Thursday 4/17 Life front page:

The end of 'Rainbow' is nowhere in sight

By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY
Maybe it's that image of carefree bluebirds or just the lilting lullaby
tone, but there's something about Over the Rainbow that warms the heart and
makes cash registers ring.

The latest star turn for the tune written for Judy Garland's Dorothy in
1939's The Wizard of Oz came last week, when dreadlocked American Idol
finalist Jason Castro plinked out the song on ukulele.

Castro's rendition not only kept him in the competition, it also spawned a
700%% increase in sales and a huge jump (from No. 187 to No. 11) on Nielsen
SoundScan's digital songs chart for the 1993 version recorded by the late
Hawaiian giant Bruddah Iz, aka Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

Other Idol performances also drove download debuts: Martina McBride's Anyway
(No. 101) and Aerosmith's Dream On (102), sung on the show by Kristy Lee
Cook and Michael Johns, plus 10 songs performed on Idol Gives Back.

"The reason for (Rainbow's) enduring success is simple: It's a great song
with an inspirational message that can be applied to any situation," says
Rolling Stone managing editor Will Dana. "I'd put it up there among the five
most well-known songs in our culture."

Iz's sparse interpretation has starred in countless movies, TV shows and
commercials, include a 1999 ad campaign for eToys.com and a 2002 episode of
ER focused on the death of Mark Greene. But the singer, who battled obesity,
didn't live long enough to see his vision of Garland's classic resonate so
completely with the masses. He died in 1997 at age 38.

Castro's decision to sing Iz's version of Rainbow may have been as
inevitable as it was deliberate, says Dana. Garland's version "came out a
long time ago, and it's possible that (all) today's kids know is the
Hawaiian interpretation. Either way, (Castro) did well. On Idol, it never
hurts to be unique."

Another music industry veteran ascribes Rainbow's longevity to the magic
that happens when the right words are mated to the perfect melody.

The Beatles' Yesterday "is another one that is just so timeless," says
consultant Tom Vickers, a former music publishing executive. "Over the
Rainbow seems to have new lives with each generation, whether that's fresh
takes by (guitarist) Tommy Emmanuel or Israel.

"What you hear in Iz's voice is up to you, whether it's the search for that
pot of gold or a person to complete your life. In these tough times, a song
like that will resonate.

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **