Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Until this song belongs to everyone

-- Years

-- Days

-- Hours

-- Minutes

-- Seconds

until "Over the Rainbow" enters the public domain

The Voice of Hawaii

In 1988, at three in the morning, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole called a recording studio and asked if he could come in. He sat down with a ukulele and recorded a medley in a single take. That recording became one of the most listened-to pieces of music in human history.

Over 1.8 billion people have heard it on YouTube alone. It has played at weddings, funerals, graduations, and quiet moments when someone needed to feel that the world could still be beautiful. IZ passed in 1997, but his voice never stopped reaching people.

A song this universal should belong to everyone. Right now, it doesn't.

Three Rights, One Goal

To make IZ's recording permanently free, three separate copyrights must be resolved.

"Over the Rainbow" (composition)

Written by Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg, 1939

Public domain: January 1, 2035

"What a Wonderful World" (composition)

Written by George David Weiss & Bob Thiele, 1967

Public domain: January 1, 2063

IZ's Master Recording

Recorded 1993 — Mountain Apple Company, Honolulu

Public domain: ~2088 — unless we act

This is the one we can acquire now.

Mountain Apple Company is a small family label in Hawaii, not a multinational corporation. The master recording is acquirable. With enough support, we can negotiate its release into the public domain decades ahead of schedule.

Free This Song

Every dollar goes toward acquiring the master recording of IZ's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World" and placing it permanently in the public domain.

Donate to Free IZ

Donations are held in trust by Eigen Hitchens LLC. This is a contribution toward a music acquisition fund, not a tax-deductible charitable donation at this time.

Or wait -- more years for the full medley to enter public domain naturally.

We'd rather not.