Origins: I'll Remember You (Kui Lee or Dylan?)

Subject: Origins: I'll Remember You (Kui Lee or Dylan?)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:17 PM

At our singaround the other night, one woman sang "I'll Remember You," which she said was written by Hawaii songwriter Kui Lee and recorded by Elvis Presley.

But I Googled the song and came up with lyrics and attribution to Bob Dylan, of all people. This woman had been a newspaper editor and I've never known her to be wrong, but I dared to disagree with her.

So, who wrote this song, and what did Dylan have to do with it?

-Joe-

Subject: ADDPOP: I'll Remember You (Kui Lee or Dylan?)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:21 PM

I found these lyrics at songmeanings.com, which is usually a pretty reliable site.

I'LL REMEMBER YOU
(as written by Bob Dylan and Kui Lee)

I'll remember you
When I've forgotten all the rest
You to me were true
You to me were the best
When there is no more
You cut to the core
Quicker than anyone I knew
When I'm all alone
In the great unknown
I'll remember you.

I'll remember you
At the end of the trail
I had so much left to do
I had so little time to fail
There's some people that
You don't forget
Even though you've only seen 'em
One time or two
When the roses fade
And I'm in the shade
I'll remember you.

Didn't I, didn't I try to love you?
Didn't I, didn't I try to care?
Didn't I sleep, didn't I weep beside you
With the rain blowing in your hair.

I'll remember you
When the wind blows through the piny wood
It was you who came right through
It was you who understood
Though I'd never say
That I done it the way
That you'd have liked me to
In the end
My dear sweet friend
I'll remember you.

"I'll Remember You" as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © AUDIAM, INC

Subject: RE: Origins: I'll Remember You (Kui Lee or Dylan?)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:25 PM

The Wikipedia Article on this song makes no mention of Dylan:

"l'll Remember You" is a song written by Kui Lee in 1964. Many artists including Elvis Presley (1966), Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, Herb Alpert, and Roger Williams covered it, and it was also performed by Tommy Sands in the 1968 Hawaii Five-O episode "No Blue Skies". Perhaps the most famous version was by his friend Don Ho, who was an aspiring singer at Honey's Nightclub, where Lee worked as a doorman and which was owned by Don Ho's mother.

Frank Sinatra's daughter, Nancy Sinatra, visited 'Honey's' with friends. Hearing Don Ho perform and watching his ease with the patrons of the club, she reported Don's uniqueness to her father who had just started his own record label. Don Ho and his musicians recorded their first 45rpm for Reprise Records the following year; "Tiny Bubbles" and "I'll Remember You" on the flip side.

Several years later, Don Ho was performing in Waikiki as the headliner of Duke's in the International Market Place. Don performed twice nightly (though there were times he didn't leave the stage). His "Suck 'em Up" (late show) was often standing room only. Many musicians who knocked off their hotel lounge gigs by midnight, would drop in to perform. It was the hottest entertainment at the best prices in town, and often went on long after the club was scheduled to close.

Hawaii was a staging ground for the Vietnam War, for many U.S. military personnel. As such it was the last U.S. soil many personnel left, and the first when returning home. The United States military afforded combat-duty personnel a two-week leave in mid-tour. Often the military allowed Military Air Command flights for both husband and wife to meet. Their most popular stay was at the Hale Koa Hotel in the heart of Ft. Derussy, a relatively short walk from the International Market Place. The lure of Hawaii's best entertainers and all one could drink for $5, made Duke's legendary.

Don often closed the "Suck 'em Up" show by performing the song "I'll Remember You". For those service personnel about to be sent back into war and their wives soon to be thousands of miles away, this song resonated with many. Elvis Presley had an affinity for the Islands and gave the song a broader audience. An insert in a mid-1960s movie, it was a stunning benefit concert in Honolulu six years later, Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite, that catapulted the song's popularity. Within the next few years, the song had been recorded by several well-known singers of the period.

Kui Lee was a prolific composer, writing many songs popular in Hawaii. Knowing of a late-diagnosed terminal illness, this song was written/dedicated to his wife and three young daughters. Kui passed within a couple years of penning "I'll Remember You".

Subject: RE: Origins: I'll Remember You (Kui Lee or Dylan?)
From: GUEST
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:29 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ll_Remember_You

Never heard the original, so I have no idea how much Dylan changed the song.

Subject: ADDPOP: I'll Remember You (Kui Lee)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:40 PM

Here's my transcription of the Kui Lee recording, which has a nice beat that I guess is Bossa Nova:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9vlSqdjPv8

I'LL REMEMBER YOU
(Kui Lee)

I'll remember you
Long after this endless summer has gone
I'll be lonely, oh so lonely
Living only to remember you

I'll remember you
Your voice as soft as a warm summer breeze
Your sweet laughter, mornings after
Ever after, ooh, I'll remember you

To your arms someday I'll return to stay
Till then I'll remember too
Every bright star we made wishes upon
Love me always, promise always
Oooh, you'll remember too

To your arms someday I'll return to stay
Till then I'll remember too
Every bright star we made wishes upon
Love me always, promise always
Oooh, you'll remember too
You'll remember too

---

And the Don Ho recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtOFKrCggLw

And, of course, Elvis (1973): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La1aMmS9R64

One more, from Makaha Sons featuring Israel Kamakawiwo`ole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjO_dqFSxCk

Subject: ADDPOP: I'll Remember You (Bob Dylan)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:56 PM

OK, so let's see what Dylan did in this 1986 live performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbkPBm7eMl0

I'LL REMEMBER YOU
(Bob Dylan)

I'll remember you
When I've forgotten all the rest
You to me were too
You to me were the best
When there is no more
You cut to the core
Quicker than anyone I knew
When I'm all alone
In the great unknown
I'll remember you.

I'll remember you
At the end of the trail
I had so much left to do
I had so little time to fail
There's some people that
You don't forget
Even though you've only seen 'em
One time or two
When the roses fade
And I'm in the shade
I'll remember you.

Didn't I, didn't I try to love you?
Didn't I, didn't I try to care?
Didn't I sleep, didn't I weep beside you
With the rain blowing in your hair.

I'll remember you
When the wind blows through the piney wood
It was you who came right through
It was you who understood
Though I'd never say
That I done it the way
That you'd have liked me to
In the end
My dear sweet friend
I'll remember you.

Songwriters: BOB DYLAN
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUDIAM, INC


So, yeah, I guess I'd say that the Dylan song is reminiscent of the one by Kui Lee, but they're certainly not the same song. So, I guess this proves that Joe Offer is once again wrong, and the newspaper editor is once again proved to be infallible.