Yip Harburg

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E. Y. "Yip" Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American lyricist, librettist, and producer whose work spanned Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and popular songs, often embedding themes of social justice and human resilience. After the failure of his electrical appliance business during the Great Depression prompted a pivot to songwriting, Harburg achieved early success with lyrics for "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (1932), a poignant anthem reflecting economic despair that became emblematic of the era. His most enduring contribution came with the lyrics to "Over the Rainbow" for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, co-written with composer Harold Arlen, which earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song and symbolized escapist hope amid adversity. Harburg co-created landmark musicals like Finian's Rainbow (1947), for which he shared the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and advocated racial equality, union rights, and anti-fascist causes through his art, though his explicit socialist commitments—rooted in membership in the Young People's Socialist League—led to blacklisting from film, radio, and television work during the McCarthy-era investigations from 1951 to 1961.

In brief

Edgar Yipsel "Yip" Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (with Jay Gorney), "April in Paris", and "It's Only a Paper Moon", as well as all of the songs for the film The Wizard of Oz, including "Over the Rainbow". Harburg was known for the social commentary of his lyrics, as well as his left-wing political leanings.

He championed racial, sexual, and gender equality and labor unionism, and was an ardent critic of high society and religion. == Biography == === Early life and career === Harburg, the youngest of four surviving children (out of ten), was born Isidore Hochberg on the Lower East Side of New York City on April 8, 1896. His parents, Lewis Hochberg and Mary Ricing, were Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jews who had emigrated from Russia.