‘Harry Potter’ star sings of love for Hawaii

Tom Felton, the English actor famous for his role as Draco Malfoy, the foil of Harry Potter in the popular movie series, is a budding musician who has discovered magic in the Hawaiian Islands.

Tom has just released a solo song titled “Hawaii” which laments the chilly weather and traffic snarls of everyday England for the laidback life under the palm trees on the Island of Hawaii. To wit:

I woke this morning and much to my dismay the snow’s been falling,
it’s been coming down since yesterday. I go outside to try and start my car – three hours later I haven’t gone very far.
And I’m holding on to memories of when I was on the island…
In Hawaii… and kicking back is where you’d find me,
somewhere underneath the palm tree, on the island of Hawaii…

The Island of Hawaii is the largest and southernmost in the Hawaiian chain, which is comprised of six major islands.

“Hawaii casts a spell on all who visit and Tom’s no exception,” says George Applegate, executive director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau. “Very flattering that someone from as far away as England, and as talented as Tom Felton, is moved to sing about our idyllic way of life.”

The song has received more than 120,000 views on YouTube and can be found by typing “Tom Felton Hawaii” on the web site. It is available for download at SixStringProductions.com.

Felton also recently co-starred in the “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

Applegate is trying to reach the young star to thank him for the song and hopes to see him return to the Hawai‘i, the Big Island. “We owe him a treat. At the very least, the ‘JD coke and lime with a mini brolly’ that he sings about,” he said.

The song comes on the heels of another English pop-song about Hawaii: “Hawaiian Air” by Friendly Fires. “There must be a revival going on of our long standing relationship with the British,” said Applegate.

The connection between the two kingdoms dates back to the 1770s when Captain Cook became the first westerner to discover the Hawaiian Islands. He named them the “Sandwich Islands,” after the Earl of Sandwich who sponsored his expedition. From 1794 to 1843, Hawaii was declared a British protectorate – the British “Union Jack” flag remains part of the Hawaiian flag as a remnant of that era.