Mele Kalikimaka facts for kids

"Mele Kalikimaka" is a famous Christmas song with a Hawaiian twist! It was written in 1949 by a composer named R. Alex Anderson. The song's title comes from the Hawaiian phrase Mele Kalikimaka, which simply means "Merry Christmas."

One of the first times this song was recorded was in 1950. It featured the well-known singers Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. Since then, many other artists have sung their own versions. You might have even heard it in movies like L.A. Confidential, Catch Me If You Can, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

How the Song "Mele Kalikimaka" Was Created

R. Alex Anderson wrote "Mele Kalikimaka" in 1949. He later shared how he got the idea for the song.

The Spark of Inspiration

Anderson was leaving work one day just before Christmas. A co-worker, a stenographer, asked him a great question. She wondered why there were no original Hawaiian Christmas songs. She pointed out that Hawaiian Christmas music often used Hawaiian words with old hymn tunes. This question really made Anderson think.

Well, I'll tell ya, a stenographer in our office, this was just before Christmas, and we are all leaving (5 o'clock), and she was next to me and she said, "Mr. Anderson, how come there's no Hawaiian Christmas songs?" She said, "they take all the hymns and they put Hawaiian words to the hymns, but there's no original melody." Well, that spurred me right away – I thought, "what a good idea!" I thought this over, and over a period of a few days this came into my head, put it down on paper, and I've been singing it ever since.

Bing Crosby's Role in the Song's Success

Anderson was friends with the famous singer Bing Crosby. They often played golf together. Anderson played his new song for Crosby, who loved it right away! Crosby surprised Anderson by recording the song in 1950. This recording helped "Mele Kalikimaka" become very popular.

In 1955, the song was added to Crosby's famous album, Merry Christmas. Anderson's daughter, Pam, says that her family still receives money from the song every year. People all over the world still enjoy "Mele Kalikimaka."

Understanding the Phrase "Mele Kalikimaka"

The phrase Mele Kalikimaka is a special kind of borrowed phrase. It comes from the English words "Merry Christmas." However, the Hawaiian language has different sounds than English. This means it's not possible to say "Merry Christmas" exactly the same way in Hawaiian.

How Hawaiian Sounds Shape the Phrase

The Hawaiian language does not have the "r" or "s" sounds that English has. Also, Hawaiian words usually don't end with a consonant. They also don't have groups of consonants together, like "st" in "Christmas." Because of these differences, the closest way to say "Merry Christmas" in Hawaiian is Mele Kalikimaka.

The first time the greeting Mele Kalikimaka appeared in print was in 1904. It was in a Hawaiian language newspaper called Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. This newspaper was published between 1861 and 1927.

Song Performance on Music Charts

The version of "Mele Kalikimaka" by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters has appeared on music charts. These charts show how popular songs are at a certain time.

Chart Positions for Bing Crosby's Version