Facing Future

Facing Future
Studio album by
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
ReleasedNovember 1, 1993
Recorded1988, 1993
Genre
Length56:37
LabelMountain Apple
Producer
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole chronology
Ka 'Ano'i
(1990) 		Facing Future
(1993) 		E Ala E
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

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.

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

Facing Future track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hawaiʻi '78 Introduction"Mickey Ioane5:05
2."Ka Huila Wai"Alfred Alohikea3:18
3."ʻAmaʻama"Sam Alama2:11
4."Panini Pua Kea"John Kameaaloha Almeida3:06
5."Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver Cover)"John Denver, Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert4:56
6."Kūhiō Bay"Keliana Bishaw3:29
7."Ka Pua Uʻi"Bina Mossman2:53
8."White Sandy Beach of Hawaiʻi"Duc Huy2:37
9."Henehene Kou ʻAka"Traditional4:22
10."Lā ʻElima"Elizabeth Kapeka Kuahuia3:37
11."Pili Me Kaʻu Manu"Johnny Spencer2:33
12."Maui Hawaiian Sup'pa Man"Del Beazley3:53
13."Kaulana Kawaihae"Alice Na‘ai4:03
14."Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong Cover)"Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Bob Thiele, George David Weiss5:07
15."Hawaiʻi '78"Mickey Ioane5:15
Total length:56:37

Personnel

Musicians

  • 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

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Facing Future
Chart (2010) Peak
position
European Top 100 Albums[3] 30
German Albums Chart[4] 8
German Newcomer Chart[5] 1

Year-end charts

2010 year-end chart performance for Facing Future
Chart (2010) Rank
German Albums Chart[6] 26
2011 year-end chart performance for Facing Future
Chart (2011) Rank
German Albums Chart[7] 76
Swiss Albums Chart[8] 61

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Facing Future
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

  1. ^ "Facing Future". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  2. ^ Star-Bulletin staff. "Brudda Iz's 'Facing Future' goes platinum, a first for Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  3. ^ "Facing Future". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  4. ^ "MTV | Album Top 50 KW 2 | charts". MTV.de. 2011-01-07. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  5. ^ "Newcomer-Charts: Ella Endlich ist angekommen". media control. 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  6. ^ "VIVA Album Jahrescharts 2010 - 2010 | Charts". VIVA.tv. Archived from the original on 2011-01-08. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  7. ^ ":: MTV | Album Jahrescharts 2011 | charts". Mtv.de. 2011-12-31. Archived from the original on 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  8. ^ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2011". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  9. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Israel; 'Facing Future')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  10. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Facing Future')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  11. ^ "American album certifications – Israel – Facing Future". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 3 May 2019.