Listen to the Sweet Hollywaiians Arrangement of ‘Hula Girl’ for Two Ukulele

SEE THE FULL STORY + TRANSCRIPTION: ukulelemag.com/stories/hula-girl-solo-and-duo-arrangement-by-the-sweet-hollywaiians Without a doubt, “Hula Girl” is one of the most lasting songs from the wave of Hawaiian obsession that first swept the mainland a century ago. Though nearly everyone calls the song “Hula Girl,” Alfred R. “Sonny” Cunha originally composed the song in 1909 as “Honolulu Hula Girl,” before he later changed the title to “Hapa Haole Hula Girl.” Through composing many popular songs, including “Hula Blues,” Cunha was the chief popularizer of hapa-haole music, a type of song that mixed English and Hawaiian lyrics. (The phrase literally means “half white.”) For decades, it was almost a requirement for the top performers of Hawaiian music to record a version of “Hula Girl,” and thankfully, we have delightfully fun versions of the song from such stars as Kalama’s Quartet, Alfred Apaka, R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders, and Sol Hoopii (who provided much of the inspiration for our arrangements). This pair of arrangements—one solo and the other duo—was created by two modern ukulele masters, Tomotaka Matsui (above right) and Mario Takada, and offers something for every level of player. Matsui and Takada are members of Japan’s outstanding quartet the Sweet Hollywaiians, a group that is among today’s top performers of vintage-style Hawaiian music.