The evolution of Filipino love songs

Trisha S. De Castro

With Valentine's Day only being a month behind us, it’s important to acknowledge how other people from different cultures celebrate the sweet holiday. One universal method that almost every culture has is through singing love songs, whether it be about romantic love, familial love, or even the love that you hold for your country. This is increased to 100 when it comes to Filipinos; with the majority of the media they consume having some sort of love sprinkled in, it’s not an exaggeration to say that these people live and breathe for “kilig” or in other words, the rush-inducing feeling you get when your crush talks or even looks at you. Filipino love songs in particular have been a big part of Original Pinoy Music for as long as it was created. 

The first major Filipino love song was called “kundiman”. This comes from the Tagalog phrase “kung hindi man” (“if it were not so”), and is characterized by showing the singer’s love in an incredibly poetic manner, with its usage of strict Tagalog and its melancholic sound marking its place an essential part of popular culture back in the late 19th to early 20th century. Not only was it talking about romantic love as well as the pain that comes with losing a partner, but it also had an edge of subtle patriotism to it that made it all the more popular in a time where the Philippines was still colonized by Spain and the United States of America. Some of the best-known composers in the kundiman genre are Nicanor Abelardo, Francisco Santiago, and Antonio Molina. Furthermore, songs such as “Nasaan ka Irog” (“Where Are You Beloved”) from Nicanor Abelardo and “Anak Dalita” (“Child of Suffering” or “Child of Poverty”) by Francisco Santiago are famous examples of this category of music that still remain in the folklore of the Philippines.

As the Philippines was slowly modernizing into what it became today, the culture of music also evolved alongside it. Filipino love songs from the mid-twentieth century, which spanned from the 1930s-1960s, now incorporated some English words to their lyrics. A lot of songs from this era still held the soft, melancholic tone of kundiman from the years before. Some examples of songs from this era are “Kapantay ay Langit” (“Equals to Heaven”)  by Pilita Corrales, “My Pledge of Love” by Edgar Moritz, and “Deep in My Heart” by Jose Mari Chan.

Going over to the late-twentieth century, which spanned from the early 70s to the late 90s, songs from this era incorporated guitars to give it more of a modern twist. This era mirrors and replicates the general vibe and rhythm of love songs from the West, being playful and filled with backing vocals to further enhance the song. Most of the songs have now added occasional English words into their lyrics, such as the lyric “Ewan ko ba kung bakit type kita.” (“I don’t know why you’re my type.”) from the Filipino pop band Cinderella’s 1994 release called “T.L. Ako Sa’yo” (roughly translated as “I’m truly in love with you”). 

In addition to this, it’s hard not to talk about Filipino love songs and not to mention the Eraserheads, a band that took over not only the airwaves of Filipino radio stations, but also the hearts of Filipinos. They gave a refreshing change to the Filipino music scene that ultimately cemented them into Filipino pop culture. One of their most widely acclaimed love songs, “Ang Huling El Bimbo” (“The Last El Bimbo”), is part of their 1995 album named “Cutterpillow.” It reflects the story of a boy who fell in love with a girl who would always teach him how to dance to the ‘El Bimbo’ after school, later becoming the person that taught him the true meaning of love. But then it all takes a turn for the worse as they drift apart and he later learns that she passed away in a car accident, never getting the opportunity to confess his feelings to her. Due to its repercussions in the Philippines, it was made into a theatrical play with the same name.

Lastly, similar to the era mentioned before, twenty-first century love songs now have evolved into having more Tagalog and English combined. There’s a good amount of diversity between the songs; with some of them having a slow and mellow tone to it, embodied by songs such as “Damdamin” (“Feeling”) by Joaquin Pacete, while others hold a playful and catchy mood to them when discussing the singer’s experience with love, an example is “Dalawang Letra” (“Two Letters”) by the Itchyworms.

The kundiman never exactly died, as I said before, it just evolved to grow into different forms as popular Filipino culture continues to develop.