUrvasi Urvasi — feelgood song from a Tamil film that went globalAR Rahman’s track was adapted by will.i.am as part of a trend for sampling and borrowing from Indian popular music by western artistsOl’ Man River — a powerful indictment of black oppressionPaul Robeson sang the definitive version of this beautiful, rousing tuneIt Ain’t Necessarily So — the Gershwins at the top of their gameWith its brilliantly playful rhymes, Sportin’ Life’s sceptical song from Porgy and Bess has been covered and reinterpreted over the yearsHeaven on their Minds — how Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber sparked a stormTheir musical Jesus Christ Superstar caused controversy, while its opening song has had a colourful afterlifeMoon River — the song that was nearly cut from Breakfast at Tiffany’sBeing Alive — how Stephen Sondheim’s song has acquired new meaning over the yearsWhy ‘Let it Go’ is loved by prisoners and preschoolers alikeRecorded in more than 40 languages, the song has spawned countless internet tributes — and parodiesAlfie — Burt Bacharach described it as his favourite of all the songs he wroteThe Life of a Song: ‘Mack the Knife’The global hit was first written for a musical that aimed to lay bare the hypocrisies of bourgeois morality
Over the Rainbow — studio executives wanted to cut Judy Garland’s number from The Wizard of OzThe 1938 song became a classic, a cry of despair from the forgotten, rural heartland of AmericaThe Look of Love — Bacharach and David’s song was perfect for a Bond movieDusty Springfield recorded the 1967 track for a seduction scene in ‘Casino Royale’Lara’s Theme — melody from Dr Zhivago travelled far and wideNamed after Julie Christie’s character in the 1965 film, Maurice Jarre’s tune became a global hit with added lyricsQue Sera, Sera — song from a Hitchcock movie belongs to Doris DayIn ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’, she put her stamp on a ballad sung in mangled SpanglishNight and Day — Cole Porter’s yearning number had north African roots Inspired by Moroccan rhythms and first sung by Fred Astaire, the track became a fixture in the Great American SongbookSomewhere — Leonard Bernstein’s classic is studded with ‘borrowings’ from other composersThe song from West Side Story has fascinating roots — and a fruitful afterlifeMore from this SeriesMy Favorite Things — the Broadway number was transformed by John ColtraneThe saxophonist took a song from The Sound of Music into uncharted territorySummertime — the Gershwins’ tune is probably the most recorded song everTheir composition from Porgy and Bess went on to become a standardSomeday My Prince Will Come — how an unknown teenager got to sing Snow WhiteAfter featuring in the Disney film, Frank Churchill’s composition found a new life in the world of jazzIf I Were a Rich Man — indelibly associated with Topol, but it could have been Sinatra’s songThe late singer spent a lifetime singing the tune from Fiddler on the Roof, though others expressed interest in the roleSkyfall — Adele captured the essence of the James Bond songThe singer and her co-writer Paul Epworth created an epic track with a secret ingredientWhen You Wish Upon a Star — the Disney song taps into a need for escapismThe track from Pinocchio, now remade as a live-action film, has a yearning quality that has brought dozens of artists to cover itNew York, New York — celebratory song that became a New Year favouriteFirst sung by Liza Minnelli and popularised by Frank Sinatra, this paean to the city is bawled out at parties and in karaoke barsYou’ll Never Walk Alone: from Broadway to Liverpool FCUrvasi Urvasi — feelgood song from a Tamil film that went globalAR Rahman’s track was adapted by will.i.am as part of a trend for sampling and borrowing from Indian popular music by western artistsOl’ Man River — a powerful indictment of black oppressionPaul Robeson sang the definitive version of this beautiful, rousing tuneIt Ain’t Necessarily So — the Gershwins at the top of their gameWith its brilliantly playful rhymes, Sportin’ Life’s sceptical song from Porgy and Bess has been covered and reinterpreted over the yearsHeaven on their Minds — how Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber sparked a stormTheir musical Jesus Christ Superstar caused controversy, while its opening song has had a colourful afterlifeMoon River — the song that was nearly cut from Breakfast at Tiffany’sBeing Alive — how Stephen Sondheim’s song has acquired new meaning over the yearsWhy ‘Let it Go’ is loved by prisoners and preschoolers alikeRecorded in more than 40 languages, the song has spawned countless internet tributes — and parodiesAlfie — Burt Bacharach described it as his favourite of all the songs he wroteThe Life of a Song: ‘Mack the Knife’The global hit was first written for a musical that aimed to lay bare the hypocrisies of bourgeois morality
