The 12 Most Romantic Songs From Hawaii
Some of our best-loved songs that capture the romance of the Islands.
Here’s HAWAII Magazine’s list of the twelve most romantic songs ever to come out of our Islands. Many of the compositions that made the final cut were pretty obvious, but if we missed your favorite, feel free to let us know.
Be sure to click on each of the song titles to hear them.
1. “Ke Kali Nei Au” (The Hawaiian Wedding Song) It just wouldn’t be a Hawaiian wedding without a performance of this song, composed in 1925 by Charles E. King.
2. “To You Sweetheart Aloha” For decades, this song—written by Harry Owens—was the last song played at any Hawaii dance or nightclub.
3. “I’ll Weave a Lei of Stars for You” One of R. Alex Anderson’s and Jack Owens’s greatest tunes. Singer Emma Veary says, “The lyrics are just breathtakingly romantic.”
4. “I’ll Remember You” If you want to hear the real Don Ho, forget “Tiny Bubbles” and listen to him sing this classic penned by Kui Lee.
5. “Night Bird” This composition by the late Mackey Feary was a huge hit for his group Kalapana in the mid-1970s. It captures young love at its most intense.
6. “Kawaipunahele” This haunting ballad about longing for a former love was Kealii Reichel’s first big hit. A decade and change later, it remains one of his most-requested songs.
7. “About You” Cecilio Rodrigues never got the girl he wrote this song for. But it was a massive hit from Cecilio & Kapono’s “Elua” album in 1975.
8. “Better Together” Jack Johnson’s charming, heart-on-sleeve simple love song for his wife has in a few short years become a wedding staple, both in Hawaii and on the Mainland.
9. “Kiss You in the Morning” by Kalaeloa is about as sappy as a romantic love song can get, but it still incredibly moving throughout.
10. “Love and Honesty” is truly a love song’s love song. Crooning about a never-ending love, Hawaiian Style Band promises you love and honesty, and they surely do deliver with this local classic.
11. “Guava Jelly” is not your typical love ballad. However, its message and wonderfully crooned lyrics are those of love and romance … and guava jelly.
12. “Pretty Face / Jealousy”, a slow, sorrowful tune about someone in love, is about romance as much as it is about yearning. A classic by The Brothers Cazimero, this song is best enjoyed with your beloved at your side, watching the sun set or gazing out on the night sky.
