Sure, we all have our gripes with the US Postal Service. But once in a while they do a beautiful thing – they do the world a service by putting someone's image on a stamp, someone so deserving of recognition that little children will ask, "Who is this person? Why is he so important that they made a stamp for him?"
Thursday, April 28, the US Postal Service unveiled a postage stamp bearing the image of renowned lyricist Yip Harburg, recognizing him for the indelible mark he left on us. The ceremony fittingly took place at the 92nd Street Y, where Yip Harburg himself helped launch the institution's very first Lyrics & Lyricists series in 1970.
His name might not be familiar to many but his songs are sung by millions around the world. Embracing his love for musical theater, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg began writing songs with composer Jay Gorney in 1929. In 1932, they produced a hit, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" written for a Broadway revue, which was immediately recognized as a classic and became a new anthem for many Americans during the Great Depression. After furnishing lyrics for two more Broadway shows, Harburg teamed with composer Harold Arlen, and together they went on to collaborate on several classics of stage and screen, including Cabin in the Sky (1943), Bloomer Girl (1944) and Jamaica (1956).
But of course the duo is best known for "Over the Rainbow" which won the Academy Award for Best Song for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. One of the probable reasons for the song's success was Harburg's ability to capture the immigrant experience and encourage people to "dare to dream."
In 1947 Harburg joined forces with Burton Lane for the masterpiece Finian's Rainbow, in which the lyricist expressed his opinions on racism, social injustice and crimes against humanity. Happily, this show gave us lasting favorites laced with the most definitive statement of Harburg's personal values, combining skepticism and hope. During the 1950s, Harburg's liberal political views led to his being blacklisted by the movie industry, so he wrote for the stage until he was invited back to Hollywood for the 1962 animated film Gay Purr-ee.
In 2001, "Over the Rainbow" was named top song of the 20th Century in a poll conducted by the Recording Industry Association of America, and in 2004 the song was declared the greatest film song of all time by the American Film Institute. How can we argue with that?
Unfortunately, the evening's two biggest draws – Michael Feinstein and Joel Grey, who after his stint as the Wizard in Wicked was scheduled to lead a medley of tunes from The Wizard of Oz – were both no-shows. Still, this didn't deter the evening from being a lovely tribute to one of the greatest songwriters of our time.
