"Beyond The Reef" is a song written by Canadian Jack Pitman in
Hawaii in 1948. It was first performed by Hawaiian artist
Napua Stevens in 1949.
Although Pitman was living in Hawaii when he wrote it, "Beyond the Reef" does not contain any
Hawaiian language words or any mention of Hawaii.[1] It is a slow song in the key of
C major with a
2-5-1 progression with D minor, G major and C major. It features the
steel guitar as do many of the
hapa-haole songs written during this period.
Notable cover versions
Bing Crosby recorded the song on 5 September 1950[2] and Crosby's recording reached No. 26 on the Billboard pop chart.[3]