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.
Starting All Over Again
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For us, we're gonna make it
Starting all over as friends is going to be tough
On us, we gotta face it
We lost what we had
That's what hurt us so bad
Set us back a thousand years
But we gonna make it up
To erase the hurt and fears
Starting all over again is going to be hard
But I pray to the Lord, to help us make it
Starting all over again is going to be slow
But we both know, we gonna make it
We gotta take life as it comes
Never fuss about it, what's right or wrong
It's an uphill climb to the finish line
We gonna try, we gonna try just one more time
[Solo]
We gotta take life as it comes
Don't make any fuss about it
What's right or wrong
We gonna make it up
Though I know it's gonna be rough
To erase the hurt and fears
Starting all over again is going to be rough
For us, we're gonna make it
Starting all over again is going to be tough
On us, we goota face it
The song "Starting All Over Again" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole talks about the challenges involved in starting fresh after a relationship has ended. The lyrics suggest that while the process will be difficult, the two protagonists will rise to the challenge and overcome their hurt and fears to build a new friendship, and eventually, a new relationship.
The lyrics highlight the struggle that many people face when a relationship ends, and the process of rebuilding trust and letting go of the hurt that lingers after a breakup. The song suggests that the best way to move forward is by taking life as it comes and not getting caught up in what's right or wrong. Instead, Israel encourages us to look towards the future, no matter how hard it may be to let go of the past.
The solo in the song enhances the emotional depth of the lyrics, as the music helps to convey the pain and struggle that comes with starting over. Overall, "Starting All Over Again" is a powerful song that encourages us to move forward, no matter how difficult it may be, and to have faith that we will overcome adversity with time.
Line by Line Meaning
Starting all over again is going to be rough
We know that beginning anew will be difficult
For us, we're gonna make it
But we are determined to succeed
Starting all over as friends is going to be tough
Rekindling our relationship won't be easy
On us, we gotta face it
We have to confront the challenges head-on
We lost what we had
Our past relationship is gone
That's what hurt us so bad
Losing what we had was painful
Set us back a thousand years
Our separation felt like a huge setback
But we gonna make it up
But we are committed to making it right
Though I know it's gonna be tough
Even though we know it won't be easy
To erase the hurt and fears
To move past the pain and fears from before
Starting all over again is going to be hard
We acknowledge that starting over will be difficult
But I pray to the Lord, to help us make it
We ask for divine assistance to succeed
Starting all over again is going to be slow
We understand that rebuilding will take time
But we both know, we gonna make it
But we have faith we will succeed
We gotta take life as it comes
We must accept whatever life throws our way
Never fuss about it, what's right or wrong
We won't argue over what is or isn't fair
It's an uphill climb to the finish line
Our journey ahead will be an arduous one
We gonna try, we gonna try just one more time
But we're going to give it our all, one more time
[Solo]
Musical Interlude
We gotta take life as it comes
We must accept whatever life throws our way
Don't make any fuss about it
We won't complain or resist
We gonna make it up
We will make things right
Though I know it's gonna be rough
Even though we know it will be difficult
To erase the hurt and fears
To heal past wounds and overcome fears
Starting all over again is going to be rough
We know that beginning anew will be difficult
For us, we're gonna make it
But we are determined to succeed
Starting all over again is going to be tough
Rekindling our relationship won't be easy
On us, we gotta face it
We have to confront the challenges head-on
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PHILLIP LEROY MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind