The OPM of my Youth

When I was growing up in the Philippines, music provided the soundtrack to the milestones in my life. My father and all his siblings were blessed with beautiful voices as they regaled us with the romantic kundimans of Levi Celerio. The musical talent must have skipped a generation because only my middle brother could actually sing (sorry to my other brods). However, that unfortunate reality did not prevent me from singing along to the romantic ballads of Rey Valera and to the lilting melodies of Apo Hiking Society.

The Original Pinoy Music (OPM) compositions dominated my “playlist” in the 1970s through the early ‘80’s. The songs of that bygone past always evoked special feelings in me. OPM resonated with me and tugged at my heartstrings because I lived through all the joys and the angst of those times. The songs marked the defining moments of my life. I was touched when one suitor nervously handed me a letter offering his never-ending love. To my consternation, I recognized the sentimental lyrics from Valera’s “Kung Kailangan Mo Ako”.

When I left the Philippines for the United States in 1983 to pursue my nursing career, my attention was turned towards American pop music. For my first few years, I was busy soaking up the Stateside way of life. My head was filled with the music of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.

After I had settled down from the euphoria of the American experience, I felt homesick for the warm and the familiar music of my youth. Over the years, the karaoke music sessions that were almost always present in Filipino gatherings reminded me of the beautiful music I left behind. I started to appreciate the richness of the musical culture of that era. My favorite OPM songs have become timeless hits, and their composers and singers have become legends in their own right.

For those of us of a certain age, join me in nostalgic remembrance...


“Manila”- by Hotdog
The band Hotdog ushered in the light-hearted and innovative “Manila Sound”





“Anak” by Freddie Aguilar
The song about a prodigal son’s remorse and apology to his parents became an international hit that was translated into 26 languages.





“Handog”- written and sung by Florante, folk singer





"Nakapagtataka"- written by Apo Hiking Society and covered by Hadji Alejandro





“Pumapatak na Naman ang Ulan”- by Apo Hiking Society





“You are My Song”- written by Louie Ocampo, sung by Martin Nievera





"Here and Now" - written by Jose Mari Chan, sung by JMChan and Cynthia Patag





“Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko” written and sung by VST and Company (Tito, Vic, and Joey)





Rey Valera Top Hits





“Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko”- written by Rey Valera, sung by Sharon Cuneta.





“Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin”- written by Cecile Azarcon, sung by Martin Nievera





”How Did You Know?”- written by Cecile Azarcon, sung by Gary Valenciano





“Masdan mo ang Kapaligiran” by ASIN
Asin, folk singing group)incorporated indigenous musical instruments into their songs.





"Pangako", written by D. Subido, sung by the Flippers.
Just because it reminds me of a special someone. This song gives me the feels.






I pay tribute to the venerable composers of OPM:

Levi Celerio (Ang Pipit, Tunay na Tunay, Saan ka Man Naroroon, Sapagkat Kami’y Tao Laman),
George Canseco ( Kapantay ay Langit, Ikaw, Dito Ba?, Paano),
Nicanor Abelardo (Bituing Marikit), Willie Cruz (Bituing Walang Ningning),
Ryan Cayabyab ( Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika),
Jose Mari Chan (Constant Change, Afterglow, Love to Last a Lifetime),
Louie Ocampo (Tell Me, Kahit Isang Saglit, and You Are My Song),
Apo Hiking Society (Batang-Bata Ka Pa,Blue Jeans, Kaibigan, Pumapatak ang Ulan, Yakap sa Dilim, When I Met You),
Freddie Aguilar (Anak, Bayan Ko, Estudyante Blues),
Rey Valera (Sorry Na, Puede Ba, Mr. DJ, Maging Sino Ka Man, Malayo Pa Ang Umaga),
Cecile Azarcon (Lift Up Your Hands, Ikaw and Lahat sa Akin),
and the tough-hits composer trio of Tito, Vic, and Joey (Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko, Rock, Baby, Rock, Disco Fever).

Today, the musical genres in the Philippines cover a wide-ranging spectrum that also includes alternative and diverse musical styles. The OPM I know and still cherish have been resurrected by current musical artists. Some of those songs have been adapted as theme songs in movies and television series. I wish that OPM continues to thrive. I hope that like the OPM songs of my youth, today’s music will claim its landmarks on tomorrow’s musical scene.

Jose Mari Chan- A Musical Poet

JOSE MARI CHAN


“Each song is a story....each story has a song”. Jose Mari Chan is a musical poet. He is a Filipino-Chinese singer/songwriter who weaves the stories in his songs. He is a musician, lyricist, and performer who started his career in the 1960’s. His triple-platinum and Double-Diamond albums are full of songs that have withstood the test of time. He is a multi-awarded genius whose compositions range from romantic ballads to commercial jingles to theme songs to motion picture scores. How come he is not a National Artist yet?

Chan's musical poetry is something I always come back to, its beautiful melodies and eloquent lyrics are soothing to the soul. Especially today, I needed to clean my ears after I caught snippets of ugly rap music from a passing motorist (ugh!). The beautiful lyrics of Afterglow is an antidote to the nonsensical/disgusting prose of Kanye West.

Growing up in the Philippines, I sang along Jose Mari Chan's many songs, secretly dreaming of someone writing a romantic ballad, just for me. The songs remind me of simpler but joyous times, when the lyrics of the songs paint the picture vividly and fill you with emotions. As there are comfort foods, Constant Change and Love to Last a Lifetime are among my comfort songs. Chan’s compositions are definitely part of the soundtrack of my life.


Afterglow - First Single 1967

We're at the afterglow
Of what we both do know
Known as the spring of our youth.
We've loved and shared the dawn
And hoped that we'd go on
'Cause even that dawn had to go.





Constant Change

We're on the road
We move from place to place
And oftentimes when I'm about to call it home
We'd have to move along
Life is a constant change...






Can We Just Stop And Talk Awhile - Lea Salonga version

Fancy meeting you alone in the crowd
Couldn't help but notice your smile
While everybody else around us is going about
Can we just stop and talk awhile? I've been often told our world's growing old
And that friends are harder to find
Do tell me more about yourself
We could share a thought or two
Now who would mind?





Sing me a song again, Daddy

Sing me a song again, Daddy
Sing me a happy verse.
Teach me those clever lines you sang
As you carried me on your shoulders.
Sing me that hymn that you so loudly
Sang in church with mom.
Sing it again to me and fill me
With all your words of wisdom.






Beautiful Girl

Beautiful girl, wherever you are
I knew when I saw you, you had opened the door
I knew that I'd love again after a long, long while
I'd love again.






Please Be Careful with My Heart - Sarah Geronimo and Christian Bautista version

If you love me like you tell me
Please be careful with my heart
You can take it just don't break it
Or my world will fall apart

You are my first romance
And I'm willing to take a chance
That 'till life is through
I'll still be loving you






Can't We Start Over Again

All through my life of seasons
No matter how far I roam
Always there's something missing inside
Yearning to come back home

You are the one I return to
Love. Only love leads the way
Give us this chance to start over again
Darling, I'm coming home to stay.






My Girl, My Woman, My Friend - featuring Janet Basco

When my work is through at the end of the day
There's nothing else that I'd rather do
Than to be with you at the end of the day
To be right by your side makes me feel brand new
'Cause you're my girl, my woman, my friend
And that's how it's gonna be till the end.
Loving you is what I live for
And I can't ask for anything more
You're my woman, my girl, and my friend
Rolled into one.






Afraid For Love To Fade

I can't let you pass me by
I just can't let you go but I know
That I am much too shy to let you know
Afraid that I might say the wrong
Words and displease you
Afraid for love to fade
Before it can come true




Lea Salonga version






A Love To Last A Lifetime

We're all just merely passing through
Doing what we can do in a lifetime
We have more than one adventure to take
More than one dream to make in our lifetime
As for me there's only one dream
And that's to love you, my love
With a love to last a lifetime





Mamang Sorbetero (from Mr. Songwriter)

The melody of Celeste Legaspi's folk hit 'Mamang Sorbetero' was actually derived from Chan's 'Mr. Songwriter.'

Let the Men Sing

After several hours of mind-numbing review of statistics for DNP school, I suddenly felt the need for music therapy. I wanted music that relaxes, calms the nerves, and soothes the soul. As I started to look at the Adele songs, I heard the sexy baritone voice of Barry White coming from the TV. Enough of the estrogen-fueled music of my past writings. It’s the boys’ turn to strut their stuff. Let the men sing (or play).


Jason Mraz- American singer-songwriter





Pharell- American singer-songwriter and rapper




Michael Buble- Canadian singer, songwriter




Ed Sheeran-English singer-songwriter and musician




Ronan Keating- Irish musician who used to be the lead singer for the group Boyzone.




Bruno Mars- American singer, born and raised in Hawaii with a Filipino mother




Eagles- American rock band in the 70's




Barry White- American composer and singer-songwriter known for his distinctive bass-baritone voice




Jose Mari Chan- Chinese Filipino singer and prolific songwriter




Rey Valera- Filipino singer and songwriter. His songs were used as movie scores and in tv serials.




Nonoy Zuniga- Filipino singer




Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole- Hawaiian musician and entertainer, named as the "The Voice of Hawaii"




Louie Armstrong- nicknamed Satchmo, was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and one of the pivotal and most influential figures in jazz music.




Richard Clayderman- French pianist

A Father's Love

For most of my childhood and teenage years in the Philippines, my father worked abroad. He was an aircraft mechanic whose assignments had brought him to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Uganda, Angola, and Iran.

With five growing children, the separation was a necessity. He had always stayed abroad, only coming home for a month. He was the quintessential OFW (overseas foreign worker), long before that word became popular.

When I was about eight, Tatay came home for his vacation laden with gifts. My doll was taller than my baby sister, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and porcelain skin. My youngest sister had a similar, although smaller doll and my brothers had monster toy trucks. In an instant, he shone the spotlight on the Cerrudo kids and raised our importance among the neighborhood kids.

Even though the gifts were expensive (and excessive as per my ever-practical mother), the toys represented my father's amends for those days when he was not around to see our milestones, when my mom raised us by herself. He was not being materialistic; he was just overjoyed upon seeing our faces brighten up with the excitement of discovery.




His love was undeniable, the truth as unequivocal as life itself.

At times, he waxed philosophical about the lost opportunities when he had to drop out of college because of family responsibilities, but he encouraged us all to explore beyond perceived boundaries. My father envisioned the best for us and encouraged us to excel in this world. He didn't miss any chance to tell his buddies about our achievements.

He was a story-teller who regaled us with tales of his exploits in foreign lands, and when our lids started to droop, he switched to stories of vampires and in respect to our Filipino mythology, he loved to talk about the manananggal (who can separate their upper torso to fly into the night with huge bat-like wings in search of pregnant women) and kapre (tree -dwelling smoking giant).

Somehow, he managed to convince us that the manananggal and the kapre will also prey on children who do not like to take their afternoon naps or sleep early at night time.

The kids pretended to squeal in horror but we always asked for more. And so it went that we gathered around him as close as possible, seeking protection from evil creatures as he watched over us. His rich baritone as he sang gentle lullabies reassured us as we dreamt of adventures as Filipino superheroes- Captain Barbell and Darna. We were not traumatized by the stories, and never had nightmares. Because we were secure in his love for us. Perhaps, the smell of his Old Spice perfume warded off the evil spirits.

