E.Y. Harburg

E.Y. Harburg (born April 8, 1896, New York, New York, U.S.—died March 5, 1981, Hollywood, California) was an American lyricist known for his witty, whimsical, and socially conscious songs. He wrote more than 600 songs across Broadway and Hollywood. Harburg earned the nickname “Broadway’s social conscience” through songs such as “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”— which became an anthem for the despair felt during the Great Depression—and musicals such as Finian’s Rainbow (1947) and Bloomer Girl (1944), which addressed racial inequality, economic injustice, and feminism. Harburg collaborated with composer Harold Arlen, and they wrote the Academy Award-winning song “Over the Rainbow” from the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Early life and education

Born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, Harburg grew up in poverty in Manhattan, New York. He was familiar with the Yiddish theater and became attracted to the stage after a school trip to watch an adaptation of Peter Pan.

He took various jobs during his childhood, such as selling newspapers, lighting street lamps along the East River docks, and packing pickles in a factory. He went to high school at Townsend Harris Hall, where he sparked a fateful friendship with Ira Gershwin, who would later become a noted lyricist. Years later, Gershwin encouraged Harburg to pursue songwriting and helped him make early professional connections. Harburg wrote columns for the school and college newspaper with Gershwin.

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Harburg graduated from City College of New York in 1917 and briefly moved to Uruguay during World War I to avoid military service.

Early career and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”

Initially, Harburg pursued business, co-owning an electrical appliance company. The 1929 stock market crash plunged Harburg into debt. Yet he welcomed this loss as an opportunity to fully commit to songwriting and remarked to historian Studs Terkel:

Being in business was something I detested. When I found that I could sell a song or a poem, I became me, I became alive….When I lost my possessions, I found my creativity.

Harburg’s professional breakthrough came in 1929 when, through his sustained friendship with Ira Gershwin—then one of America’s leading lyricists—he contributed songs to the Broadway revue Earl Carroll’s Sketchbook alongside composer Jay Gorney. In 1932 Harburg collaborated with Gorney to craft “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” for the revue Americana. Originally a satirical commentary targeting the Rockefeller family and their charitable gestures during the Great Depression, the song evolved into a depiction of unemployed workers and their shattered dreams:

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They used to tell me I was building a dream,
With peace and glory ahead,
Why should I be standing in line,
Just waiting for bread?

In 1932 Harburg collaborated with composer Vernon Duke on the enduring standard “April in Paris.”

Success with The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Harburg’s move to Hollywood marked the beginning of collaborations with composers Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and Jule Styne, among others.

Harburg collaborated with Arlen on The Wizard of Oz (1939), working in innovations in musical storytelling. He proposed integrating the film’s songs directly into the storyline, a departure from the common practice of inserting musical numbers that halted the narrative. Harburg wrote the dialogue between Aunt Em and Dorothy leading into the iconic song “Over the Rainbow,” as well as the scene where characters receive a heart, a brain, and courage. His creation of the rainbow imagery, entirely original to the film, complemented the use of color cinematography. Performed by Judy Garland, the song became an enduring classic, earning Harburg an Academy Award in 1940 and recognition from the American Film Institute, which named it the best film song of the 20th century.

Broadway contributions

Harburg’s Broadway work frequently featured progressive social themes. His 1944 musical Bloomer Girl, starring Celeste Holm, addressed challenging themes such as slavery, women’s rights, and the devastation of war. The story follows the rebellious daughter of a hoopskirt manufacturer who, inspired by her progressive aunt Dolly Bloomer, refuses an arranged marriage and works alongside her aunt to support abolition and gender equality. Notable songs from the musical include “The Eagle and Me,” “It Was Good Enough for Grandma,” and the romantic ballad “Right as the Rain.”

Harburg’s 1947 musical, Finian’s Rainbow, cowritten with composer Burton Lane, explored themes of racial prejudice and economic inequality. The story follows an Irish immigrant and his daughter who arrive in the fictional American state of Missitucky, bringing along a stolen pot of gold, pursued by a leprechaun. The show was adapted into a film in 1968, starring Fred Astaire and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Memorable songs from the musical include “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” and “Old Devil Moon.”

Blacklisting and later work

During the anti-communist fervor of the early 1950s, Harburg became a target because of his socialist beliefs and affiliations with organizations such as the Hollywood Democratic Committee. In June 1950 his name appeared in Red Channels, an influential pamphlet listing entertainment industry figures suspected of communist sympathies. This listing resulted in Harburg being banned from working in film, radio, and television. The U.S. government also revoked his passport.

In response to his blacklisting, Harburg wrote Flahooley (1951), a musical satire critiquing the anti-communist paranoia of the McCarthy era. The production closed after a brief run.

Legacy and influence

Harburg continued to produce Broadway musicals such as Jamaica (1957) despite his blacklisting. ​In recognition of his contributions to American music, Harburg was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Posthumously, in 1981, he received the Johnny Mercer Award. The United States Postal Service issued a 37-cent stamp in his honor on April 28, 2005, to commemorate his legacy.