This is a love ballad supposedly written in 1860 by Prince William Pitt Leleiohoku the brother of Queen Liliuokalani who was the composer of "Aloha Oe". "Kaua i ka huahuai" (The Bubbling Spring) from the Richard Walton Tully play "The Bird Of Paradise" was performed on disc by Hawaiian Quintet in 1913. This was not a chant and had nothing to do with a battle so the English lyric has little to do with the original. It was recorded by Johnny Noble in 1929 as "Ta-hu-wa-hu", in 1933 Kanui and Lula issued "Oua Oua", the next year it was "Ta-Hu-Wa-Hu-Wai" by Andy Iano's Novelty Four, Tommy Dorsey recorded the tune as "Hawaiian War Chant" in 1938 the same year Rudy Vallee recorded it as "Pahuwahu".

Tommy Dorsey "Hawaiian War Chant" in 1938 became one of the most well known and respected versions.

In 1942 "Hawaiian War Chant" was featured in the MGM musical "Ships Ahoy" with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Buddy Rich on drums, Ziggy Elman on trumpet and it's included as one of my frantic favourites.

Spike (Lindley) Jones take on "Hawaiian War Chant" was one of the band's biggest hits in 1946 when it reached number eight on Billboard.

The Ames Brothers (Ed, Vic, Joe and Gene Urick) with Roy Smeck and The Serenaders charted at number twenty-one with "Hawaiian War Chant" (Johnny Noble - Leleiōhoku - Ralph Freed) in 1951.