Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World Lyrics

Song Facts:

• Artist: Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole
• Genre: Reggae
• Release Date: Part of the album "Facing Future" released in 1993
Accolades and Awards Won: This song has seen great strides and has a contribution towards finally bringing Hawaiian music and culture onto the international stage and world music arena with deserved recognition as

Annotations and Meaning:

In "Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World," Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole masterfully combines two unforgettable classics, delivering them as one flowing piece that will forever remain a universal anthem of hope, peace, and considerate reflection. This rendition by IZ was actually tenderly sung with the accompaniment of his ukulele, and he smoothly let his voice flow to bring in a sense of serenity and pathos that this world should yearn for. As most conventional human beings desire to find a place of peace and happiness, Utopia—where dreams are not only figments of imagination but a reality; somewhere over the rainbow contains bluebirds and the dreams that really do come true in its fullness of meaning, replete with an uplifting message far beyond the possibilities of this physical world. And then we come to "What A Wonderful World," when you wake from that dreamy paradise to waking just in time to see how wonderful and beautiful this world really is. IZ sings of green trees, red roses, blue skies, and white clouds, extolling the simple miracles of nature and humans. Mention people greeting one another, babies growing up, and the world that must be, of course, inherently good—this was giving thanks to the world for its simple joys and felicities. The medley is an illustration of his special gift to combine the poetic theme in both songs and melt it into his cultural inheritance and personal viewpoint. His record stands as a reminder to all of one voice from all corners of the earth that music indeed does exist and holds within it the power to unite people across varying colors of skin and perspectives in sharing in emotional response and hope. The reiterated "over the rainbow" wishing and praying definitely denote collective longing for a place where it's possible that all troubles really do melt like lemon drops, to find a place that's happy, joyous, and full of color, where an escape is from the rigors of life, with the opportunity to return. However, it also invites a listener into a sense of wonder at the world around them, hinting that perhaps paradise is not just some otherworldly dream but to be found in the beauty and love that may hold them every day. Basically, "Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World" by IZ denotes a sentimental tribute to hope, dreams, and the beauty that this world holds. It calls to look ahead, admiring what we really have in front, so that we can feel with optimism and love for both spirits that continue to resound with the ears of the whole world.