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Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World

January 01, 1970

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" (also known as "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World") is a medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", recorded by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. First released on the 1990 album Ka ʻAnoʻi, an acoustic rendition of the medley became notable after its release on his 1993 album Facing Future.

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World"
Cover art of the 2010 re-release
Single by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
from the album Ka ʻAnoʻi and Facing Future
ReleasedNovember 23, 1990 (KʻA)
November 1, 1993 (FF)
Recorded1989 (KʻA)
1988 (FF)
Genre
Length5:08
LabelBig Boy Records
Songwriter(s)
Music video
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" on YouTube
Audio sample

The song became a sleeper hit, after charting across Europe in 2010 and 2011 and in the meanwhile being featured in numerous film and TV soundtracks throughout the 2000s and 2010s. In 2020, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[1]

Recording history edit

The song was originally recorded in a spur-of-the-moment demo session in 1988. Israel called the recording studio at 3 am, and was given a 15-minute deadline to arrive by recording engineer Milan Bertosa. Bertosa recalled, "Israel was probably like 500 pounds. And the first thing at hand is to find something for him to sit on." The building security found Israel a large steel chair. "Then I put up some microphones, do a quick sound check, roll tape, and the first thing he does is 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.' He played and sang, one take, and it was over."[2]

At the time, copies of the acoustic recording were made only for Kamakawiwoʻole himself and Bertosa.[3] The song was re-recorded the following year as an "upbeat Jawaiian version" for Kamakawiwoʻole's debut album Ka ʻAnoʻi, listed as "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World."[4] In 1993, five years after the original recording, Bertosa played the acoustic version for producer Jon de Mello while the two were completing work on Facing Future, and de Mello decided to include it on the album as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World".[3]

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" reached number 12 on Billboard's Hot Digital Tracks chart the week of January 31, 2004 (for the survey week ending January 18, 2004).

Impact in popular culture edit

According to the Israel Kamakawiwoʻole website, Universal Studios first became interested in using the song in the movie and on the soundtrack for the 1998 film Meet Joe Black after director Martin Brest became interested in it.[5] Kamakawiwoʻole's recording of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" has been used on other soundtracks as well, including the soundtracks for Finding Forrester; 50 First Dates; Fred Claus; Happy, Happy; Hubble; and The Healer.[6][7] It was also featured on TV series such as ER, Charmed, Scrubs, Cold Case, the UK original version of Life on Mars, Glee, and more.[8][9]

Other cover versions edit

Other artists have recorded the medley as well. Cliff Richard recorded his own version of the medley, released as a single from the 2001 album Wanted, which peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart in 2001.[10]

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Certifications for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[28] Platinum 30,000*
Belgium (BEA)[29] Platinum 30,000*
Germany (BVMI)[30] 2× Platinum 600,000^
Italy (FIMI)[31] Gold 25,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32] 2× Platinum 60,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35] Platinum 4,200,000[34]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "National Recording Registry Adds 'Rhythm Nation' Among 25 New Selections". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: The Voice Of Hawaii". 50 Great Voices. NPR. December 6, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2015. Then I put up some microphones, do a quick sound check, roll tape, and the first thing he does is 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.' He played and sang, one take, and it was over.
  3. ^ a b Montagne, Renee (March 9, 2011). "Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: The Voice Of Hawaii". NPR. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  4. ^ Kois, Dan (January 1, 2010). Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's Facing Future. A&C Black. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-0-8264-2905-6.
  5. ^ de Mello, Jon. "The Official Site of Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole | Biography". izhawaii.com. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  6. ^ Rayson, Ann (2004). Modern History of Hawai'i. Bess Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-1-57306-209-1.
  7. ^ "IMAX: Hubble 3D – Toronto Screen Shots". March 18, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  8. ^ Kim Grant; Glenda Bendure; Michael Clark Ned Friary; Conner Gorry; Luci Yamamoto (2005). Lonely Planet Hawaii (7th ed.). Lonely Planet Publications. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-74059-871-2.
  9. ^ Williamson, Matthew (April 9, 2008). "Where Have You Heard Jason Castro's 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' Before?". Vulture. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  10. ^ "Official Charts". Official Charts. December 15, 2001. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  11. ^ "Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  12. ^ "Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow". Tracklisten. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  13. ^ "Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  14. ^ "Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  15. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  16. ^ "Luxembourg Digital Songs – November 13, 2010". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  18. ^ "Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  19. ^ "Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  20. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2010". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  21. ^ "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 2010" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  22. ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2010" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2010". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  24. ^ "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 2011" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  25. ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2011" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  26. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2011". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  27. ^ "Weiter geht's mit den Plätzen 17 und 16 unseres Jahrzehnte-Rankings. Diese sichern sich Bonez MC/ RAF Camora/ Maxwell ("Ohne mein Team") & Israel Kamakawiwo'ole ("Over The Rainbow") bei den Singles sowie @rsprachrohr ("Rammstein") & Santiano ("Mit den Gezeiten") bei den Alben" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 31, 2019 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Israel IZ Kamakawiwoole – Over the Rainbow (Single)" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  29. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2013". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  30. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Israel Kamakawiwo' Ole; 'Over The Rainbow')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  31. ^ "Italian single certifications – Israel Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 22, 2021. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Over the Rainbow" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  32. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Over The Rainbow')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  33. ^ "British single certifications – Israel Kamakawiwo'ole – Somewhere Over The Rainbow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  34. ^ Trust, Gary (October 21, 2014). "Chart Beat – Ask Billboard: The Weird Connections Between Mary Lambert & Madonna". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. from the original on November 30, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  35. ^ "American single certifications – Israel Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 22, 2021.

