01-25-2024, 02:09 AM
I found this on TwitterX, and I wondered, how often do we realize we have a really really good idea. And then carry through with it?
At 3 a.m. one night in 1988, Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole called a local studio and said he needed to record something immediately.
He pleaded with the engineer: "Please, can I come in? I have an idea."
Kamakawiwo'ole recorded the iconic version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in one take, which would soon touch countless people across the globe.
The studio engineer who received Kamakawiwo’ole’s call was Milan Bertosa, who was working on a commercial jingle at the time. He was initially reluctant to let the singer in, but he changed his mind when he recognized his voice. Bertosa later said: “And in walks the largest human being I had seen in my life. Israel was probably like 500 pounds. And the first thing at hand is to find something for him to sit on.”
Kamakawiwo’ole did not only record “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” that night, but also another classic song: “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. He decided to merge the two songs into a medley, creating a seamless transition between them. Bertosa recalled: “He played and sang, one take, and it was over.”
Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was not released until 1993, five years after he recorded it. It was part of his album “Facing Future”, which became the best-selling Hawaiian music album of all time. The song gained popularity after being featured in several films and TV shows, such as “ER”, “Meet Joe Black”, and “50 First Dates”. It also reached the top charts in many countries, including the US, the UK, France, and Germany.
At 3 a.m. one night in 1988, Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole called a local studio and said he needed to record something immediately.
He pleaded with the engineer: "Please, can I come in? I have an idea."
Kamakawiwo'ole recorded the iconic version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in one take, which would soon touch countless people across the globe.
The studio engineer who received Kamakawiwo’ole’s call was Milan Bertosa, who was working on a commercial jingle at the time. He was initially reluctant to let the singer in, but he changed his mind when he recognized his voice. Bertosa later said: “And in walks the largest human being I had seen in my life. Israel was probably like 500 pounds. And the first thing at hand is to find something for him to sit on.”
Kamakawiwo’ole did not only record “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” that night, but also another classic song: “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. He decided to merge the two songs into a medley, creating a seamless transition between them. Bertosa recalled: “He played and sang, one take, and it was over.”
Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was not released until 1993, five years after he recorded it. It was part of his album “Facing Future”, which became the best-selling Hawaiian music album of all time. The song gained popularity after being featured in several films and TV shows, such as “ER”, “Meet Joe Black”, and “50 First Dates”. It also reached the top charts in many countries, including the US, the UK, France, and Germany.
