A Modern Classic Turns 20
PHOTO: COURTESY MOUNTAIN APPLE COMPANY
You’ve no doubt heard the sweet refrains of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole‘s “Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” sometime during your Waikiki adventures.
If not, you’ve heard it on commercials, in movies or on the radio. It was once included in the soundtrack of songs that welcomed revelers into the new year at Times Square. And, if you’re lucky, you own the album that brought this little piece of musical magic to the world: Facing Future.
This year, that classic of a Hawaiian music album turns 20, and to celebrate this milestone, Mountain Apple Company has re-released the album complete with a re-mastered music, and repackaging of its cover art.
Practically every song on the album was a radio hit. Standouts include “Hawai’i 78,” “Henehene Kou ‘Aka” and “Take Me Home Country Road.”
When the album was released in 1993, it was an instant hit here in Hawai’i, and has since gone on to surpass all sales expectations and reached every continent, becoming a hit wherever it’s released. It became Hawai’i’s first certified platinum album, selling close to two million CDs in the United States alone. With this 20th anniversary re-release, Facing Future is sure to gain another generation of fans.
Find Facing Future at music retailers throughout Waikiki.
