Florante: The stories behind his hit songs

Pop music history is replete with stories of how some of the most beautiful songs came about. For instance, did you know that Yesterday, the immortal Beatles classic, was originally called Scrambled Eggs?

Not to be outdone, we Filipinos have our own share of interesting music trivia.

Remember Ako’y Pinoy? The song was popularized during the late ’70s by Florante: a long-haired, bemoustached and bakya-clad guitarist who, along with Mike Hanopol, Sampaguita, Freddie Aguilar and Heber Bartolome, laid down the foundations of Pinoy Rock.

Through his other memorable hits, such as Handog, Abakada, Pinay, Lumang Tapayan and Sana (popularized by Kristina Paner), he was able to rouse the local audience’s nationalist sentiments, making him a folk hero of sorts- an icon who still remains the perfect Pinoy archetype.

With its easygoing, folksy lilt and timeless appeal, Ako’y Pinoy turned out to be Florante’s biggest hit. So pervasive is its influence that it could very well pass off as our second national anthem. And aside from having been used as the battlecry of a few staunch nationalist causes, it has also been adopted by some schools as a fitting patriotic hymn.

While the song appears as a perfectly-crafted statement of patriotic zeal, it didn’t exactly start out that way. Its original title, believe it or not, was Jack of All Trades. Try singing these lines to the popular melody:

A jack of all trades
A master of none
It’s me who’s been roaming and messing around

Hardly stirs any patriotic fervor, right? Florante laughs off such lame and insipid lyrics as an offshoot of his bungling attempts at composing in English early during his career. "Even then, I knew that I wasn’t really good at English. I didn’t even finish school," he recalls.

Stuck in a rut after months of uninspired brooding, the answer finally dawned on him. Turning his stumbling block into his steppingstone, he wrote about his frustrations with mangled English ("… ako’y hindi sanay sa wikang mga banyaga… ako’y Pinoy na mayroong sariling wika…") and soon thereafter had his first hit.

Another equally popular song, Handog, was supposed to be called Langgam.

The original lyrics were supposed to portray a touch of romance, novelty and a hint of comic relief. It was supposed to sound something like this:

"Tulad ng langgam, puso ko’y laging naghahanap ng matamis…"

It was a good thing Jim Paredes, then a JEM Records executive, was around to advise Florante to change the lyrics. So, right there and then, Florante hied off to a corner of the recording studio and made up another set of lyrics in one sitting.

During that time, around 1978, Freddie Aguilar was lording it over the airlanes with his monster hit, Anak. Because of this, Florante and most OPM artists felt insecure about having to surpass, much less equal, the song.

Instead of slugging it out, Florante deemed it wiser not to give in to his competitive streak. As a fitting act of surrender, he chose instead to give thanks to the people who had supported him throughout his career (including the press, radio/TV people, record patrons, etc.) The finished product, as well all know by now, turned out to be a masterpiece.

Up to now, Handog continues its legacy as an enduring OPM classic, and because of its thanksgiving theme, it has figured prominently in many a nostalgic affair-from school reunions, company anniversaries and even tearjerking showbiz tributes.

The good news is after a long hiatus from the local scene, Florante is back in Manila and is gearing up for a series of performances in the live concert circuit. The latest addition to ALV Productions’ roster of talents, he is currently waxing a new album under the Universal Records label.

Florante’s humbling anecdotes should serve as an inspiring example to budding composers whose creative wells have run dry, or those whose lofty ideals have been clouded by varying degrees of colonial mentality. More than the accolades, gold records and the mind-boggling royalties, they should remember that a hit song might be lurking just beyond the fringes of adversity and frustration, and that ultimately, it’s the song and its underlying message that will outlive its creator. As the refrain of Handog aptly goes:

Tatanda at lilipas din ako
Ngunit mayroong awiting
Iiwanan sa inyong alaala
Dahil minsan tayo’y nagkasama