Music works many wonders, and there’s no denying how a song, when used at the right moment, can make a movie scene (or the film as a whole) more charming and heart-stirring.
The recent years have indeed witnessed the influx of memorable local movies with equally impressive soundtrack and scoring. Just like how the films themselves found way their way through the pop culture scene with their relatable and hard-hitting storylines, their theme songs have also earned fanfare on their own.
Remember when “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” resurfaced and got people LSS-ed when Antoinette Jadaone’s “That Thing Called Tadhana” hit the theaters back in 2014?
Or when indie flick “Ang Nawawala” earned a cult following willing to spend over a thousand pesos just to score a vinyl record featuring its soundtracks (including Ely Buendia and Raimund Marasigan’s re-recorded version of “Minsan”)?
In this feature, we’re rounding up live Wishclusive renditions of famed movie theme songs that are sure to give you all the feels.
From “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral” (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7q3yUQY-dU
Kay hirap unawain
Bawat damdamin
Pangakong magmahal hanggang libing
Sa langit, may tagpuan din
At doon hihintayin
Itong bato sa buhangin
“Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral,” with Paulo Avelino on the titular role, is the long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed “Heneral Luna.” The movie explores the vulnerabilities and inner struggles of Gregorio Del Pilar, one of the youngest generals during the Philippine-American war.
While the message of finding oneself is effectively conveyed by folk-pop act Ben&Ben’s “Susi,” the film’s main theme song, the biopic’s romantic storyline featuring Goyo and Remedios (Gwen Zamora) is equally enriched with the use of Glaiza De Castro’s take on “Bato sa Buhangin.” The hauntingly beautiful revival soundtracks the film’s picturesque ending credits scene, providing a rather redemptive moment after their blossoming love is curtailed by the general’s demise.
From “Exes Baggage” (2018)
Maybe the night holds a little hope for us, dear
Maybe we might want to settle down, just be near
Stay together here
It’s safe to say that Ben&Ben’s music has been a favorite among local film producers during the past year. Apart from “Susi,” their songs “Kathang Isip” and “Ride Home” have also been featured in the indie movies, “The Write Moment” and “Siargao.”
Their 2018 single “Maybe The Night” is the latest addition to their list of hits tapped as movie soundtracks. The heart-swooning track serves as the official theme song of “Exes Baggage,” starring real-life exes Carlo Aquino and Angelica Panganiban. The recently-released box office hit revolves around the lives of two people whose hearts have been scarred by past relationships.
“Di Na Muli” by The Itchyworms
From “Sid & Aya (Not A Love Story)” (2018)
Ang oras kapag hinayaang lumipas
Madarama mo hanggang bukas
Di mababawi muli
Long before “Di Na Muli” was used as the theme song of the Dingdong Dantes and Anne Curtis-starrer “Sid & Aya (Not A Love Story)”, the Itchyworms tune that speaks about loss and regret has already gained success on its own with its first-place win at the 2016 PhilPop Songwriting Festival.
The movie presents a melancholic love story (yes, it’s a love story, despite its parenthetical subtitle screaming otherwise) confined within the limits set by the main characters’ social status. Sid is a power-hungry stockbroker while Aya is a determined working girl juggling three jobs.
Apart from the original version, the film also features a more mellow rendition by rising OPM singer Janine Teñoso.
From “I’m Drunk, I Love You” (2017)
O, kay tagal din kitang minahal
O, kay tagal din kitang minahal
“I’m Drunk, I Love You” is a coming-of-age film following the lives of Carson (played by Maja Salvador) and Dio (Paulo Avelino). Their characters are prompted to do an inevitable reality check as they graduate from college and transition into adulthood: insecurities have to be faced, decisions have to be made, and important matters — like unrequited love — have to be resolved.
Apart from the plot and the compelling portrayal of the characters, the film also hits the spot with its fine selection of soundtracks — one of which is “Burnout.” Musical trio 3D, composed of Ebe Dancel, Johnoy Danao, and Bullet Dumas, perfectly channels the pains of having an unrequited love in their mournful revival of the Sugarfree original.
From “Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa” (2015)
https://youtu.be/4yMXfvxb_L8
Nawalan ng gana ang tadhana
Nanlalamig iyong dating nagbabaga
Kung maibabalik lang sana
Iindahin ko ang sakit na gumuguhit
Ngingiti sa likod ng luhang pumupunit
A labyrinth of false hopes, resentment and plead, Quest’s “Walang Hanggan” gained a following when it was used as a soundtrack for the acclaimed indie film, “Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa.”
The movie stars Nico Manalo, who plays Sam, a filmmaker with a scholarship to study in Berlin, and Emmanuelle Vera, who takes on the role of a film student and writer named Isa. Quiet, contemplative scenes grace the film, slowly building up the complicated, against-all-odds romantic narrative of the main characters that climaxes to a surprising plot twist towards the end.
From “Love You To The Stars And Back” (2017)
Ilang gabi pa nga lang
Nang tayo’y pinagtagpo
Na parang may tumulak
Nanlalamig nanginginig na ako
As delicate as Moira Dela Torre’s revival of Moonstar88’s “Torete,” Jadaone forges a charming film that touches on the time-honored theme of “love conquers all.”
The movie enlists Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto to respectively give life to the characters of Caloy, a high-spirited young man who battles with cancer, and Mika, a rebellious daughter who believes in aliens and wishes to be taken by them. The film thrives on the palpable chemistry between the two, which the audience can thoroughly enjoy from their humorous meeting all the way through their tear-jerking reunion in the end (cue: Moira’s soft vocals in “Torete”).
From “Kita Kita” (2017)
Just to think what I might have missed
Looking back, how did I exist?
I dreamed, still I never thought I’d come this far
But miracles come true, I know ’cause here we are
“Kita Kita” is not your ordinary rom-com flick, starting off with the unlikely pairing of Empoy Marquez and Alessandra De Rossi. The Spring Films offering is about two lonesome characters: Lea (played by Alessandra), a tour guide who got cheated on and became temporarily blind, and Tonyo (played by Empoy) who also got cheated on and has been suffering from an enlarged heart since he was a child.
Air Supply’s “Two Less Lonely People In The World,” re-recorded by Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan for the film, was a wise choice to complement the love story of the two leads.
Both the film and the theme song proved to be a commercial and critical success — the former getting hailed as the highest-grossing Philippine indie film of all time, and the latter winning accolades including the Viral Wishclusive Video of the Year during the 3rd Wish 107.5 Music Awards.
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