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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, December 2, 2005

But will Honolulu fall in love with its crooner?

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Video: See a portion of Mayor Hannemann's music video

In the short DVD from the City Centennial Commission, our own singing mayor waxes ecstatic about "a girl with flowers in her hair."

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You never hear about Mayor Mufi Hannemann going off.

He's not a hot head in public. He's not prone to inappropriate statements, awkward gestures or even garish aloha shirts.

But all that studied decorum falls away when the music starts.

The man cannot stop himself from singing.

Thankfully, he can carry a tune.

Now he's starring in a music video.

"I Fell in Love With Honolulu" is a 4-minute DVD project that came out of the City Centennial Commission.

The song was chosen for the "Hula on the Beach" event last August, which was an attempt to set a world record for the biggest number of hula dancers performing simultaneously.

The only recording of the song that the organizing committee could find was deemed too slow, so Hannemann volunteered to sing on a new recording.

Not like anyone had to ask twice, if you know what I mean.

Some of the footage on the DVD portrays that Hula on the Beach event. The DVD also has aerial footage of the city, a rainbow, a surfer, and a shot or two of the mayor's inauguration.

And then there's Hannemann in a recording studio wearing headphones and singing into a mike like a tall Kanye West.

I fell in love with Honolulu

When I saw a girl with flowers in her hair

When she gave me her aloha smile

I was glad that I could stay awhile.

The other star of the DVD is former ASUH president Piilani Smith, who looks very different dancing hula on the beach in a Mamo Howell mu'umu'u than she did leading nonviolent protests at the university about Native Hawaiian concerns.

There are a couple of moments where Hannemann does some vocal — oh, what would you call them? Flourishes? You know, the thing singers do with their voices while they close their eyes for emphasis.

Still, some of the Hannemann decorum comes through. He is not depicted as the male love interest in the DVD. He doesn't stroll down the beach with anybody. The girl ends up with a male model, not the mayor. Propriety is maintained.

I'm going back to Honolulu

To the island girl with flowers in her hair

If she's waiting I will hold her close and never stray

From Honolulu, in Hawai'i Nei.

Copies of the DVD were given as party favors at the Honolulu 100 Gala Celebration dinner. It will be sold at stores islandwide, with all proceeds going to the Honolulu Hale Ho'okipa project. None have ended up on eBay. Yet.

Bottom line, no city funds were involved in the project, according to city spokesman Bill Brennan. ResortQuest, which sponsored the Hula on the Beach event, picked up the recording cost, and Frannie Kirk of the Outrigger kicked in the cost of duplication.

So is it any good?

Well, it's not Herman Aizawa singing "Waikaloa," but it's right up there with the karaoke favorite, "Flying," lei floating in the ocean and everything, except the lyrics don't appear on the screen.

That's OK. If you don't know the words, the mayor will be happy to sing them for you.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.


Corrrection: The name of the song "Waikaloa" was misspelled in this story.