She really had reinvented this standard, adding a strong jazz influence. To my ears, she cleaned up some prominent melodic embarrassments. For example, she sings both syllables of the first word “Somewhere” on the same high A flat, rather than the octave jump of the Judy Garland version. I read somewhere that Harold Arlen was trying to achieve a “symphonic” effect by the octave jump. That effect may have worked in the context of the movie and 1939 audience expectations; IMO it’s hackneyed today, which I believe is a big reason for numerous poster claims that they didn’t like OTR until they heard Eva’s version.

“Closetcomposer” from the Yahoo discussion group

I can’t believe 4 years has already passed since I last posted an Eva Cassidy track. We speak of ‘what – ifs’ in the music world like for example, if Buddy Holly and John Lennon’s lives weren’t cut short and they went onto develop their careers. At least those former greats got rousing receptions, recognition and fame. Eva Cassidy was on the precipice of taking the music world by storm when she died at 33 of melanoma virtually an unknown music artist outside Washington circles. Like her previous rendition of Autumn Leaves which featured here, Over the Rainbow transcends genre and has been covered hundreds of times in the decades since.

Eva Cassidy has one of the most astounding female voices I’ve ever heard in contemporary music, yet she tragically passed away without finding commercial success in her lifetime. I find her voice ‘angelic’ and richly soul driven. Fortunately we are blessed to have many live and studio recordings of her songs.

Wikipedia – Two years after her death, Cassidy’s music was brought to the attention of British audiences, when her versions of “Fields of Gold” and “Over the Rainbow” were played by Mike Harding and Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2. Following the overwhelming response, a camcorder recording of “Over the Rainbow“, taken at Blues Alley in Washington by her friend Bryan McCulley, was shown on BBC Two’s Top of the Pops 2. Shortly afterwards, the compilation album Songbird climbed to the top of the UK Albums Chart, almost three years after its initial release. The chart success in the United Kingdom and Ireland led to increased recognition worldwide. Her posthumously released recordings, including three number-one albums and one number-one single in the UK, have sold more than ten million copies. Her music has also charted within the top 10 in Australia, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

I couldn’t recommend more highly Eva Cassidy’s web site which includes specifics about her recording of Over The Rainbow where it mentions:

It was “Over the Rainbow” that made Eva Cassidy a star, but it didn’t happen until five years after her death….It all started, of course, with “The Wizard of Oz.” Like most children in the pre-video days, Eva looked forward to the annual television broadcast of the MGM musical “The Wizard of Oz,” with Judy Garland’s classic performance of “Over the Rainbow.” Intrigued by the fantasy world depicted in the movie, Eva and her sisters and cousins eagerly read the complete series of “Oz” books by L. Frank Baum.

Eva’s brother Dan Cassidy heard secondhand (via Ned Judy) that Eva was motivated to sing “Over the Rainbow” after watching a television talent show. ‘Eva used to watch a show in the 80´s called “Star Search” which sometimes had some really good singers competing for national attention…After Eva’s dazzling introduction to the Washington music community, her special version of “Over the Rainbow” was ever-more-often demanded by her fans at her live performances. Usually she didn’t put it on the set list without a special request. Eva’s friend Celia Murphy recalls, “We were always under orders NOT to request that song, but we always did, and she always obliged!” According to Chris Biondo, “The hard part for her wasn’t singing it, it was playing the guitar part all the way through without making any mistakes. There were a couple of difficult parts for her during the little instrumental break, there was a slide where sometimes she wouldn’t quite slide up to where she was heading, she had problems making that slide work. Sometimes she played it better than others.”

[Verse 1]
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
In the land that I heard of once
Once in a lullaby

[Verse 2]
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

[Bridge]
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That’s where you’ll find me

References:
1. Over the Rainbow – Eva Cassidy web site