Sweet Leilani

"Sweet Leilani"
Single by Bing Crosby
B-side	"Blue Hawaii"
Released	1937
Format	78 rpm
Recorded	February 22, 1937[1]
Genre	Hawaiian / Popular
Label	Decca Records 1175
Writer(s)	Harry Owens
With Lani McIntyre and His Hawaiians

"Sweet Leilani" is a song featured in the 1937 film, Waikiki Wedding. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song,^[2] and Bing Crosby's record became one of the biggest hits of 1937.^[3][4]

Harry Owens wrote the song on October 20, 1934 for his daughter Leilani, who was born the previous day. Leilani is a popular Hawaiian name, meaning "heavenly garland of flowers" (not "heavenly flower"). It also has a figurative meaning: Small Hawaiian children were carried on their parents' shoulders like a lei (garland), so the name took on the meaning "heavenly child."

Prior to Waikiki Wedding, the song had been recorded by Sol Hoʻopiʻi under the title "Leilani" as the B-side of "Hawaiian Honeymoon" (Brunswick Records 55085).^[5][6]

Harry Owens and his Royal Hawaiians performed "Sweet Leilani" in the 1938 film Cocoanut Grove starring Fred MacMurray.^[7]

Other versions

"Sweet Leilani" became a standard of popular and Hawaiian music, easy listening, and to some extent jazz; and has occasionally been performed by country and rock artists. The following list is not intended to be exhaustive:

Albums

• Harry Owens, Hawaii (1945)^[8][9][10]
• Rosemary Clooney with Harry James, Hollywood's Best (1952)^[11]
• Eddie Fisher, Eddie Fisher Sings Academy Award Winning Songs (1955)^[12]
• Frank Chacksfield, South Sea Island Magic (1957)^[13]
• The King Sisters, Aloha (1957)^[14][15]
• Marty Robbins, Song of the Islands (1957)^[16]
• Arthur Lyman, Hawaiian Sunset: The Sounds of Arthur Lyman (1958)^[17]
• André Kostelanetz, The Lure of Paradise (1959)^[18][19]
• Les Paul and Mary Ford, Lovers' Luau (1959)^[20][21]
• Billy Vaughn, Blue Hawaii (1959)^[22][23]
• Andy Williams, To You Sweetheart, Aloha (1959)^[24]
• George Greeley, The Most Beautiful Music of Hawaii (1960) Warner Bros. WS-1366 (LP)
• 101 Strings, In a Hawaiian Paradise (1961)^[25][26]
• Nelson Riddle, Love Tide (1961)^[27][28]
• Percy Faith, American Serenade (1963)^[29][30]
• Burl Ives, On the Beach at Waikiki (1965)^[31][32]
• Roberto Delgado, Blue Hawaii (1965)^[33]
• Henry Mancini, The Academy Award Songs (1966)^[34][35]
• Ray Conniff, Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album (1967)^[36]
• The Waikikis, Pearly Shells from Hawaii (1968)^[37]
• Don Ho, Hawaii's Greatest Hits (1970)^[38][39]
• Roland Cazimero, Waikiki's Greatest Hits, Now! (1990)^[40]
• Chris Isaak, Baja Sessions (1996)^[41]
• Dennis Pavao, Sweet Leilani (1996)^[42]
• Ray Anthony, Dream Dancing in Hawaii (1997)^[43]
• Daniel Ho, Hawaiian Classics (1998)^[44]
• Sonny Rollins, This Is What I Do (2000)^[45]
• Teresa Bright, Tropic Rhapsody (2008)^[46]

and also Bing Crosby covered Sweet Leilani

Selected compilations

• Elton Britt, Country Music's Yodelling Cowboy Crooner, Vol. 2 (2007)^[47]
• Martin Denny, Bachelor in Paradise: The Best of Martin Denny (1996)^[48]
• Cliff Edwards ("Ukulele Ike"), Singing in the Rain (1995)^[49]
• Benny Goodman, The Essential Benny Goodman (2007)^[50]
• The Platters, Four Platters and One Lovely Dish (1994)^[51]
• Don Redman, 1936–1939 (1991)^[52]

References

External links

• About the song
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics