His voice became famous outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" was released on his albums Ka ʻAnoʻi and Facing Future. It was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and television commercials. Along with his ukulele playing and incorporating other genres, such as jazz and reggae, Kamakawiwoʻole remains influential in Hawaiian music.
Kamakawiwoʻole was born at Kuakini Medical Center in Honolulu to Henry "Hank" Kaleialoha Naniwa Kamakawiwoʻole, Jr. and Evangeline "Angie" Leinani Kamakawiwoʻole. The notable Hawaiian musician Moe Keale was his uncle and a major musical influence. He was raised in the community of Kaimuki, where his parents had met and married. He began playing music with his older brother Skippy and cousin Allen Thornton at the age of 11, being exposed to Hawaiian entertainers' music, such as Peter Moon, Palani Vaughn, and Don Ho, who frequented the establishment where Kamakawiwoʻole's parents worked. Hawaiian musician Del Beazley spoke of the first time he heard Israel perform when playing for a graduation party. The whole room fell silent on hearing him sing. Israel continued his path as his brother Skippy entered the Army in 1971, and cousin Allen parted ways in 1976 for the mainland.
In his early teens, he studied at Upward Bound (UB) of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and his family moved to Mākaha. There he met Louis Kauakahi, Sam Gray, and Jerome Koko. Together with his brother Skippy they formed the Makaha Sons of Niʻihau. A part of the Hawaiian Renaissance, the band's blend of contemporary and traditional styles gained popularity as they toured Hawaii and the continental United States, releasing fifteen successful albums. Kamakawiwoʻole aimed to make music that stayed true to the typical sound of traditional Hawaiian music. During that time period, the songs that many people associated with Hawaii, typically, were not traditional-sounding songs.
The Makaha Sons of Niʻihau recorded No Kristo in 1976 and released four more albums, including Kahea O Keale, Keala, Makaha Sons of Niʻihau, and Mahalo Ke Akua. In 1982, Kamakawiwoʻole's brother, Skippy, died at age 28 of a heart attack[5] related to obesity. In that same year, Kamakawiwoʻole married his childhood sweetheart Marlene. Soon after, they had a daughter named Ceslieanne "Wehi" (born in c. 1983).
The group became Hawaii's most popular contemporary, traditional group with breakout albums 1984's Puana Hou Me Ke Aloha and its follow-up, 1986's Hoʻola. Kamakawiwoʻole's last recorded album with the group was 1991's Hoʻoluana. It remains the group's top-selling CD.
In 1990, Kamakawiwoʻole released his first solo album Ka ʻAnoʻi, which won awards for Contemporary Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year from the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts (HARA). Facing Future was released in 1993 by The Mountain Apple Company. It featured a version of his most popular song, the medley "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" (listed as "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World"), along with "Hawaiʻi 78", "White Sandy Beach of Hawaiʻi," "Maui Hawaiian Sup'pa Man," and "Kaulana Kawaihae." The decision to include a cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was a last-minute decision by his producer Jon de Mello and Kamakawiwoʻole. Facing Future debuted at #25 on Billboard magazine's Top Pop Catalogue chart. On October 26, 2005, Facing Future became Hawaiʻi's first certified platinum album, selling more than a million CDs in the United States, according to figures furnished by the Recording Industry Association of America. On July 21, 2006, BBC Radio 1 announced that "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (True Dreams)" would be released as a single in America.
In 1994, Kamakawiwoʻole was voted favorite entertainer of the year by the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts (HARA).
E Ala E (1995) featured the political title song "ʻE Ala ʻE" and "Kaleohano," and N Dis Life (1996) featured "In This Life" and "Starting All Over Again."
In 1997, Kamakawiwoʻole was again honored by HARA at the Annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards for Male Vocalist of the Year, Favorite Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, and Island Contemporary Album of the Year. He watched the awards ceremony from a hospital room.
Alone in Iz World (2001) debuted at #1 on Billboard's World Chart and #135 on Billboard's Top 200, #13 on the Top Independent Albums Chart, and #15 on the Top Internet Album Sales charts.
On December 6, 2010, NPR named Kamakawiwoʻole as "The Voice of Hawaii" in its 50 great voices series.
On March 24, 2011, Kamakawiwoʻole was honored with the German national music award Echo. The music managers Wolfgang Boss and Jon de Mello accepted the trophy in his stead.