External links edit

  • Music video on YouTube
  • Audio on YouTube
  • Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World at Discogs (list of releases)

January 01, 1970
somewhere, over, rainbow, what, wonderful, world, also, known, over, rainbow, what, wonderful, world, medley, over, rainbow, what, wonderful, world, recorded, hawaiian, singer, israel, kamakawiwoʻole, first, released, 1990, album, ʻanoʻi, acoustic, rendition, . Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World also known as Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World is a medley of Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World recorded by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole First released on the 1990 album Ka ʻAnoʻi an acoustic rendition of the medley became notable after its release on his 1993 album Facing Future Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World Cover art of the 2010 re releaseSingle by Israel Kamakawiwoʻolefrom the album Ka ʻAnoʻi and Facing FutureReleasedNovember 23 1990 KʻA November 1 1993 FF Recorded1989 KʻA 1988 FF GenreHawaii reggae worldLength5 08LabelBig Boy RecordsSongwriter s Harold Arlen Yip Harburg Bob Thiele George David WeissMusic video Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World on YouTubeAudio sample source source filehelp The song became a sleeper hit after charting across Europe in 2010 and 2011 and in the meanwhile being featured in numerous film and TV soundtracks throughout the 2000s and 2010s In 2020 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally historically or aesthetically significant 1 Contents 1 Recording history 2 Impact in popular culture 3 Other cover versions 4 Charts 4 1 Weekly charts 4 2 Year end charts 4 3 Decade end charts 5 Certifications 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksRecording history editThe song was originally recorded in a spur of the moment demo session in 1988 Israel called the recording studio at 3 am and was given a 15 minute deadline to arrive by recording engineer Milan Bertosa Bertosa recalled Israel was probably like 500 pounds And the first thing at hand is to find something for him to sit on The building security found Israel a large steel chair Then I put up some microphones do a quick sound check roll tape and the first thing he does is Somewhere Over the Rainbow He played and sang one take and it was over 2 At the time copies of the acoustic recording were made only for Kamakawiwoʻole himself and Bertosa 3 The song was re recorded the following year as an upbeat Jawaiian version for Kamakawiwoʻole s debut album Ka ʻAnoʻi listed as Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World 4 In 1993 five years after the original recording Bertosa played the acoustic version for producer Jon de Mello while the two were completing work on Facing Future and de Mello decided to include it on the album as Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World 3 Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World reached number 12 on Billboard s Hot Digital Tracks chart the week of January 31 2004 for the survey week ending January 18 2004 Impact in popular culture editAccording to the Israel Kamakawiwoʻole website Universal Studios first became interested in using the song in the movie and on the soundtrack for the 1998 film Meet Joe Black after director Martin Brest became interested in it 5 Kamakawiwoʻole s recording of Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World has been used on other soundtracks as well including the soundtracks for Finding Forrester 50 First Dates Fred Claus Happy Happy Hubble and The Healer 6 7 It was also featured on TV series such as ER Charmed Scrubs Cold Case the UK original version of Life on Mars Glee and more 8 9 Other cover versions editOther artists have recorded the medley as well Cliff Richard recorded his own version of the medley released as a single from the 2001 album Wanted which peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart in 2001 10 Charts editWeekly charts edit Weekly chart performance for Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World Chart 2010 2011 Peakposition Austria O3 Austria Top 40 11 4 Denmark Tracklisten 12 35 France SNEP 13 1 Germany Official German Charts 14 1 Hungary Single Top 40 15 22 Luxembourg Digital Songs Billboard 16 1 Spain PROMUSICAE 17 10 Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 18 3 US Adult Contemporary Billboard 19 22 Year end charts edit 2010 year end chart performance for Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World Chart 2010 Position Austria O3 Austria Top 40 20 28 France SNEP 21 16 Germany Official German Charts 22 1 Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 23 39 2011 year end chart performance for Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World Chart 2011 Position France SNEP 24 1 Germany Official German Charts 25 37 Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 26 16 Decade end charts edit Decade end chart performance for Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World Chart 2010 