Long before surfboards ruled the waves and tourists flooded Kalākaua Avenue in aloha shirts, the name “Waikīkī” was already being crooned on phonographs thousands of miles from Oʻahu. One surprising reason? A sentimental love song from 1916 titled “My Rose of Waikiki.”
Not From Hawai‘i—But Captivated by It
The song was written by New York-based composer Henry Kailimai, one of the few Native Hawaiian musicians to gain national recognition in the early 20th century. Born in Hilo in 1882, Kailimai moved to the mainland and worked with the Columbia Music Company. There, he composed and published a handful of works, but none as enduring as “My Rose of Waikiki.”
The lyrics, although romanticized, tell of a man pining for a woman he left behind in Waikīkī—a “rose” among the palm trees. Its melody was lilting, nostalgic, and gentle—what many would now recognize as an early example of hapa-haole music: a style that blends English lyrics with Hawaiian musical influences. While it may not be strictly traditional Hawaiian music, it helped bridge cultural understanding and spark curiosity about Hawai‘i in an era when radio and records were globalizing sound.
Why the Song Mattered
At a time when Hawai‘i was still a U.S. territory, not yet a state, popular media often portrayed it as an exotic paradise. Songs like “My Rose of Waikiki” fed that image—but also gave space to Native Hawaiian voices in an industry largely dominated by outsiders. Kailimai’s work stood out not only because he was Hawaiian, but because he composed with authenticity and grace.
The song quickly gained traction on the vaudeville circuit and was even recorded by several orchestras and vocalists on shellac 78 rpm records. Its imagery of Diamond Head, ocean breezes, and longing from afar helped build the Waikīkī mystique long before Elvis ever strummed a ukulele.
Legacy in Lyrics
Today, “My Rose of Waikiki” might not top any Spotify charts, but it lives on in archives, vintage record collections, and hearts of music historians. It remains one of the earliest commercially successful songs written by a Native Hawaiian composer to reach international ears.
And that’s something worth celebrating—not just for the melody, but for what it symbolized: the resilience, artistry, and influence of Hawaiian culture even when thousands of miles away.