Bali Ha'i

Album: South Pacific (1949)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Bali Ha'i" (also spelt "Bali Hai") has three things in common with "Over The Rainbow"; it is a song from a musical; it is about a mythical place; and its melody includes a jump of an octave and a descending major seventh at its beginning.

    With lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Richard Rodgers, the song appears in the 1949 Broadway musical/1958 film South Pacific. Although Bali Ha'i is not a real place, it is based on Ambae, which is also known as Leper's Island, a name that unsurprisingly was not featured in the film, where it is sung by the Matriach of the island Bloody Mary to US serviceman Joseph Cable soon after his arrival during the Second World War. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Kiss

KissFact or Fiction

Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."