@jmastotkn6a: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" by the legendary Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (affectionately known as "IZ") is one of the most famous acoustic medleys in modern music history. Originally recorded during a spontaneous, late-night session in 1988, the track gained massive global prominence after it was included on his seminal 1993 album Facing Future. The Story Behind the Song At 3:00 AM one morning in 1988, Israel called a local recording studio in Honolulu, stating he needed to record an idea immediately. The studio manager gave him 15 minutes to arrive. Armed with only his tenor ukulele and his exceptionally gentle voice, IZ sat down and recorded the mashup of Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" in a single, unedited take. The raw sincerity of that performance transformed the decades-old classics into a timeless anthem of hope and peace. Tragically, Israel passed away in 1997 at the age of 38 due to respiratory illnesses stemming from severe obesity. Following his death, his rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" took on a life of its own, becoming heavily featured in major movies, television shows (such as ER and Life on Mars), and advertisements. Today, the official music video has amassed over 1.5 billion views on YouTube. https://youtu.be/V1bFr2SWP1I?si=5iwenDfodKdJVV92 Somewhere Over the Rainbow… lies a crock of gold | Music | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2010/dec/05/somewhere-over-rainbow-israel-kamakawiwoole

adammikehall :

sorry to say he didn't write that song Judy Garland say that song in the wizard of Oz back in the 1939

user95978711309283 :

What a waste - without playing the song.

Ben the Handyman :

U should have play the song on the background

Sandy :

Nice sound my cousin sang it in a competition many years ago 👏👏

C B :

You could have played the song 😳

T :

beautiful darling

user406169467057 :

A beautiful song, a beautiful man

JimU :

He is singing to the Angels now May his soul RIP 🙏🙏🙏

ronald stephensen 🛻 :

He will never be forgotten 💯❤️‍🔥😞🇦🇺

Digo :

Don't cry because it's over, cry because it happen

stephenjones117 :

wow big hart ❤️

peter :

why not play the song.

Kike Nublado :

I want this song in my funeral

Lawry :

[Red heart] Beautiful 😍

🇿🇦TikTok's🦂Night☢️Mare🏆 :

my dad weight 600 pounds once

flow :

what's the song

susankanhai0 :

awwww

Deepak Kirpalani :

Rip sir…. Still sounds like today , beautiful

ykk89880 :

👍

Mary🇨🇦🍁 :

RIP…

Jean Harrison :

I loved Izzy He sang this song so much better than I’ve ever heard it !!!

lelohara5 :

[Red heart] Beautiful

Hasan :

propertywithbelinda :

beautiful song...🥹♥️

user3124372568585 :

I understand when he or any musician/composer says : I need the studio now. they are afraid the momentum or idea fly away.