A 2014 Pixar short film, Lava, features two volcanoes as the main characters. Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and his style of music was James Ford Murphy's partial inspiration for the short film.
Hawai'i '78 introduction
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai'i
(Spoken)
I feel free now, you know? I was just confined like, you know?
My Mom was born on Niihau. My Dad was born here.
My Dad, he was a...he worked for the Navy. Down at PWCA,
Public Works. Down Pearl Harbor.
My Poppa died when he--when I was 10 I think.
...Was 10 years old. But every once in a while, he come
back you know. ...I trip! Just like couple of weeks ago,
I was sleeping my place, and then my mother and auntie Nina came...
How would they feel?
Would their smiles be content rather then cry?
Cry for the gods,
cry for the people,
cry for the land that was taken away,
and then yet you'll find Hawai'i.
He loved music brah.
He had a massive heart attack.
The way that--just depression brah. He was real depressed.
I was on the same course he was going.
And he knew that too. And that's why he came back
and tell me that "eh"--'cuase he DID come back and told me that
"Eh, 'cause, you know, no be scared. There's people here for
help you brah". It's kinda like telling me, if he
had them...he would still be here. I still believe if he had called me,
he'd be alive.
...'Cause he died of a broken heart brah.
How would he feel?
Would his smiles be content rather then cry?
Cry for the gods,
cry for the people,
cry for the land that was taken away,
and then yet you'll find Hawai'i.
Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai'i
Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai'i
Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai'i
Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai'i
FADE
The opening to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's song Hawai'i '78 introduction is a powerful expression of identity, loss and resilience. The repeated phrase "ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai'i" translates to "the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness in Hawaii". This phrase appears in Hawaii's state motto, and it is a statement of the island's indigenous people's relationship to the land. The inclusion of this phrase at the beginning of the song sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics, which contain personal anecdotes and descriptions of the generational trauma the Hawaiian people have faced.
The spoken section of the lyrics is a conversation between Kamakawiwo'ole and someone about his family history and experiences growing up in Hawaii. The lines "How would they feel? Would their smiles be content rather than cry?" express the pain and suffering of the Hawaiian people who have witnessed their land, culture and traditions being taken away. The lines "cry for the gods, cry for the people, cry for the land that was taken away, and then yet you'll find Hawai'i" demonstrate the resilience of the Hawaiian people and the fact that despite everything that has happened, they remain rooted in their identity and connection to the land.
Line by Line Meaning
Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai'i
The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness for Hawai'i.
Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai'i
The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness for Hawai'i.
I feel free now, you know? I was just confined like, you know?
I now feel liberated after feeling trapped all this time.
My Mom was born on Niihau. My Dad was born here.
My mother was born on Niihau, while my father was born in Hawaii.
My Dad, he was a...he worked for the Navy. Down at PWCA, Public Works. Down Pearl Harbor.
My father was employed by the Navy, specifically Public Works, near Pearl Harbor.
Oh my mother was tight ah...was tight. My Poppa was tight.
My mother and father were both strict individuals.
My Poppa died when he--when I was 10 I think. ...Was 10 years old. But every once in a while, he come back you know. ...I trip! Just like couple of weeks ago, I was sleeping my place, and then my mother and auntie Nina came...
My father passed away when I was around ten years old, but I still sense his presence at times, just like a few weeks ago when my mother and aunt visited me while I was sleeping.
How would they feel? Would their smiles be content rather than cry? Cry for the gods, cry for the people, cry for the land that was taken away, and then yet you'll find Hawai'i.
Are my parents watching over me with joy, or are they saddened by the loss of the land and culture that they held dear? Through tears and heartbreak, I still hold onto the hope of finding Hawai'i.
He loved music brah. He had a massive heart attack. The way that--just depression brah. He was real depressed. I was on the same course he was going. And he knew that too. And that's why he came back and tell me that 'eh'--'cause he DID come back and told me that 'Eh, 'cause, you know, no be scared. There's people here to help you brah'. It's kinda like telling me, if he had them...he would still be here. I still believe if he had called me, he'd be alive. ...'Cause he died of a broken heart brah.
My father had a passion for music, but he suffered from severe depression that eventually led to a heart attack. He knew that I was going down the same path, and he visited me to remind me that there are people who care and can help me. It feels like he's trying to tell me that if he had those same kind of people in his life, he might still be alive. He died of a broken heart.
Contributed by Molly Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.