"Hawaiian War Chant" is an American popular song whose original

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

and lyrics were written in the 1860s by

Prince Leleiohoku William Pitt Leleiohoku II, born Kalahoʻolewa (January 10, 1855 – April 9, 1877), was a prince of the Hawaiian Kingdom and member of the reigning House of Kalākaua. At birth, Leleiohoku was ''hānai'' (informally adopted) by Ruth Keʻelik ...

. The original title of the song was '' Kāua I Ka Huahuaʻi'' 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.

History

Under the original title, the song was recorded around June 1911 by the Crowel Glee Club, and released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. English lyrics by

Ralph Freed Ralph Freed (1 May 1907, Vancouver - February 13, 1973) was a Canadian born American lyricist and television producer. Early Life Born May 1, 1907 to Max Freed and Rosie (Rosza) Grossman who met in Charleston, SC. Ralph married Grace H. Berchma ...

were written in 1936 and the melody changed somewhat at that time by

Johnny Noble John Avery Noble (September 17, 1892, Honolulu, Hawaii – January 13, 1944, Honolulu), better known as Johnny Noble, was an American musician, composer and arranger. He was one of the key figures behind the development of the hapa haole style ...

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

recorded it on November 29, 1938, and it was released on Victor Records in the United States and Canada. In a 1942 performance, Dorsey's band featured drummer Buddy Rich and trumpeter

Ziggy Elman Harry Aaron Finkelman (May 26, 1914 – June 26, 1968), known professionally as Ziggy Elman, was an American jazz trumpeter associated with Benny Goodman, though he also led his group Ziggy Elman and His Orchestra. Early years Elman was born i ...

for this song. The song was featured in the 1942 film ''

Ship Ahoy ''Ship Ahoy'' is a 1942 American musical-comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton. It was produced by MGM. Background ''Ship Ahoy'' was the first of two films in which Powell and Skelton co-starred. It ...

'' starring

Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars duri ...

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

and the

Tommy Dorsey Band Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 f ...

. The song features prominently in Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, a Disney theme park attraction that first opened at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

in 1963. Spike Jones recorded the song for Victor Records in February 1946 with Carl Grayson on vocal. It reached number eight on the charts, according to Joel Whitburn.

Sources

Hawaiian War Chant

History

Sources

References

Further reading