Pops and the way she feels inside

Being talked about certainly helps but I do not think the going-ons in the personal lives of music artists abroad have any bearing on their record sales the way they do in this country. Pop music history has it that the first time something like that resulted in a big hit was when actress Debbie Reynolds, then fresh from losing husband Eddie Fisher to Elizabeth Taylor recorded Am I That Easy to Forget. The song was intended to be the B-side to Ask Me to Go Steady but because of the tabloid-worthy events in her personal life, DJs chose to play the flip side and a monster hit was born.

Recent times had Every Breath I Take by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans. This was a tribute to Evans’ ex-husband, the murdered rapper Notorious B.I.G. But although they might admit to writing songs for specific personal reasons or persons, like Paul McCartney doing Hey Jude for John Lennon or Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven for his son Connor, it is very seldom that the person plays a major role in the marketing of his or her albums.

Pinoys though cannot seem to disassociate the artistic output of their idols from the real thing. In fact, sales seem to get better whenever it is tied to something personal in the imagination of the buyers. The teen-aged Sharon Cuneta sold more albums and movie tickets whenever she cried her heart out for Gabby Concepcion and sang sad songs like Kahapon Lamang. Dina Bonnevie got a hit with Bakit Ba Ganyan because people saw the song as her personal feelings for Vic Sotto.

Guess to whom Zsa Zsa Padilla is singing Through the Years? Why do you think Lani Misalucha still has to have a hit tune of her own? They have been apart for some years now but to whom do you think is Martin Nievera singing all those old torch songs? If you know the answer to those questions, there is a strong chance you also know what the public’s reaction is to the latest album by Martin’s ex, Pops Fernandez.

Titled The Way I Feel Inside, the album is a collection of light romantic tunes that must be the most personal album Pops has ever done. The old pop favorite by the Zombies from the ‘60s, The Way I Feel Inside opens and closes the album. Sandwiched in between these are 11 new compositions that speak about the various stages of being in love. I do not know if this was intentional on the part of Pops or her producer Margot Gallardo and songwriters Edith Gallardo and Moy Ortiz, but the contents of the album certainly mirror what the public believes Pops has been feeling these few years.

The concert queen sings about broken hearts in Kahapon Nagdaan ang Bukas. She has certainly had hers broken. She contemplates the prospect of finding a new love in Ikaw Na Nga Kaya. The gossip columns say there have been times when she might have found a new special someone. She sings of love that was not meant to be in Hindi Pa Pala Ikaw. I wonder who that someone might be. She asks questions about loving and losing in Ano Ba ang Tama?, Bakit Ka Lumayo?, Paano Ba ‘yon? and Nagkamali Ba ang Puso? just like we all do. And she takes on other emotions associated with romantic relationships in Tinatanong Pa Ba ‘yon?, Kaya Pala and the people who matter most to her, Bago ang Lahat. They are her sons, Ram and Robin, of course.

Putting emphasis on the sentiments expressed in the songs are short notes about the way she feels inside that Pops herself wrote and included in the album credits. To fully enjoy the songs and relate to what these are saying I recommend that listeners take a look at these notes and if they feel like it, to get into a gossipy mood about what Pops has written about.

The Way I Feel Inside is Pops’ third album release for Viva Records. Released earlier were Shindig, the live recording of one of her most successful concerts and the studio album Moments. She also guested in the album Freestyle Live, which contains her hit version of Ogie Alcasid’s composition Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang with the famous pop group.