Hawaiian War Chant
Encyclopedia
"Hawaiian War Chant" was an American
popular song whose original melody
and lyrics were written in the 1860s by Prince Leleiohoku. The original title of the song was Kaua I Ka Huahua`i or "We Two in the Spray." It was not written as a chant, and the Hawaiian lyrics describe a clandestine meeting between two lovers, not a battle. The English title therefore has nothing to do with the song as it was originally written and performed in Hawaii.
The Hawaiian lyrics are unusual because they are often written with the letter "T" appearing where a "K" would be expected by many modern readers. However, the spelling reflects an older accent which is preserved to a large degree in the more northern islands, such as Ni`ihau and Kaua`i.
English lyrics by Ralph Freed were written in 1936 and the melody changed somewhat at that time by Johnny Noble
.
The song was later featured in the 1942 film Ship Ahoy
starring Eleanor Powell
, Red Skelton
and the Tommy Dorsey Band
.
A huge success and a crowd favorite in Hawaii
an resorts for many years. Singer Hilo Hattie
used it extensively in her own shows, singing it at three different speeds with the claim that Leleiohoku wrote it about two palace lovers who met in secret (The identity of the people Leleiohoku may have been writing about—if not himself—is not currently known).
She also credited comedy bandleader Spike Jones
for popularizing an uptempo comedic version of the song. Jones' 1946 Victor recording, with Carl Grayson on vocal, reached number eight on the charts, according to Joel Whitburn.
Les Paul & Mary Ford recorded a version of this piece, which is included within the Les Paul Show segment on the Capitol Masters compilation CD: 90th Birthday Edition.
Since 1963, the Hawaiian War Chant has served as the finale in the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction at Disneyland.
In 1957, Bill Haley & His Comets
recorded the comedic "Me Rock-a-Hula" which was based upon the "Hawaiian War Chant" melody.
In the early 1960s, Japanese popular vaudevillian Shinji Maki
used this melody with his social satire performance "Yan-na-chatta-bushi" .
In 1968 and 1972 on location in Hawaii, Sandi Griffiths
(nee Jensen) and Sally Flynn
both sang the song on the The Lawrence Welk Show
.
The song was performed by The Muppets
in an episode of The Muppet Show
.
In the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King
, the character Timon
(voiced by Nathan Lane
) performs this song with changed lyrics.
The University of Hawai`i Rainbow Marching Band plays the Hawaiian War Chant at all Pre Game shows at Aloha Stadium. It is the showcase song for the baton twirler.
The Michigan Marching Band
currently plays this song, following the song Temptation
, as part of their traditional post game events because "you can't have one without the other". In addition, the major chorus of the song is played by the Michigan Hockey Pep Band when the goalie makes a particularly challenging save.
Since 2003, "Weird Al" Yankovic
included a segment from the song into his "Yoda Chant
", a chant he performs in the middle of the song "Yoda" (parody of "Lola" by The Kinks) during concerts.
This song is featured in the 2007 major motion picture Surf's Up
performed by Bob Willis and his Texas Playboys.
From 1985 until it closed in 2008, the Adventurers Club
of Downtown Disney
's Pleasure Island
, have played this song. The maid comes out in the library in an orange hula skirt and sings the song.
E `uhene lâ i pili ko`olua
Pukuku`i lua i ke ko`eko`e
Hanu lipo o ka palai
Chorus:
Auwê ka hua`i lâ
`Auhea wale ana `oe
E ka`u mea e li`a nei
Mai hô`apa`apa mai `oe
O loa`a pono kâua
Chorus:
Auwê ka hua`i lâ
I aloha wau iâ `oe
I kâu hanahana pono
La`i a`e ke kaunu me ia la
Hô`apa`apai ka mana`o
Such joy, the two of us together
Embracing tightly in the coolness
Breathing deep of the palai fern
Chorus:
Oh, such spray
Listen
My desire
Don't linger
Lest we be found
Chorus:
Oh, such spray
I loved you
Your warmth
Calmed passion
Preventing thought
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
popular song whose original melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
and lyrics were written in the 1860s by Prince Leleiohoku. The original title of the song was Kaua I Ka Huahua`i or "We Two in the Spray." It was not written as a chant, and the Hawaiian lyrics describe a clandestine meeting between two lovers, not a battle. The English title therefore has nothing to do with the song as it was originally written and performed in Hawaii.
The Hawaiian lyrics are unusual because they are often written with the letter "T" appearing where a "K" would be expected by many modern readers. However, the spelling reflects an older accent which is preserved to a large degree in the more northern islands, such as Ni`ihau and Kaua`i.
English lyrics by Ralph Freed were written in 1936 and the melody changed somewhat at that time by Johnny Noble
Johnny Noble
-Further reading:...
.
The song was later featured in the 1942 film Ship Ahoy
Ship Ahoy
Ship Ahoy is the title of a 1942 musical-comedy film produced by MGM, starring Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton.-Background:This was the first of two films in which Powell and Skelton co-starred...
starring Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Torrey Powell was an American film actress and dancer of the 1930s and 1940s, known for her exuberant solo tap dancing.-Early life:...
, Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
and the Tommy Dorsey Band
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
.
