Anthony Peters
April 1, 2011
English 4
Prof. Stein
Global Island: Hawaiian Music’s impact on the global music scene
Growing up around my father’s family, I learned to appreciate Hawaiian music. Through the music of Melveen Leed and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole my family taught me to be proud of my Hawaiian heritage. At family functions Hawaiian music would be played while my grandmother made traditional Hawaiian food and all my aunties and uncles discussed what it was like back on the Islands. I remember feeling left out that I was born on the mainland and not Hawaii. For me and the rest of my cousins that were raised in California, Hawaiian music was a way for us to feel like we were apart of the Islands.
Hawaiian music serves as the folk music of the Hawaiian Islands. When Christian missionaries began to settle on the islands and try to convert them, Hawaiians began to write music based on the hymnals of the missionaries. Until that time, Hawaiian music was primarily chanting with few if any instruments. After Hawaiian music began to infuse the music of the missionaries with the story-songs of their culture, modern Hawaiian music was born.
Now, Hawaiian music can most easily be indentified by the unmistakable sound of the ukulele. The ukulele, which is the unofficial instrument of the islands, is the most recognizable piece of the Hawaiian music genre. The very sound of the ukulele instantly transports the listener to Hawaii. Through the years, the media has combined the sounds of the Ukulele with images of a white sandy beach in Hawaii. These combinations of image and sound have come to define how the American public sees Hawaii. Some Hawaiian artists only perform with a ukulele. Jake Shimabukuro who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii is a solo artist who only performs with a ukulele
Another element of Hawaiian music is the use of the Hawaiian language. Hawaiian music is one of the few places where the Hawaiian language is still spoken. Though most Native Hawaiians can speak Hawaiian, most only use some key phrases or speak pidgin which is a mix of Hawaiian slang and English. In that way, the music of the islands has become a way for the Hawaiian language to stay alive.
Other elements of Hawaiian music are keyboards, drums, a bass guitar, and guitar. These elements are not completely needed but are usually seen in most bands. One of the most popular bands of the 1970’s in Hawaii were the Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau, employed a standup acoustic bass, a six-string guitar, a 12-string guitar, and a ukulele.
Hawaiian music through the years has become a way for Hawaiians to pass down the pride of being Hawaiian from generation to generation. Most songs of the genre glorify the Hawaiian culture and put the culture on display for the world to see. Having listened to these ideas growing up, I definitely believe that they had a direct impact on the way I view myself and my heritage. They made me proud to be Hawaiian and proud of all things Polynesian. I am not the only one that feels this way, my brothers also feel this way. To the point that we all share a Hawaiian inspired tattoo.
In America, Hawaiian music has come to represent the easy and slow pace of life in Hawaii. Whether it’s a scene on a beach and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “White Sandy Beach” is playing in the background or if it’s his cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as the lead character of a movie has found inner peace. Hawaiian music is used to reflect the relaxation of being on the islands.
Living on an island where the average temperature hovers between 82 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit, the natives tend to take life a little slower. A construction job that would normally take around two months to complete on the mainland takes about four or five months in Hawaii. Hawaiians feel no rush when it comes to life. Every day is a lazy summer’s day for them. This take on life is reflected in the music of the islands with its slow tempos and laid back feel. American popular culture has recognized this wrinkle in the genre and has used it to portray life on the islands.
Movies that are set in Hawaii often use Hawaiian music to help the viewer suspend belief and become apart of the movie. Most Americans never listen to Hawaiian music on the mainland and couldn’t name one Hawaiian artist. However, when they show up on the islands for a vacation it’s all they hear. So, it becomes easy for them to feel like they are back on the islands as soon as they hear Hawaiian music since there are no other places they have heard it. The music becomes synonymous with a Hawaiian vacation almost by default. And since Americans vacation to Hawaii to relax and get away from the troubles of their normal lives, their time on Hawaii equates with stress free feelings. When you look at it in that light it becomes easy to see why movie and television producers use the Hawaiian music genre to take people on an imaginary trip to Hawaii.
Through globalization American pop culture has seeped through to the global consciousness. Middle class white kids in France are break dancing on the street corners; Iraqis are learning English by from metal bands like Lamb of God and Metallica. Every where you go in the world now cultures are sharing their ideas with each other through their art and the Hawaiian music scene is no different. Right now, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole is the number one downloaded single in Germany. The world is getting smaller and people in Europe who may have only seen Hawaii in movies or on the internet are now beginning to feel what its like to be in Hawaii and live that way of life through the music of the islands.
