Thank you very much for ‘making me the best’

I didn’t care if it was our 11th album release. Solos still make me feel queasy. I feel that I am more in my element singing harmony in a group than being under the spotlight alone. But that still did not change the mind of our record producer, Margot Gallardo, that each member of The CompanY would have at least one solo in our new album entitled Storybook (released under Pop Art Music/Viva Records).

My solo song, You Made Me The Best, is the first time The CompanY has tackled the music genre of country-pop. In the past, we’ve done acoustic or guitar- oriented songs but they were more in the pop-folk vein. I recall saying I had an open mind when it came to music, except for the genres of country-western and heavy metal! Well, I am now eating my words with this new recording. Another lesson for me is never say never.

This time, the lyrics of Edith Gallardo came first for You Made Me The Best. This song was actually a commissioned composition intended for Aiza Seguerra’s first album. At the time, I was really into the music of Vonda Shephard (most famous for the Ally McBeal soundtracks) and from the looks of it, my melody this time also got influenced by her country-pop style. Margot instructed me that Aiza wanted to dedicate a thank you song for her parents. I don’t know what came over me that day.

Was it the proper alignment of the planets? What I had for lunch? The fact that my biorhythm was up... who knows? All I know is that it wasn’t difficult for me to write this song. I was "in the zone" (to use the cliché). When I heard the playback of the demo, I immediately called Margot Gallardo and told her I wanted the song for me.

Of course, Margot, who is very much aware of my aversion to solos, found it strange that I suddenly insisted on singing lead on this song. I justified that I finally wrote a song in the same vein as the country-pop (crossover) songs of Glenn Campbell, Bread, Indigo Girls, etc. Who would’ve thought no? The CompanY singing country? I thought, hey ... if Madonna could pull it off, why can’t we?

After much convincing, Margot finally relented after I promised to write her another replacement song for Aiza. I guess that God really works in mysterious ways. That replacement song for Aiza turned out to be our biggest hit composition so far – Pagdating ng Panahon.

That song was really meant to be given to Aiza Seguerra. In music composition, they call it prosody – the perfect marriage of words and music. But more than prosody, it was the perfect casting. I’ve heard many singers do our song and still no one can sing Pagdating ng Panahon better than Aiza. The right song on the right singer results in a monster hit that sells five times platinum and counting.

Anyway, sorry for digressing. When you initially hear You Made Me The Best, it is so natural for us Pinoy romantics to think of it as a simple love song. A song that praises and cherishes the beloved. As I keep on singing and listening to the song, I’ve had new insights on it. For me, it has turned into a "hero" song; the type you want to dedicate to someone who has made you a better person; the one who gave you a glimpse of your purpose on this earth; the one who shoved you in the right direction toward self realization and fulfillment.

It’s funny how subjective music can turn out to be. The short stories found on this new album, Storybook, mean different things to different people; a greater metaphor for life. Everything is just a matter of perspective.

Finally, something surreal happened while I was recording the lead vocal track of You Made Me The Best. I bring this up now because it is related to what I shared with you earlier. On the day that I was recording my solo, the television in the recording studio was turned on but the sound was muted. Suddenly, Alwyn Cruz, our album coordinator from Viva Records burst into the studio saying, "Turn up the sound and go to Channel 13 – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" At that very moment, while I was in front of the microphone, Christopher De Leon asks the contestant:

Moy Ortiz, one of the co-writers of the hit song Pagdating ng Panahon is a member of which group:

a. Jeremiah b. Tux c. The CompanY d. Retrospect

I found it really amusing and surreal. Needless to say, I continued working on my solo on the song with a silly grin on my face for the rest of the evening.