2019 Position Germany Official German Charts 27 16Certifications editCertifications for Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World Region Certification Certified units sales Austria IFPI Austria 28 Platinum 30 000 Belgium BEA 29 Platinum 30 000 Germany BVMI 30 2 Platinum 600 000 Italy FIMI 31 Gold 25 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 32 2 Platinum 60 000 United Kingdom BPI 33 Gold 400 000 United States RIAA 35 Platinum 4 200 000 34 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone See also editWorld Digital Song SalesReferences edit National Recording Registry Adds Rhythm Nation Among 25 New Selections Library of Congress Retrieved March 25 2021 Israel Kamakawiwo ole The Voice Of Hawaii 50 Great Voices NPR December 6 2010 Retrieved December 16 2015 Then I put up some microphones do a quick sound check roll tape and the first thing he does is Somewhere Over the Rainbow He played and sang one take and it was over a b Montagne Renee March 9 2011 Israel Kamakawiwo ole The Voice Of Hawaii NPR Retrieved June 3 2013 Kois Dan January 1 2010 Israel Kamakawiwo ole s Facing Future A amp C Black pp 91 92 ISBN 978 0 8264 2905 6 de Mello Jon The Official Site of Israel IZ Kamakawiwoʻole Biography izhawaii com Retrieved August 23 2015 Rayson Ann 2004 Modern History of Hawai i Bess Press p 249 ISBN 978 1 57306 209 1 IMAX Hubble 3D Toronto Screen Shots March 18 2010 Retrieved May 2 2011 Kim Grant Glenda Bendure Michael Clark Ned Friary Conner Gorry Luci Yamamoto 2005 Lonely Planet Hawaii 7th ed Lonely Planet Publications p 97 ISBN 978 1 74059 871 2 Williamson Matthew April 9 2008 Where Have You Heard Jason Castro s Somewhere Over the Rainbow Before Vulture Retrieved June 10 2017 Official Charts Official Charts December 15 2001 Retrieved June 9 2017 Israel IZ Kamakawiwo ole Over the Rainbow in German O3 Austria Top 40 Retrieved February 17 2013 Israel IZ Kamakawiwo ole Over the Rainbow Tracklisten Retrieved February 17 2013 Israel IZ Kamakawiwo ole Over the Rainbow in French Les classement single Retrieved February 17 2013 Israel IZ Kamakawiwo ole Over the Rainbow in German GfK Entertainment charts Archivum Slagerlistak MAHASZ in Hungarian Single track Top 40 lista Magyar Hanglemezkiadok Szovetsege Retrieved November 2 2017 Luxembourg Digital Songs November 13 2010 Billboard Israel IZ Kamakawiwo ole Over the Rainbow Canciones Top 50 Retrieved February 17 2013 Israel IZ Kamakawiwo ole Over the Rainbow Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved February 17 2013 Israel IZ Kamakawiwo ole Chart History Adult Contemporary Billboard Retrieved February 17 2013 Jahreshitparade Singles 2010 austriancharts at in German Retrieved April 28 2020 Tops de L annee Top Singles 2010 in French SNEP Retrieved August 17 2020 Top 100 Single Jahrescharts 2010 in German GfK Entertainment Retrieved April 28 2020 Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2010 hitparade ch in German Retrieved April 28 2020 Tops de L annee Top Singles 2011 in French SNEP Retrieved August 17 2020 Top 100 Single Jahrescharts 2011 in German GfK Entertainment Retrieved April 28 2020 Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2011 hitparade ch in German Retrieved April 28 2020 Weiter geht s mit den Platzen 17 und 16 unseres Jahrzehnte Rankings Diese sichern sich Bonez MC RAF Camora Maxwell Ohne mein Team amp Israel Kamakawiwo ole Over The Rainbow bei den Singles sowie rsprachrohr Rammstein amp Santiano Mit den Gezeiten bei den Alben in German GfK Entertainment Retrieved December 31 2019 via Twitter Austrian single certifications Israel IZ Kamakawiwoole Over the Rainbow Single in German IFPI Austria Retrieved April 22 2021 Ultratop Goud en Platina singles 2013 Ultratop Hung Medien Retrieved April 22 2021 Gold Platin Datenbank Israel Kamakawiwo Ole Over The Rainbow in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Retrieved April 22 2021 Italian single certifications Israel Kamakawiwo ole Over the Rainbow in Italian Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana Retrieved April 22 2021 Select 2019 in the Anno drop down menu Select Over the Rainbow in the Filtra field Select Singoli under Sezione The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community Awards Over The Rainbow IFPI Switzerland Hung Medien Retrieved April 22 2021 British single certifications Israel Kamakawiwo ole Somewhere Over The Rainbow British Phonographic Industry Retrieved August 13 2021 Trust Gary October 21 2014 Chart Beat Ask Billboard The Weird Connections Between Mary Lambert amp Madonna Billboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on November 30 2014 Retrieved April 22 2021 American single certifications Israel Kamakawiwo ole Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved April 22 2021 External links editMusic video on YouTube Audio on YouTube Over The Rainbow What A Wonderful World at Discogs list of releases Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World amp oldid 1218787714, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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