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Magnetic Island sheet music
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-07/Image-Sheet-music-for-%E2%80%98Magnetic-Island%E2%80%99-by-Johnny-Wade-and-his-Hawaiians-1472319_0002_001_1.jpg
Title:
Magnetic Island sheet music
NFSA ID
1472319
Year
1950
An Australian interpreter of Hawaiian music, crooner Johnny Wade and his band recorded the mesmerising tune ‘Magnetic Island' in 1950. Pictured here is the sheet music for the song, which shows the level of its popularity at the time – and how Hawaiian music was tailored to Australian audiences. Prior to the Second World War, most locally recorded Hawaiian music was of a standard repertoire imported from the US: hapa haole ('half foreign'), Hawaiian music paired with English lyrics. Over time, localised references began to appear, including on this winning ditty composed to support the emerging North Queensland tourism industry.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.