Cliff Edwards Sweet Leilani Hawaii Ukulele Ike 1930s 1937

Sweet Leilani is a song from the 1937 film, Waikiki Wedding. Harry Owens wrote the song on October 20, 1934, for his daughter Leilani who was born the previous day. Leilani is a popular Hawaiian name, meaning heavenly garland of flowers (not heavenly flower ). It also has a figurative meaning small Hawaiian children were carried on their parents shoulders like a lei (a garland) so the name took on the meaning heavenly child. It won the Academy Award for Bes