Though Hawaiian music has been around the global music scene for decades, it never became a heavy hitter until Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” hit the radio waves. Israel took an authentic American classic and made it into a Hawaiian staple. Thanks to its use in films like Finding Forrester, Meet Joe Black, and 50 First Dates, the song entered the American popular culture and soon after that it entered the global consciousness.
Over the last few years Europe has fallen in love with the song. It has been used in commercials for cars, the Norwegian lottery, and a body spray. In 2004, Lynx, a body spray company much like Axe, ran a commercial featuring “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” In the commercial, a couple wakes up from a presumed one night stand and begin retrieving the clothes that they had stripped off during their tryst from across the city. Though the commercial implies that if you wear their product you will increase your chances of wooing women into your bed, I feel that the use of Israel’s song was used to convey the feeling of hope that someone has after they meet somebody new. The hope that this new person is going to be the one that helps erase the stresses of the world, that everything is going to be alright. If a product gave me a chance to feel what was implied that he felt through the song I would definitely spend my money on that product.
In 2006, the European car manufacturer Peugeot made a commercial that also includes “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Unlike the Lynx commercial which implies new found love, Peugeot implies a long lasting love. The commercial begins in a junkyard with a man watching a car get demolished into a cube. After the car has been destroyed the man takes the cube back to his garage. After a moment or two of staring at it, the man begins to wipe the car down with a rag. The next scene shows him with the cube walking around town with it in a Radio Flyer red wagon. Walking in the streets like he is driving, it is easy for the viewer to understand that this man is holding onto his most prized possession. The common thread through the commercials is love. Love for someone new and love for someone (or something) that has been in someone’s life their whole life.
This brings me back to the overall feeling of Hawaiian music which is a sense of happiness and contentment. The tempo and soothing sounds of the ukulele takes the listener on a sonic trip to paradise, whatever that paradise may be. For someone like me, paradise might be sitting on a beach on the island of Kuai with my girlfriend. Other people might think that paradise is skiing in Aspen. Whatever the paradise might be, songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Aloha Oe” are able to allow people to reach it in their minds.
With the use of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in commercials in Europe, the popularity of the song has been exploding over the continent. A few years ago, a German record producer named Wolfgang Boss bought the rights to the song and released it as a single in Germany, the result was something that nobody saw coming. The song was released in the fall of 2010 and in a stunning eight weeks it had gone platinum, selling more than 300,000 copies and reaching number one on the Top Singles list. A month later France followed suit and the song also took over the number one singles spot.
Now, what is it about a 70-year old song written after the Great Depression, made famous by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” and covered by a dead 400-pound Hawaiian that is enchanting Europe over a decade after his death? In 2008, much of Europe was caught in the global financial crises which saw every economy take a hit. In 2010 when the song was released in Germany, the German economy began to turn around and climb back in. Germans were being filled with hope and optimism. So when, the song was released Germans latched on to both the lyrical message and the musical feelings of hope. They felt as though all the bad times were behind them and that they could achieve anything they could dream of. The song captured the heart of Germany so much that on top of it becoming the all time most downloaded song, beating out the likes of Lady Gaga and Shakira, “Somwhere Over the Rainbow” won the ECHO award for “Hit Song of the Year.”
The success of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is just one instance of globalization’s impact on Hawaiian music, as many cultures are beginning to cover Hawaiian music. Both “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and the Queen Liliuokalani penned “Aloha Oe” have garnered covers by the likes of Elvis Presley, Tia Carrere, Johnny Cash, the cast of Glee and many others. The fact that someone of the caliber of Johnny is covering “Aloha Oe” shows exactly how influential Hawaiian music is becoming. “Aloha Oe” was written by Queen Liliuokalani in the 1800’s and has since become one of the unofficial anthems of the islands. What makes the song so special is that Queen Liliuokalani was the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom and is a direct descendant of King Kamehameha the Great, who unified the islands of Hawaii. So, to cover that song in some ways gives respect to the Native Hawaiians and their culture.
The best cover of “Aloha Oe” in my opinion is Johnny Cash’s cover on his album American VI: Ain’t No Grave. Cash takes one of the most traditional Hawaiian songs and turns it country. With his deep voice he completely takes the song and makes it his own. What made it really eerie was the fact that this was the last song on the final album that he recorded before he died. With that hindsight it becomes very apparent that Cash knew he was on his way out when he made the record and may have chose this song as a way to say goodbye to his fans and the world.