And then he always woke us up either by tickling our feet or playing with cotton balls in our ears. Tatay gave us butterfly kisses. He danced around the house and showed off what would later be his Rico Mambo moves. My mom became a target of his constant teasing and he would sometimes chase her around the house just to tickle her.

As we grew up, my father started to stay longer in the Philippines in between job assignments and eventually, he stopped his overseas work after I finished college. My father loved watching the ladies of the house as we were absorbed in whatever drama series was showing on tv. During the most dramatic parts, he usually started to sniffle and blow his nose loudly to annoy us. But as much as he was the teaser and the ultimate joker, his sentimental nature was legendary. He cried more often and much more quicker than my mom.

On June 20, 1987, he walked me down the aisle. He hugged me close and said that he would always be there for me, no matter what. When the marriage dissolved, my father supported me and told me that I deserve someone so much more.

In July 2001, he died of a stroke in the Philippines. My sister and I went home. It was heart-wrenching to realize that we would never see him again... that he would not dance with us again.

If I could freeze-frame any moment for posterity, I would love to see him dance with my mother again.

If I could get another chance, I would join my father as he teased my mother until she blushed. I would hug my father to breathe in the scent of his Old Spice cologne again. I would sit at his feet to listen to his stories, anything just to hear his voice once more.

If I could steal another moment with him, I would have said "I love you" over and over again, not just on Father's Day. And if I could go back in time, I would like to see the contented look on his face as he proudly and joyfully watched his young daughters playing with oversized dolls.

And when I started on another journey on June 20, 2011,  with a new work environment, I knew that my father had given me the strength to shine and the spirit to persevere, in spite of the kapre and manananggal. I can almost see him giving me two thumbs up.

I have learned all those years ago when I was eight, that he loved us all with that consuming and unconditional love.

Luther Vandross- Dance With My Father




Cat Stevens- Father and Son




Charice was estranged from her father, but in the end, she still expressed her love for him, probably regretting the time they had lost.




Bob Carlisle- Butterfly Kisses
For all that I have done wrong, I must have done right.





Jose Mari Chan featuring Cherie Gil- Sing Me a Song, Daddy

http://definitelyfilipino.com/blog/2011/07/20/a-fathers-love/

MUSIC: SIMPLE JOYS Part 2

My son and I bonded again today as we reminisced about our shared fondness for "My Favorite Things". Thank you Rodgers and Hammerstein for the "Sound of Music". Still cannot understand what gene pool gifted my son with a beautiful voice and an aptitude for piano playing. Seems unbelievable that he came from a parent whose alto try-out was such a disaster that it finally convinced the choir organist to abandon all efforts to change me from a passable (at least in my mind) soprano.

I am a frustrated singer. So gone are my dreams of setting the world on fire with my melodious voice. But I love music, even karaoke music (take that Simon).

These are some of my favorite songs:


There is no decent video of "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music but the "Lonely Goatherd" showcased the incomparable Julie Andrews and the puppets. It has now become my LSS (last song syndrome)





A mash-up of these two songs had been featured in the movie "50 Dates".
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" by Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole. It must have looked a little strange... a huge man with his ukelele, but it worked.






A sweet and poignant song. Perfect for a Daddy's girl and sure to be a tear-jerker in weddings.
"Sing Me a Song, Daddy" by Jose Mari Chan/ Cherie Gil





Watch how a future multi-awardee stage actress charmed the producers of Miss Saigon with her innocent ways and magnificent voice. Lea will soon be appearing in "Allegiance", an upcoming musical about Japanese-American interment during World War II.

Lea Salonga's audition for Miss Saigon, "Sun and Moon".









I thank my lucky stars that my son never got into rap and hip-hop like the teens of today, although I've been known to break into an apl.d ap (of Black Eyed Peas) song called "Bebot." Go figure. Don't get me wrong; I still don't approve of the the gyrations of the skimpy-clad girls but I love the colorful jeepneys and the display of Filipino pride.