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.
You Don t Know Me
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so
But you'll never know, the one who loved you so
You don't know me
And you don't know the one who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips and longs to hold you tight
But I'm just a friend that's all I've ever been
I never knew the art of making love
Though my heart aches with love for you, ooh
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
A chance, you might love me too, ooh
You give your hand to me then you say, "Goodbye"
I watched you walk away beside the lucky guy
But you'll never ever know, the one who loved you so
You don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
And my heart aches with love for you, ooh
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
A chance, you might love me too
You give your hand to me and you say, "Goodbye"
I watched you walk away beside the lucky guy
But I'm just a friend, it's all I ever been
You don't know me, you don't know me
The song "You Don't Know Me" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole portrays the lamentations of a person who is in love with someone but cannot express their feelings. The song begins with the singer expressing their nerves and feeling of being tongue-tied in the presence of their love interest. The singer's unrequited love is evident from the line, "the one who loved you so, you don't know me." The singer longs to share their love with the other person but is afraid to do so. Instead, they choose to watch from afar, never being able to express their true feelings.
The second verse further reinforces the singer's longing and desire for their love interest. They imagine them at night, wishing to kiss and hold them tight. However, the singer knows that they are only a friend to the other person, and they have never dared to express their true feelings. They regret not taking a chance on love and were too afraid and shy to do so. The verse, "A chance, you might love me too" denotes that the other person's response is unknown to the singer.
The final verse concludes with the singer watching their love interest walk away with another man. Even then, the singer longs for the other person to understand how much they love them. However, they understand that the other person will never know how deeply they feel. The song's soft melody and Kamakawiwo'ole's smooth vocals evoke a sense of bittersweet and melancholy love.
Line by Line Meaning
You give your hand to me and you say, "Hello"
You greet me tenderly with a warm welcome
And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so
I am so excited to see you that I struggle to find the words to say
But you'll never know, the one who loved you so
You will never realize the depth of the love that I have for you
You don't know me
You lack insight into my true feelings and emotions
And you don't know the one who dreams of you at night
You are oblivious to the person who fantasizes about you every evening
And longs to kiss your lips and longs to hold you tight
This person yearns to savor the taste of your lips and embrace you tightly
But I'm just a friend that's all I've ever been
Despite my feelings, I have remained only a platonic companion
I never knew the art of making love
I never learned the skills to express my affection physically
Though my heart aches with love for you, ooh
Even though my love for you causes me great pain
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
My timidity and apprehension caused me to miss my opportunity
A chance, you might love me too, ooh
A missed opportunity to discover if you reciprocate my feelings
You give your hand to me then you say, "Goodbye"
You make a brief physical connection before departing
I watched you walk away beside the lucky guy
I observed you leave, arm in arm with a fortunate gentleman
But you'll never ever know, the one who loved you so
You will never truly understand how much I loved you
You don't know me
You are not cognizant of my identity, thoughts, or feelings
But I'm just a friend, it's all I ever been
My role in your life as a companion has never exceeded the boundaries of a platonic relationship
You don't know me, you don't know me
You lack knowledge of my personality, thoughts, and innermost feelings
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TRACY K. BONHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sarah Ameera Vloggs
LYRICS
You Don't Know Me
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
You give your hand to me and you say, "Hello"
And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so
But you'll never know, the one who loved you so
You don't know me
And you don't know the one who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips and longs to hold you tight
But I'm just a friend that's all I've ever been
You don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
Though my heart aches with love for you, ooh
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
A chance, you might love me too, ooh
You give your hand to me then you say, "Goodbye"
I watched you walk away beside the lucky guy
But you'll never ever know, the one who loved you so
You don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
And my heart aches with love for you, ooh
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
A chance, you might love me too
You give your hand to me and you say, "Goodbye"
I watched you walk away beside the lucky guy
But I'm just a friend, it's all I ever been
You don't know me, you don't know me
catherine murphy
You give your hand to me and you say, "Hello"
And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so
But you'll never know, the one who loves you so
You don't know me
And you don't know the one who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips and longs to hold you tight
But I'm just a friend that's all I've ever been
You don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
Though my heart aches with love for you, ooh
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
A chance, you might love me too, ooh
You give your hand to me then you say, "Goodbye"
I watched you walk away beside the lucky guy
But you'll never know, the one who loves you so
You don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
And my heart aches with love for you, ooh
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
A chance, you might love me too
You give your hand to me and you say, "Goodbye"
I watched you walk away beside the lucky guy
But I'm just a friend, it's all I've ever been
You don't know me, you don't know me
See Canon
You can feel each word he sings. Only a person who has loved could sing such as he.
Will M
Yeah he "loved" alright !! he loved his spam and pineapple !!!
Stacey M
This is a fantastic version of this song !!!! He will live forever in our hearts. God bless you Iz!!!!!!!!
Gunluvver2
I just recently discovered the beautiful voice of this man. I am 69 years old and in my lifetime I have heard some great music and his is among some of the best. I have several little friends (19 months, 14 months and 4 yo) that visit me at times and I have introduced them to Iz's music. They love it as much as I do. It is so sad that this amazing talent was here such a short time.
Patrick Kapfhammer
+Gunluvver2 : My 3 grandsons all love his music.Whenever we're in the car..it's put on Izzy.
Doce na boca
I think he was doesn´t to live for long time!
Sonya Graske
Gunluvver2 I just turned 53, AND HAVE 3 BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, AND HAVE been blessed by My 1st gammbaby, ava, now 1 1/2 yrs. What a wonderful world we share with and by, for having been given blessings from above; GOD.
and yes, I am a GAMMY. ❤
Sonya Graske
MOST BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING EVER!!!... SO GIFTED... GONE FAR TO SOON 😢 BUT BY HIS MUSIC, SONG, VOICE, HIS LEGACY CONTINUES TO BE EVER PRESENT. I KNOW HE IS RESTING IN HIS HEAVENLY FATHER'S ARMS... GOD TRULY NEEDED HIM, TO GET HIS GOD GIVEN TALENTS TO THE WORLD. I NEVER, TILL JUST NOW, HAD HEARD OF HIM.
I WANT HIS MUSIC, HIS SONG & VOICE , TO HAVE FOR ME, AS I TRAVEL MY PATH OF MY LIFE'S JOURNEY... LOVE TO GOD & ISRAEL ABOVE 😚
Arand C
Gunluvver2 o
Marcia Crosby
I learned about him after he had already left the earth, but what a legacy he left; I felt him still here, and grateful for the many gifts he left us - of love, love of family, community, land - love for our Selves and who were are, what we came to give, just as he did. Good man.