Aloha 'Oe

In the late 1870's, Colonel James Harbottle Boyd and Princess Lili'uokalani shared a warm embrace which inspired her to write the song very soon after in 1878. The princess became the Queen of Hawaii in 1891 and remained for 2 years, until the famous overthrow of Hawaii occurred in January 1893.

Soon after she was sentenced to 5 years hard labour in prison, but was given a pardon in 1986. During her time in jail, she wrote her memoirs and wrote some songs which were published after her release. Lili'uokalani, a devout Christian, died in November 1917.

'Aloha 'Oe' was her most notable composition, but, as a keen musician, she wrote various other songs during her lifetime and was able to play numerous instruments.

Elvis recorded the song for his 1961 film 'Blue Hawaii,' but it had already been recorded by artists including Bing Crosby, Les Paul and Andy Williams. After Elvis' recording of the song, Burl Ives and Johnny Cash were some of the singers who covered the song.