Friday, October 9, 2009

Vintage Tacky Hawaiian




I'm not an expert on the Hawaiian language, but even I recognize that this Hickey Dula nonsense bears no resemblance to real Hawaiian words. What I didn't know is that these Hawaiian Territory cards from the 1920's refer to lyrics from a well-known song composed in 1916 by  E. Ray Goetz,  Joe Young and Pete Wendling. Many famous musicians recorded this song, including Fats Waller, Al Jolson, and Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band! You can even get it as a ring tone for your cell phone. Where have I been? And although the song was designed to appeal to mainlanders entranced with tropical Hawaii, the strange song was also a big hit in Hawaii.

Here are the lyrics:
Down Hawaii way
Where I chanced to stray
I heard a hula maiden say; singin'
Yaaka hula hickey dula
Yaaka hula hickey doo

Down Hawaii way
By a moonlit bay
As I lingered awhile
She stole my heart away; singin'
Yaaka hula hickey dula
Yaaka hula hickey doo

Oh, I don't care if you love the ladies far and near
You'd forget about them all if you could hear
Yaaka hula hickey dula
Yaaka hula hickey doo

I'm coming back to you
My hula lou
Beside the sea at Waikiki
You'll play for me
And once again
You'll sway my heart your way
With the yaaka hula hickey dula tune Yaaka hula hickey dula
Yaaka hula hickey doo
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12 comments:

  1. SnapOctober 9, 2009 at 8:04 AM

    What fun! These cards are wonderful. Great series and song lyrics to boot! Thanks for your visit and thanks for sharing these cards! The whole post made me smile!

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  2. PostcardyOctober 9, 2009 at 8:17 AM

    Those are great cards!

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  3. Sheila @ A Postcard a DayOctober 9, 2009 at 8:20 AM

    That's the sort of daft song my father used to like to sing - the more bizarre the words, the better he liked them. But I don't think this one was part of his repertoire.

    It's great to have the set of cards for the lyrics, and even greater that you have the explanation. Without it, they seem very strange indeed.

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  4. LiT Web StudioOctober 9, 2009 at 8:25 AM

    WONDERFUL set of cards...am off to listen to Elvis and Blue Hawaii!

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  5. fortuitous faeryOctober 9, 2009 at 9:18 AM

    hilarious! tacky, but sweet!

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  6. MrCachetOctober 9, 2009 at 9:19 AM

    Can you do the Hippy-Hippy Shake to this one? LOL. Nice cards. They have an Oriental look to them.

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  7. IreneOctober 9, 2009 at 11:58 AM

    Cool Postcards and a song too! I'll be singing that all day now, I've never heard it so it will most probably be the wrong tune.

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  8. steviewrenOctober 9, 2009 at 2:40 PM

    I love this set of kitschy vintage postcards. How funny. There's no accounting for musical taste.

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  9. Evelyn Yvonne TheriaultOctober 19, 2009 at 6:37 PM

    There seemed to be a trend for these songs. When I was growing up I loved my parents song of the Andrews Sisters sining "Mele Kalikimaka is the way they say Merry Christmas down Hawaii way"
    Pretty fascinating song for frigid snow-bound Montrealers.
    There was a craze for everything Hawaiian or Polynesian in Montreal in the 60s, and there was a famous Montreal restaurant - the Kon Tiki - along that theme. I have a postcard of the Montreal Kon Tiki on my site and people visit it every week. There's a kind of Tiki Cult out there. Who knew?

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  10. ChristineOctober 19, 2009 at 9:40 PM

    Thanks Evelyn,

    I love the thought of people in Montreal going to the Kon Tiki restaurant

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  11. mzradianceOctober 20, 2009 at 8:37 PM

    can anyone enlighten me on the meaning of the phrase "Yaaka hula hickey dula"?

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  12. Christine H.October 20, 2009 at 8:42 PM

    mzradiance,
    There is no enlightenment available. It was total nonsense written by people who were totally unfamiliar with Hawaii, but who probably longed to go there.

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