Harold Arlen

American composer of popular music (1905-1986)

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Lived 1905–1986, aged 81United States

United States MusiciansSinger / Musician

Wikipedia
36 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1905–1986
Aged 81
Known for
Cavalcade of the Acade…
1940

Summary

Updated 2026-06-11

Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, including "Over the Rainbow", which won him the Oscar for Best Original Song, he was nominated as composer for 8 other Oscar awards. Arlen is a contributor to the Great American Songbook. "Over the Rainbow" was voted the 20th century's No. 1 song by the RIAA and the NEA.