While one may question the judgement that "You've heard 'em talk about the palm trees / They're just a lot of false alarm trees" is an excellent lyric, I don't think this article sinks to the level of bad musicology, especially by Internet standards. Transmorgrafying the name of Amy Stiller, his major source, to Stillman is an unfortunate lapse. The music's lasting impact is perhaps understated; I co-produced a two-hour program of ersatz Hawaiian music from the swing era a couple of years ago and Don Ho certainly prospered alongside the rockers of the sixties and seventies. The article's title gives fair warning that it's not about authenticity.
-David Diehl
-----Original Message-----
From: David Lewis <[log in to unmask]>
To: ARSCLIST <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wed, Jul 13, 2016 4:05 am
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Hawaiian 1916 Hit Piece
In particular addressed to Malcolm Rockwell, but shared with everyone,
there's this:
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/1916s-song-of-the-summer-was-the-fakehawaiian-tune-yaka-hula-hickey-doola
My feeling is that this is sort of bad musicology. You can read the history
this way, but along with the faddish Tin Pan Alley stuff an awful lot of
fine,
authentic Hawaiian music also appeared on records and in print in 1916 and
they don't mention that. And I do not think "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula" is
'worse' than Justin Timberlake. Just my thoughts,
David Neal Lewis
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