Facing Future
Album by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
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Facing Future is the second album by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, released in 1993. The best-selling album of all time by a Hawaiian artist, Facing Future combines traditional Hawaiian-language songs, hapa-haole songs with traditional instrumentation, and two Jawaiian (Island reggae) tracks.
| Facing Future | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1988, 1993 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:37 | |||
| Label | Mountain Apple | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Israel Kamakawiwoʻole chronology | ||||
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The album's sales have been driven not only by its popularity with Hawaiian audiences but by its popularity in the mainland United States and around the world, particularly the track "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World", which has been used in various films (Finding Forrester, Meet Joe Black, 50 First Dates, Fred Claus, Hubble, Son of the Mask), television shows (ER, Cold Case, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Life On Mars, Glee, Scrubs) and commercials (eToys). Facing Future reached platinum status in 2005.[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hawaiʻi '78 Introduction" | Mickey Ioane | 5:05 |
| 2. | "Ka Huila Wai" | Alfred Alohikea | 3:18 |
| 3. | "ʻAmaʻama" | Sam Alama | 2:11 |
| 4. | "Panini Pua Kea" | John Kameaaloha Almeida | 3:06 |
| 5. | "Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver Cover)" | John Denver, Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert | 4:56 |
| 6. | "Kūhiō Bay" | Keliana Bishaw | 3:29 |
| 7. | "Ka Pua Uʻi" | Bina Mossman | 2:53 |
| 8. | "White Sandy Beach of Hawaiʻi" | Duc Huy | 2:37 |
| 9. | "Henehene Kou ʻAka" | Traditional | 4:22 |
| 10. | "Lā ʻElima" | Elizabeth Kapeka Kuahuia | 3:37 |
| 11. | "Pili Me Kaʻu Manu" | Johnny Spencer | 2:33 |
| 12. | "Maui Hawaiian Sup'pa Man" | Del Beazley | 3:53 |
| 13. | "Kaulana Kawaihae" | Alice Na‘ai | 4:03 |
| 14. | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong Cover)" | Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Bob Thiele, George David Weiss | 5:07 |
| 15. | "Hawaiʻi '78" | Mickey Ioane | 5:15 |
| Total length: | 56:37 | ||
Personnel
Musicians
- Israel Kamakawiwoʻole – ukulele, vocals
- Del Beazley – guitar
- Mel Amina – guitar
- Gaylord Holomalia – keyboards, programming
- Analu ʻAina – electric bass (uncredited)
- Roland Cazimero – acoustic bass, guitar
- Mike Muldoon – percussion
Production
- Produced by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole and Jon de Mello
- Engineered and mixed by Milan Bertosa
- Mastered by Jon Golden
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Top 100 Albums[3] | 30 |
| German Albums Chart[4] | 8 |
| German Newcomer Chart[5] | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Rank |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[6] | 26 |
| Chart (2011) | Rank |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[7] | 76 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[8] | 61 |