Stalked by a song

We were at Capisce in Metrowalk for a night of Pete Lacaba’s Salinawit gig series last November, enjoying the Western music standards with lyrics adapted into a more familiar tongue, and licking our chops at the bonus visual track of lovely legs onstage — take a bow, Cookie Chua and Carmi Martin — when Reli German took over and declared everyone else to be his front act (including Ricky Davao and Pete himself).

We can forgive Reli that, as we always do, since he’s the really the best belter on every musical stage he deigns to grace (at least in his mind: being best, that is, not the grace).

He sang a melodious number in both English and Filipino, or Pateros Tagalog, as purists might argue regarding the metropolitan poet Pete’s brand of Pinoyese. The song was How Did You Know, which someone at our table claimed to have been the theme in a Western movie, until someone else countered, no, a Pinoy movie, maybe, as it was a Gary V. hit. 

I’ve always liked the tune myself, albeit it starts out tough even for semi-pro, cross-training videoke devotees (such as novelist Charlson Ong or poet-translator Marne Kilates), the way it meanders in sing-song fashion before ascending into that main melodic line that avoids being cheesy through its sheer elegance.

And Mr. German, the compleat trouper, was giving it his all, emoticons flying off the stage if the night might have been considered virtual more than virtuous.

Loved the song even more with Reli’s delivery, and got an education too by way of a backgrounder. Composed and written by Cecile Azarcon, it was initially pressed with the voice of Chiqui Pineda, offered our savvy informant, before Aiza Seguerra and Gary V. did their own covers.

Last Wednesday, the song came our way again, at the Centerstage KTV off the Timog-Morato rotunda, where MTRCB member Atty. Noel “Boyet” del Prado hosted a dozen colleagues on the occasion of his natal day.

It had been somewhat tragic earlier that day at the MTRCB. The well-loved liaison officer of some producers, Naty Cheng, had collapsed and passed away before reaching a hospital’s E.R. Why, only a week previous, Naty who had been a fixture at the MTRCB premises for decades, as we understood it, had seen to my receipt of a Solar Sports/Beijing Olympics commemorative jacket, courtesy of bossman Wilson Tieng. Then I missed out on seeing Naty again the next day, at Wilson’s luncheon birthday party to which she said we were invited. We’ll all miss her.

But Happy Burpday to Wilson and Boyet both. Back at the latter’s party, MTRCB chair Marissa Laguardia and BMs (board members) Kathy Villar, Cutie del Mar and “Direk” Butch Bautista had already left by the time I caught up with the caterwauling that drowned the fierce thunderstorm outside. Still locked in an intense struggle for the couple of mics were former BM Joey Romero, entertainment writer Mario Hernando, poet Marra PL Lanot (who’s quite close to Pete Lacaba), Atty. Sonny Cases, Dick de Leon, TV host Jojo Alejar, the burpday boy Boyet, and former child star (and now Destiny’s GNN Channel co-host (together with Cutie) Jackie Aquino Gavino.

Jackie it was who won out for a spell, and one of the songs she chose to render while facing a large LCD screen with its crawling lyrics was How Did You Know. The crawlies went thus:    

“I remember so well/ The day that you came into my life./ You asked for my name,/You had the most beautiful smile// My life started to change/ I’d wake up each day feeling all right/ With you right by my side/ Makes me feel things will work out just fine// How did you know/ I needed someone like you in my life,/ That there was an empty space in my heart/ You came at the right time in my life// I’ll never forget/ How you brought the sun to shine in my life/ And took all the worries and fears that I have.// I guess what I’m really trying to say,/ It’s not every day that someone like you comes my way./ No words can express/ How much I love you.”

We all loved Jackie despite her singing, but we still exclaimed “Brava!” on the last note, which she hit right. 

The following night, Thursday, the song proved to be a stalker.

Called to a caucus at Richmonde Hotel’s Exchange Bar, where our fave chanteuse Girl Valencia performs while generously allowing semi-pros to share the stage with her, I joined Billy Lacaba and Charlson Ong at a table. Pete was busy entertaining a GMA-7 TV crew sent by Jessica Soho to claim footage of the instant Salinawit gig that night.

Vince Camua showed us his new CD, “Spells of a Young Crooner,” produced by Vamp Management, Inc. (VMI), and which had the first officially recorded Salinawit number, Yun Lang for That’s All. It had taken a year to gain copyright permission from Warner Music, and of course a fee for the Tagalized cover.  

Atty. Vic Africa, Pete’s Ateneo batchmate, did a few of the adaptations from original French songs before pitching in a bonus with DJ Alvaro’s brilliant Papa Ka Ba (?) — which instantly appealed to Charlson, given his lifestyle mores.

Perhaps stung by Vic’s commanding stage presence, Reli German bounded out of the shadows and declared that he would do the rest of the 88 Salinawit songs done thus far. With his bravura first number, we allowed him the privilege (in fact we’re still here). But that first song was Pineda’s How Did You Know — rendered as Paano Mo Nalaman through a collaboration between Pete and Raffy Garcia.

“A, tandang-tanda ko/ Nang dumating ka sa aking buhay./ Nabighani ako/ Ng iyong ngiting walang kapantay.// Agad na nagbago/Ang aking mundo, nagkakulay./ Ngayong kapiling kita,/ Naging masigla ang bawat araw.// Paano mo/ Nalaman na kailangan kita,/ At ang puso ko’y kay tagal naghintay?/ Ngayo’y narito ka sa aking buhay.// Ikaw ang nagdala/ Ng ilaw at saya sa aking buhay,/ Inalis mong lahat ang aking kaba.//Ang ibig kong sabihin, palagay ko,/ Hindi naman laging may dumarating na tulad mo./ Ang masasabi ko lang:/ Ikaw ang mahal ko.”

Reli employed both the original English and adapted lyrics. He should really record both versions on a special 45rpm vinyl. It shouldn’t take a year to get permission.

Pete tells us: “My fellow Atenista and batchmate, Raffy Garcia, did a first draft (in April 2007) of this English OPM number by Cecile Azarcon, then asked me to polish and fine-tune. So this is my first collaborative work, and my first time to work on a number by a Filipino songwriter.” 

They asked the songwriter, through Mike Jamir, for permission to post the adapted lyrics, which Pete often does to the Plaridel e-group. Cecile responded favorably, only asking that a word, “nagayuma,” be changed to “nabighani.”

Pete’s reply: “Author’s request granted, siyempre. ‘Nagayuma’ and ‘nabighani’ have not only the same number of syllables but, more important, the same sequence of stressed and unstressed syllables — kaya swak na swak din.”

Pete posts further: “So here are the revised lyrics, in case any of you decide to try this out in a piano bar. Please note that this posting does not give you rights to perform this in a paying gig or in a radio or television broadcast, much less the rights to record this. For those rights, you will need to get the permission of Mr. Mike Jamir and Genesis, who represent the songwriter.”

As for Pete’s other Salinawit songs, all he asks is that mic-hoggers foot a round of drinks for the table where any fellow sits while catching the performer doing the Salinawit, and of course reporting it to Pete on that very hour.

I tell you, it’s been a freebie lush life for me as a Salinawit spotter. And snitch.