Facing Future is the second album by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, released in 1993. The best-selling album of all time by a Hawaiian artist, Facing Future combines traditional Hawaiian-language songs, hapa-haole songs with traditional instrumentation, and two Jawaiian (Island reggae) tracks.
| Facing Future | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1988, 1993 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:37 | |||
| Label | Mountain Apple | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Israel Kamakawiwoʻole chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
The album's sales have been driven not only by its popularity with Hawaiian audiences but by its popularity in the mainland United States and around the world, particularly the track "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World", which has been used in various films (Finding Forrester, Meet Joe Black, 50 First Dates, Fred Claus, Hubble, Son of the Mask), television shows (ER, Cold Case, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Life On Mars, Glee, Scrubs) and commercials (eToys). Facing Future reached platinum status in 2005.[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hawaiʻi '78 Introduction" | Mickey Ioane | 5:05 |
| 2. | "Ka Huila Wai" | Alfred Alohikea | 3:18 |
| 3. | "ʻAmaʻama" | Sam Alama | 2:11 |
| 4. | "Panini Pua Kea" | John Kameaaloha Almeida | 3:06 |
| 5. | "Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver Cover)" | John Denver, Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert | 4:56 |
| 6. | "Kūhiō Bay" | Keliana Bishaw | 3:29 |
| 7. | "Ka Pua Uʻi" | Bina Mossman | 2:53 |
| 8. | "White Sandy Beach of Hawaiʻi" | Duc Huy | 2:37 |
| 9. | "Henehene Kou ʻAka" | Traditional | 4:22 |
| 10. | "Lā ʻElima" | Elizabeth Kapeka Kuahuia | 3:37 |
| 11. | "Pili Me Kaʻu Manu" | Johnny Spencer | 2:33 |
| 12. | "Maui Hawaiian Sup'pa Man" | Del Beazley | 3:53 |
| 13. | "Kaulana Kawaihae" | Alice Na‘ai | 4:03 |
| 14. | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong Cover)" | Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Bob Thiele, George David Weiss | 5:07 |
| 15. | "Hawaiʻi '78" | Mickey Ioane | 5:15 |
| Total length: | 56:37 | ||
Personnel
editMusicians
- Israel Kamakawiwoʻole – ukulele, vocals
- Del Beazley – guitar
- Mel Amina – guitar
- Gaylord Holomalia – keyboards, programming
- Analu ʻAina – electric bass (uncredited)
- Roland Cazimero – acoustic bass, guitar
- Mike Muldoon – percussion
Production
- Produced by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole and Jon de Mello
- Engineered and mixed by Milan Bertosa
- Mastered by Jon Golden
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Top 100 Albums[3] | 30 |
| German Albums Chart[4] | 8 |
| German Newcomer Chart[5] | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Rank |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[6] | 26 |
| Chart (2011) | Rank |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[7] | 76 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[8] | 61 |
Certifications and sales
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BVMI)[9] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[10] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Facing Future". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ^ Star-Bulletin staff. "Brudda Iz's 'Facing Future' goes platinum, a first for Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ "Facing Future". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "MTV | Album Top 50 KW 2 | charts". MTV.de. 2011-01-07. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
- ^ "Newcomer-Charts: Ella Endlich ist angekommen". media control. 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
- ^ "VIVA Album Jahrescharts 2010 - 2010 | Charts". VIVA.tv. Archived from the original on 2011-01-08. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
- ^ ":: MTV | Album Jahrescharts 2011 | charts". Mtv.de. 2011-12-31. Archived from the original on 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2011". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Israel; 'Facing Future')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Facing Future')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ "American album certifications – Israel – Facing Future". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
External links
edit- Facing Future at Discogs (list of releases)