Oldies back in the movies
It is so true. You can never put a good song down. Think As Time Goes By. They do not age or fade away. Like Ikaw. They become classics. Everybody loves Moon River. They stay on the shelf, then when the times are right and the songs feel like it, they reemerge to tell new generations how much can be learned from those who came before.
This dictum came to light again some days ago when I came across oldies in the soundtracks of current movies, in the hit lists and even all-around social media.
Janice de Belen, Gelli de Belen, Carmina Villarroel, and Candy Pangilinan are singing I Can. It is the theme song of their movie Road Trip. Composed by Louie Ocampo and Edith Gallardo, I Can was first recorded by Regine Velasquez and Donna Cruz in 1996 for the soundtrack of Do Re Mi, which starred Regine, Donna and Mikee Cojuangco.
The movie Do Re Mi has become a cult favorite with a devoted following and I Can has become a classic. It is back for another lap as a hit song in Road Trip. Watch Road Trip and listen, sing-along and then, find I Can new again.
Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, on the other hand, portray a time-defying love story in the top-grossing entry to the recent Metro Manila Film Festival, Rewind, and they do it to the tune of the melancholy Sa Susunod na Habang Buhay by Ben&Ben.
Composed by the group’s frontmen, the Benjamins Paolo and Miguel Guico, Sa Susunod Na Habang Buhay is fairly new. It is only four years old but it is still an oldie. Now, it gets its chance at classic greatness with the image of a waltzing Dingdong and Marian attached to it.
There will be a combination of old and new melodies in the upcoming romantic drama, Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko, which stars Aga Muhlach and Julia Barretto. The title comes from one of the hits by the hot young band, Cup of Joe (COJ).
For COJ fans out there, your favorite idols also appear in the movie to perform the classic Ikaw by George Canseco and Ocampo. The song was first used in the 1993 film of the same title that starred Sharon Cuneta and Ariel Rivera.
Now Ikaw is just one of several classics that will be heard in the soundtrack of Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko. Aga and Julia play members of a choir in the story, so there are lots of scenes requiring music and other classics by Canseco like Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan, Ngayon at Kailan Man, and Ikaw were used.
This one is not in a movie but it is out there on social media. It is an old song in a conquering gallop of YouTube viewers and Spotify streamers and of other digital platforms that made it surprisingly a hit. The song is Para Sa Akin.
Composed by Arnold Reyes, it was originally recorded and popularized by local bossa nova queen Sitti in 2006 for her debut album Café Bossa. The new cover is by the Filipino-Omani artist Jason Dhakal whose laconic or spaced-out kind of harana singing has become the in-thing among users these days.
Now here is what I think will happen next. The popularity of Dhakal’s version of Para Sa Akin could mean that we will again be getting more of Sitti. If that happens, there will be more Pinoy Bossa tunes. So, will the acoustic cafés of the 20 years ago be hot again? Remember, one song is all it takes to fuel a trend and a revived oldie like Para Sa Akin is doubly potent.
Time, too, to keep watch on movie soundtracks. After listening to these oldies that do contribute a lot to enhance cinema storytelling, there will be more producers and directors on the old songs trail.
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