Was ‘Over the Rainbow’ originally a song of Norway?

Claims have been made in Hollywood that the torch song of Wizard of Oz was plagiarised from an obscure Scandinavian woman, who fortuitously registered copyright in the tune.

That the composer later turned into a vehement Nazi adds further spice to the story:

The similarities between Signe Lund’s Opus 38 and composer Harold Arlen and lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg’s “Over the Rainbow” cannot be dismissed. Though there are notable variations (the former is in a minor key, for example, and follows a different time signature), the melodies of the main themes are nearly identical. Decades after the deaths of Arlen and Harburg, it is impossible to unequivocally determine whether the similarities are unintended or deliberate

Read on here.