outline

Global Island: Hawaiian music’s impact on the global

I Intro

A. What started out as a way for native Hawaiians to keep their culture alive has spread through the world and is now filtering into the imaginations of other nations.

B. Hawaiian music is generally accepted in United States popular culture as a musical interpretation of the Hawaiian culture.

1. The history of Hawaiian music began when the native Hawaiians began to write music based on the hymns of the missionaries.

2. Hawaiian music over the years has become a way to pass down the pride of being Hawaiian from generation to generation.

C. The same way that Hawaiian music in the U.S. have become a way for Americans to connect in the islands, citizens of other countries who may have never been to Hawaii are discovering the culture of Hawaii through its music.

II. Body

A. America has come to embrace Hawaiian music as a way to connect with the Islands even if they live on the mainland.

1. Though many people feel that the theme song for Hawaii 5-0 better represents Hawaii, it is more indicative of surf rock.

B. Through various movies and television shows, Hawaiian music has shown the culture and world view of Hawaiians to America.

1. Movies like Finding Forrester and 50 First Dates have introduced Hawaiian music into the mainstream.

2. Through these movies America has seen how Hawaiians view the world and how laid back they are.

C. As Hawaiian music has been introduced to the world, it has been accepted and has yet to be changed because though people have started listening to it they haven’t started to play it in their own genres.

D. Hawaiian music is starting to pop up in foreign commercials and continuing the feelings of relaxing and calmness that America feels when it listens to Hawaiian music.

1. Commercials in England have featured IZ’s song “Over the Rainbow” in a soothing and relaxing way.

2. On youtube, multiple Hawaiian music videos have comments that are left by people from Europe that talk about how much they love Hawaiian music.

E. Even though many Europeans may have never been to Hawaii, they are beginning to understand exactly how calming and relaxing Hawaiian music can be.

III. Conclusion

B. Through their music, Native Hawaiians have introduced the world to the history and culture of a once secluded nation.

Keeping Hawaiian culture alive through music

Growing up in Northern California as a working class white kid, I look about as close to a Hawaiian as I do to a native Iraqi. However, this did not stop my father’s side of the family from indoctrinating me with a pride of being Hawaiian.

In all honesty, I am 1/16^th Hawaiian and aside from a little bit of Native American inherited from my mother; the rest of me is pure European. At first look, I appear to be your average white male oppressor; my skin tone is light, my hair blonde, and my credit score is decent. However, as I previously stated I have a fierce loyalty to the Hawaiian people.

My grandparents migrated from Hawaii in the early 1960’s looking to pick up work and support my five uncles and aunties. As they moved here, they brought a lot of the culture of Hawaii with them. They regularly held luaus (Hawaiian feasts) with the Hawaiian club, spoke pidgin which is a mixture of Hawaiian and English slang, and most importantly they brought the music of the islands with them.

Some of my earliest memories of my grandmother are riding in the car with her as Aunty Genoa’s silky soprano voice. I don’t know if I was able to fully realize it at the time, but looking back at it, my grandmother was planting a seed of what it was like back on the islands. Now, as I am getting older and am starting to see how cultures are starting to blend together, I am growing thankful for Hawaiian music for keeping alive a culture that was once almost lost.

For those that may not exactly understand what Hawaiian music is, Hawaiian music is the folk music of the Native Hawaiians. It can be easily recognized by the laid back and relaxed feel of the music. At the very least Hawaiian music consists of one singer and a ukulele. Hawaiian artists have come to include the basic elements of a band which includes a bass guitar, drums, and either an acoustic guitar or a slack key slide guitar.

Modern Hawaiian music’s roots can be traced to the Post-Contact Era when Christian missionaries began to move to Hawaii and with them brought the hymnals of their religions. As the Hawaiians began to learn the hymns that the missionaries were teaching them, they themselves began to create their own songs. (citation 1).

Most people may think that Hawaiian music is more like the theme song from Hawaii 5-0, since that song is probably the best example of a song representing a place. Those people are very wrong in my opinion. Though Hawaiians have adopted the song as a sense of pride with the University of Hawaii performing the song at halftime of a lot of football games, it is not indicative of the Hawaiian music genre. The Hawaii 5-0 theme song is more representative of the surf rock genre of the 1960’s with its fast beats and electric guitar solos.

The reason the original producers may have used this song is the relationship of surfing and Hawaii. With many surfers in Southern California adopting a Polynesian lifestyle, it could have been easy to confuse the surf rock sound of Southern California and that of the islands.

