Maps of Music
Facing Future (1993)
Where the lyrics of Facing Future take you, and where it was really made.
The best-selling album of all time by a Hawaiian artist is built on ukulele songs, yet its wider reach came from outside Hawaii, through the mainland United States and worldwide audiences.
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Overview
- Second album by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
- Released in 1993
- Best-selling album of all time by a Hawaiian artist
- Combines traditional Hawaiian-language songs and hapa-haole songs with traditional instrumentation
- Also includes Jawaiian (Island reggae) and pop music
- Track 14, a medley of Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World, is the album's best-known song
Background
- Israel Kamakawiwoʻole sings and plays ukulele on the album
- Sales were driven by Hawaiian audiences and also by popularity on the US mainland and around the world
- The album reached platinum status in 2005
Recording
- Produced by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole and Jon de Mello
- Engineered and mixed by Milan Bertosa
- Mastered by Jon Golden
- Del Beazley and Mel Amina play guitar, Gaylord Holomalia plays keyboards and handles programming, Roland Cazimero plays acoustic bass and guitar, and Mike Muldoon plays percussion
- Analu ʻAina plays electric bass but is uncredited
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | Hawaiʻi ’78 Introduction | 5:06 |
| 2 | Ka Huila Wai | 3:21 |
| 3 | ʻAmaʻama | 2:15 |
| 4 | Panini Pua Kea | 3:07 |
| 5 | Take Me Home Country Road | 4:56 |
| 6 | Kuhio Bay | 3:32 |
| 7 | Ka Pua Uʻi | 2:56 |
| 8 | White Sandy Beach of Hawaiʻi | 2:37 |
| 9 | Henehene Kou ʻAka | 4:22 |
| 10 | La ʻElima | 3:40 |
| 11 | Pili Me Kaʻu Manu | 2:33 |
| 12 | Maui Hawaiian Supʻpa Man | 3:54 |
| 13 | Kaulana Kawaihae | 4:01 |
| 14 | Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World | 5:08 |
| 15 | Hawaiʻi ’78 | 5:16 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Formation
- Born May 20, 1959 in Honolulu; also known as Braddah IZ or IZ.
- Began playing music at age 11 with his brother Skippy and cousin Allen Thornton.
- In his early teens, formed the Makaha Sons of Niʻihau with Skippy, Louis Kauakahi, Sam Gray and Jerome Koko.
Members
- Makaha Sons of Niʻihau members included Skippy, Louis Kauakahi, Sam Gray and Jerome Koko.
Career
- The Makaha Sons recorded No Kristo in 1976 and released fifteen successful albums.
- Breakout albums Puana Hou Me Ke Aloha (1984) and Hoʻola (1986) made the group Hawaii's most popular contemporary traditional group.
- Solo debut Ka ʻAnoʻi (1990) won awards from the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts.
- Facing Future (1993) became Hawaii's first certified platinum album.
- His medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" was the longest-leading number-one hit on any Billboard song chart.
- Known for promoting Hawaiian rights and independence through lyrics and actions.
- Died June 26, 1997 in Honolulu at age 38. Posthumous album Alone in IZ World (2001) debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's World Chart.
- NPR named him "The Voice of Hawaii" in 2010.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Second album by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, released in 1993
- Combines traditional Hawaiian-language songs and hapa-haole songs with traditional instrumentation
- Also includes Jawaiian (Island reggae) and pop music
- Sales were driven by Hawaiian audiences and also by popularity on the US mainland and around the world
- The track "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" was a major source of wider interest
- Used in films including Finding Forrester, Meet Joe Black, 50 First Dates, Fred Claus, Hubble and Son of the Mask
- Used in TV shows including ER, Cold Case, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Life On Mars, Glee and Scrubs
- Used in an eToys commercial
Records
- Best-selling album of all time by a Hawaiian artist
- Reached platinum status in 2005
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- The track "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" was used in films such as Finding Forrester and Meet Joe Black, and in TV shows such as ER and Glee.
- The Italian Wikipedia article calls track 14, a medley of Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz and What a Wonderful World made famous by Louis Armstrong, the album's best-known song.
- The French Wikipedia article calls Facing Future the artist's biggest seller.
- Del Beazley wrote the track Maui Hawaiian Sup'pa Man, and also plays guitar on the album.
Sources: it.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org