This first edition was published shortly after the musical's premiere in New York on March 31, 1943. Pearl Harbor had occurred only 16 months before and success was not at all secure. However, after World War II and the Depression, the public was in a nostalgic mood and the show would run for an unprecedented 2,212 performances. Oklahoma as a state was only 36 years old and perhaps that reminded people of their pioneer past and the possibility of a brighter future.

“Oklahoma!” was Richard Rodgers’ first collaboration without his longtime partner Larry Hart and his first with Oscar Hammerstein II, with whom he would go on to write South Pacific, The Sound of Music, The King and I and Carousel. Another new element was the inclusion of Agnes De Mille’s choreography. Oklahoma! contains some of the most recognizable song hits of all time, including "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin", "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top", "I Cain't Say No", "People Will Say We're in Love", and "Pore Jud Is Daid".