In a statement released by Mountain Apple, Kamakawiwo‘ole’s widow, Marlene, called the accolades “a blessing for my ‘Ohana (family) and we are so happy to share his magic with the world.” It took about eight or nine months for it to get popular.”ĭe Mello said he was first notified of the recording’s consideration for the National Recording Registry about six months ago, but was asked to remain quiet about it.

“It was perfect, because people discovered other pieces of music, and then towards the end they got this English song that was just sparkly,” de Mello said. Kamakawiwo‘ole actually was reluctant to put it on “Facing Future,” since it had been recorded so many years earlier, but it was added to the album almost as an afterthought, appearing as the 14th of 15 tracks on the album. “It was a moment in time, and it was a perfect moment in time for Israel.”Ī digital recording made at the time then sat in a drawer for three years before Bertosa brought it to de Mello and said, “You should listen to this, this is pretty good,” de Mello recalled. “(Kamakawiwo‘ole) went into a studio and sat down and did one take - ‘Over the Rainbow’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ and walked out about 20 minutes later,” de Mello said. Producer Milan Bertosa was about to leave, but stayed. Though released in 1993, the recording was actually made a few years earlier when Kamakawiwo‘ole called Audio Resource Honolulu - then the best-equipped recording studio in Hawaii - early one morning and asked to record something.

The production of the recording itself is the stuff of legend. The medley has appeared in several television and film productions, such as TV’s “Charmed” and “ER” and the movie “50 First Dates.” De Mello said that someone from Sony Music, which licenses the commercial use of “Over the Rainbow,” once told him the song is requested nearly 500 times a week, and the vast majority are for Kamakawiwo‘ole’s version. “They’ll say ‘Every time I hear it I cry,’ or ‘My father passed away and we used it,’ ‘My daughter was born last month and we used it and it’s her theme song,’ ” he said. “Just before Christmas, his YouTube video went into a billion views.”ĭe Mello finds fans’ comments especially touching.

“I probably get maybe 18 to 20 alerts on blogs, other places, all the way through the week,” he said. It remains one of the company’s most beloved releases, said Mountain Apple founder Jon de Mello, who tracks the recording’s popularity through social media. A post shared by Library of Congress recording, featuring Kamakawiwo‘ole’s gentle ukulele strum and soothing semi-falsetto, appeared on his 1993 album “Facing Future,” released by Mountain Apple Co.

Hawaii music traditional wonderful