Hawaiian music through the years has been used as a window to teach the world about Hawaiian culture and history. It can be heard in movies, television shows, Youtube videos, and Hawaiian Bar-b-que restaurants. Each time the music is used it evokes the feelings of being on the island, a fact that is not lost on producers in Hollywood.

When producers of television and movies set a show in Hawaii they usually try to incorporate Hawaiian songs to help set the scene. In the Adam Sandler movie “50 First Dates,” songs by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and the band the Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau were used as a way to help the viewers suspend belief and invest in the characters being in Hawaii.

Even when movies aren’t set in Hawaii, Hawaiian music has been used to convey feelings of happiness and closure. In the 2000 Sean Connery movie “Finding Forrester,” Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s cover of Judy Garland’s “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” was used during the end credits. The end credits showed the title character playing basketball through the window of his mentor’s apartment. I was left feeling relaxed and had a sense of closure with the hero’s journey.

Hawaiian music’s role as a history of the people of the islands continues whenever it’s used surfing videos. The marriage of Hawaiian culture and surfing has been around since the first Polynesian settlers came to the islands. According to a paper found on the University of Florida’s website titled the “Origins of Surfing,” “the Hawaiians who surfed, the ali'i or high class, claimed the highest reputation”

It’s this history of surfing and Hawaiians that is brought to mind every time Hawaiian music is used in surf videos. For example, in the 2004 documentary “Riding Giants,” director Stacy Peralta uses Hawaiian music as he explains the history of surfing on the islands. To the uneducated masses of the mainland, this serves as a history lesson about the Hawaiian culture, a history that many Hawaiians feel fiercely protective of.

This brings me to the most interesting examples of Hawaiian music in popular culture, which is the rising popularity of posting homemade music videos on Youtube. On Youtube Hawaiians are expressing their pride for their heritage through the meshing of music and video clips. In a video made by Youtube user Hokoluni78, paintings of ancient Hawaiian life and pictures of modern Hawaii are shown as the song Hawaii ’78 is played in the background. The result is a haunting three minutes which mixes the pride that Hawaiians have with the uncertainty of the American influence on Hawaiian culture.

Which brings us to the real meaning of Hawaiian music and that is its importance to Hawaiian people. UFC champion B.J. Penn who was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, walks out to every match while Israel Kamakiwiwo’ole’s “E Ala E” is played. This is vastly different then how every other fighter walks out because of the relaxed vibes it has. Almost every fighter’s walk-out song is either a hard rock song or a hip hop song that is aggressive in nature. I honestly believe that Penn does this as a way of invoking the spirits of his ancestors for the fight.

Ancestry is very important to Hawaiians and the music is a way for older generations to pass down the culture and love of Hawaii to the younger generations. In an emailed conversation between my cousins and myself, this was very apparent as they all seemed to have the same feeling toward the music. My cousin, like myself, were raised here on the mainland and have only been to Hawaii on vacations, however, in spite of this one thing that was apparent was that they all felt closer with their Hawaiian heritage thanks to the music of the Islands.

My cousin Burnadette sums up this feeling best, “They sing of the beauty of my homeland – the birth place of my family and the resting place of so many of my ancestors, including my father. Being Hawaiian is a special gift that has been given to me by my ancestors and by my God. I love listening to the music and knowing that those artists love everything Hawaiian as much as I do.”

My cousin Jennifer, who has four children of her own, explained how she uses the music to instill the pride that was given to us by our grandparents. “Being Hawaiian is important to me, and introducing my children to our Hawaiian music brings the same smile and enjoyment to their faces, as it did for me as a child. Even though I started Kira, Jasmine, and Kaylee in Hula lessons when they were only 4 or 5, it made them feel important inside. They love telling people they are Hawaiian, and we have always made sure that our homes and cars are filled with Hawaiian memorabilia whether with Leis, wind-charms, grass skirts, or music, anywhere and everywhere represents our culture.”

As for myself, I have never been to Hawaii, though I feel the spirit of Hawaii in me. Whether it was form being raised around Hawaiians, listening to Hawaiian music, going to luaus, or listening to the stories of my grandparents, the Aloha spirit is alive in me. Whenever I listen to Hawaiian music I feel a bond with all of my ancestors who have come before and with the Kings and Queens of the Kingdom of Hawaii. I am proud of where my family has come from and I am proud to say that I am Hawaii. In the words of Bruddah IZ, “us guys is forever, our ancestors, our ancestors before them.”