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.
Take Me Home Country Road
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
High-ridge mountain, crystal-clear blue water.
All my friends there hanging on da beach,
Young and old among them,
Feel the ocean breeze.
Country road, take me home,
To the place I belong,
Oh, take me home, oh, country road.
I heard a voice,
In the morning calm, she calls me,
As though to remind me of my Home far away.
Driving down the road,
I feel the Spirit coming to me,
From yesterday, yesterday.
All my memories hold Heaven on high,
Brown-skinned woman, clear blue island sky.
Daytime sunshine, oo-ooh so bright,
Midnight moon a-glowing, stars up in the sky.
Country road, take me home,
To the place I belong,
West Makaha, Mount Ka'ala.
Take me home, take me home, country road.
I hear a voice, in the morning calm, she's calling,
As though to remind me of my Home far away.
We driving down the road, I feel the Spirits coming to me,
Of yesterday, yesterday.
Almost Heaven, West Makaha,
High ridge mountain, crystal clear blue waters.
All my friends there sitting on the beach,
Young and old among them,
Eating fish straight from the sea.
Country road, take me home,
To the place I belong,
West Makaha, oh, Mount Ka'ala.
Take me home, oh country road.
Country road, take me home,
Oh to the place I belong.
West Makaha, Mount Ka'ala,
Take me home, oh country road.
Country road, oh take me home,
Yes to the place, to the place, I belong,
West Makaha, Mount Ka'ala,
Take me home country road.
Country road, take me home,
To the place I was born,
West Makaha, Mount Ka'ala.
Take me home, country road.......
Huuhuu. Huuu-tah.
Good fo' be back.
White san', clean watah.
Hô boy, the mountain...feel the makani...
Whew, what a place.
The lyrics of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's song "Take Me Home Country Road" describe the singer's yearning to return to his home in West Makaha, Hawaii. He sings of the natural beauty of his hometown, describing high-ridge mountains, crystal-clear blue waters, and the ocean breeze. He recalls memories of brown-skinned women and the bright sunshine of his youth. Through these lyrics, the singer expresses a deep connection to his homeland, as well as a longing to return to it.
The song's chorus, "Country road, take me home / To the place I belong / West Makaha, Mount Ka'ala / Oh, take me home, oh, country road," emphasizes the singer's desire to return to his roots. He feels a deep pull towards the land where he grew up and amongst his community, both young and old. The lyrics also mention the singer hearing a voice in the morning calm, as if a reminder of his home, and feeling the spirit of yesterday coming to him as he drives down the roads he used to roam.
Overall, "Take Me Home Country Road" is a touching ode to the singer's native land and the desire to return to his roots. The lyrics express a deep connection to the natural beauty and community of West Makaha, as well as a longing for the memories of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Almost Heaven, West Makaha,
West Makaha, with its high-ridge mountain and crystal-clear blue water, is almost like heaven.
High-ridge mountain, crystal-clear blue water.
The scenery of West Makaha consists of a high-ridge mountain and crystal-clear blue water.
All my friends there hanging on da beach,
All of my friends are down at the beach, enjoying themselves.
Young and old among them,
People of all ages are there, from the young to the old.
Feel the ocean breeze.
The refreshing ocean breeze can be felt.
Country road, take me home,
The singer wants to be taken back to their home on the country road.
To the place I belong,
The country road leads to the singer's true home.
West Makaha, Mount Ka'ala.
The singer's home is located in West Makaha and near Mount Ka'ala.
Oh, take me home, oh, country road.
The singer pleads for the country road to take them back home.
I heard a voice,
The singer hears a voice calling out to them.
In the morning calm, she calls me,
The voice sounds like a female voice and is heard in the peaceful morning.
As though to remind me of my Home far away.
The voice is a reminder of the singer's distant home.
Driving down the road,
While driving down the road,
I feel the Spirit coming to me,
The singer senses a spiritual presence coming close.
From yesterday, yesterday.
The spiritual presence takes the singer back to yesterday.
All my memories hold Heaven on high,
For the singer, all of their memories of West Makaha are special and like heavens above.
Brown-skinned woman, clear blue island sky.
The island scenery includes a brown-skinned woman and a clear blue sky.
Daytime sunshine, oo-ooh so bright,
The attractive daylight is bright and beautiful.
Midnight moon a-glowing, stars up in the sky.
At night, there is a glowing moon and stars shining in the sky.
All my friends there sitting on the beach,
All of the singer's friends are sitting together on the beach.
Young and old among them,
Both young and old people are in the group.
Eating fish straight from the sea.
The group is enjoying eating freshly caught fish from the sea.
Country road, oh take me home,
The singer really wants to be taken home by the country road.
Yes to the place, to the place, I belong,
The singer feels like they truly belong in their hometown.
Huuhuu. Huuu-tah.
There is a sound effect of someone breathing heavily and grunting.
Good fo' be back.
It feels good to be back home.
White san', clean watah.
The scenery has white sand and clean water.
Hô boy, the mountain...feel the makani...
The mountain and the wind can be felt by the singer.
Whew, what a place.
The singer is expressing their admiration for the place.
Contributed by Olivia A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Zeldasword11
He's 61 today it makes me so happy what he was Part of all of our childhood he will never be forgotten in our hearts I have always wanted to visit where he was from since I first heard him it seems like amazing culture. He was such a movement and help so many know to love what we got never to be greedy and how beautiful this world is. Today his music is 61 years old and keeps on growing. He's still playing music I can feel it. We just can't hear it yet but one day we will. He will be sitting on the rainbow while listening to him! Thank you on everyone I can say for your music you gave us but at the same I don't wanna take that for granted I wish I got the chance to meet you. We love you keep singing. keep flying. We love you!!! <3 <3 <3 :D :D :D
@animalbob100
this needs more likes ;)
@Zeldasword11
@@animalbob100 He is exactly what people say "True heros don't wear capes" He never wanted fame all he wanted was to make the world a better place and make it so everyone can enjoy beautiful music with this world!! He's making an impact on so many people!! Greeenbean mke your one of the millions make me glad to know people still have love for this earth and love for this amazing guy! Keep moving forward I believe in you! Much love!
@theunitedstates5217
He didn’t die he is somewhere over the rainbow.
@dubsmith1969
Me too I hope I can visit Hawaii one day and was actually planning to this year but it was scratched with the Covid outbreak. Ahh someday😁
@rainydaysinaugust4715
hahaha yeah such comf core my gusic brother totaly agree
@BUS_MUSIC
Ke ʻōlelo mai nei ke Akua iā ʻoe i kēia lā; "Mai hoʻi i hope, ʻo ia ka mea a ka ʻenemi e makemake ai e hana ʻoe. E ʻoi aku kou wā e hiki mai ana ma mua o kou hala. ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi iā ʻoe ma mua. "E paulele i kāna mau ʻōlelo hoʻohiki🕊🕊🕊
Amene🙏🏾🙏🏾
@jamesdebusk5153
Aloha from Virginia! Born in Honolulu, been back twice. Happy Memories, thanks Iz.
@2MchKrma
Aloha from Las Vegas. I am currently about 6 hours away from moving back to the big island after not being there since my birth. I can’t wait to experience the love he has for the islands. Thank you Isreal kamakawiwo’ole
@kikia6611
Miss you, Iz. Gentle soul and wonderful voice. Never forgotten.