A huge success and a crowd favorite in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an resorts for many years. Singer Hilo Hattie
Hilo Hattie
Hilo Hattie was born Clarissa "Clara" Haili in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was a Hawaiian singer, hula dancer, actress and comedian of 100% Native Hawaiian ancestry.-Early life and career:...
used it extensively in her own shows, singing it at three different speeds with the claim that Leleiohoku wrote it about two palace lovers who met in secret (The identity of the people Leleiohoku may have been writing about—if not himself—is not currently known).
She also credited comedy bandleader Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
for popularizing an uptempo comedic version of the song. Jones' 1946 Victor recording, with Carl Grayson on vocal, reached number eight on the charts, according to Joel Whitburn.
Les Paul & Mary Ford recorded a version of this piece, which is included within the Les Paul Show segment on the Capitol Masters compilation CD: 90th Birthday Edition.
Since 1963, the Hawaiian War Chant has served as the finale in the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction at Disneyland.
In 1957, Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
recorded the comedic "Me Rock-a-Hula" which was based upon the "Hawaiian War Chant" melody.
In the early 1960s, Japanese popular vaudevillian Shinji Maki
Shinji Maki
is a Japanese comedian who plays the ukulele.- History :Shinji was born in Meguro, Tokyo on 26 September 1934. His real name is . His appearance in the live vaudevillian show, "Shirouto Yose" featuring amateur entertainers established his career as an independent comedian...
used this melody with his social satire performance "Yan-na-chatta-bushi" .
In 1968 and 1972 on location in Hawaii, Sandi Griffiths
Sandi Griffiths
Sandi Griffiths is an American singer. She is best known as a performer on American television's The Lawrence Welk Show.-Early years:...
(nee Jensen) and Sally Flynn
Sally Flynn
Sally Flynn is an American singer and musician who was a featured performer on The Lawrence Welk Show television program....
both sang the song on the The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
.
The song was performed by The Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
in an episode of The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
.
In the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
, the character Timon
Timon and Pumbaa
Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney's popular 1994 animated film The Lion King. Timon was portrayed through his many appearances by Nathan Lane , Max Casella , Kevin Schon , Quinton Flynn Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced...
(voiced by Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
) performs this song with changed lyrics.
The University of Hawai`i Rainbow Marching Band plays the Hawaiian War Chant at all Pre Game shows at Aloha Stadium. It is the showcase song for the baton twirler.
The Michigan Marching Band
Michigan Marching Band
The Michigan Marching Band is the University of Michigan's marching band.-History:In 1896 the MMB was founded as a student organization and became a firm part of the Michigan tradition in 1898. Shortly after William D. Revelli became director he aligned the MMB with the School of Music which...
currently plays this song, following the song Temptation
Temptation (1933 song)
"Temptation" is a popular song, published in 1933, with music written by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed. The song was used in the film Singin' in the Rain and later in the 1983 musical based on the film, and is prominently featured in Valerio Zurlini's Violent Summer .The song was...
, as part of their traditional post game events because "you can't have one without the other". In addition, the major chorus of the song is played by the Michigan Hockey Pep Band when the goalie makes a particularly challenging save.
Since 2003, "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
included a segment from the song into his "Yoda Chant
Yoda (song)
"Yoda" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the song "Lola" by The Kinks. Written and inspired by the events of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the song is told from the point of view of Jedi-in-training Luke Skywalker, and concerns his dealings with Jedi Master Yoda on...
", a chant he performs in the middle of the song "Yoda" (parody of "Lola" by The Kinks) during concerts.
This song is featured in the 2007 major motion picture Surf's Up
Surf's Up (film)
Surf's Up is a 2007 American computer-animated mockumentary family comedy film directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck. It stars the voices of Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel and Jon Heder among others....
performed by Bob Willis and his Texas Playboys.
From 1985 until it closed in 2008, the Adventurers Club
Adventurers Club
The Adventurers Club was a themed nightclub in Pleasure Island at the Walt Disney World Resort. It was styled after a private club for world travelers and explorers and was set in 1937. The walls of the club were covered with artifacts and photographs from various explorations...
of Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney is the name of two outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complexes located at two Disney resorts:* Downtown Disney , at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida...
's Pleasure Island
Pleasure Island
Pleasure Island is an area of the Downtown Disney shopping, dining and entertainment district at Walt Disney World Resort. Pleasure Island officially opened on May 1, 1989. In September 2008, all of the clubs on the island were closed, however, the island's retail stores and restaurants remain open...
, have played this song. The maid comes out in the library in an orange hula skirt and sings the song.
Hawaiian lyrics
Kâua i ka huahua`iE `uhene lâ i pili ko`olua
Pukuku`i lua i ke ko`eko`e
Hanu lipo o ka palai
Chorus:
Auwê ka hua`i lâ
`Auhea wale ana `oe
E ka`u mea e li`a nei
Mai hô`apa`apa mai `oe
O loa`a pono kâua
Chorus:
Auwê ka hua`i lâ
I aloha wau iâ `oe
I kâu hanahana pono
La`i a`e ke kaunu me ia la
Hô`apa`apai ka mana`o
English Translation
You and I in the sea spraySuch joy, the two of us together
Embracing tightly in the coolness
Breathing deep of the palai fern
Chorus:
Oh, such spray
Listen
My desire
Don't linger
Lest we be found
Chorus:
Oh, such spray
I loved you
Your warmth
Calmed passion
Preventing thought