I chose this song because it is one of the most famous Hawaiian holiday songs, which is written for Christmas. It is the original 1949 Hawaiian-themed Christmas song written by Honolulu-born composer R. Alex Anderson and was inspired by a colleague’s question about the lack of original Hawaiian holiday music. She explained that while Hawaiian words were often put to English hymns, there was no original melody. The title being the phonetic adaptation of “Merry Christmas” in Hawaiian to fit the language rules. This song blends the Hawaiian ohana values with the festivity of Christmas. The song was popularized by Bing Crosby in 1950 when he heard it at a golf outing with Anderson. It was later performed by other artists such as Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffet, and The Beach Boys. It is also featured in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Provide Feedback