Men, romance and love songs

In some long ago time high school boys who make the varsity team also earn the privilege of having a sweater or cardigan with the school’s letters. Nerds don’t qualify for these so the guys who do were usually the good-looking, well-built popular jocks. In that Stepford Wife era, those sweaters are a sort of status symbol among their girls who if a boy likes them enough, will be allowed to wear them.

Now if the sweater, no matter how sweaty or smelly stays long enough with a particular girl, then she might graduate to the high school ring and later the engagement ring or the ultimate goal of the period, the wedding ring. It is no wonder then that when a group of young men decided to form a singing group, they named themselves after those special creatures, The Lettermen.

The Lettermen as we know them, have been around for over 45 years. The first hit single The Way You Look Tonight charted in Billboard Magazine in 1960. Several members have come and gone, but the music has always stayed the same, beautiful ballads performed in delicate three-part harmonies by men who sound like they are just waking up to the sweet wonders of first love.

Thank founding member Tony Butala for that. Fans say they will remain loyal to the group no matter who the other guys happen to be as long as Butala is there. They know that Butala lives and breathes Lettermen and will forever preserve the integrity of the group. In fact it was Tony, a former child actor and singer in Hollywood, who worked during the late ‘50s to put together an all-male group that would cater to the teen market, as in providing music for slow dancing during school proms. That is what they have been doing all these years. The only difference is that they are now also singing to the memories of all those kids who made out to their music many years ago.

Arriving with Butala for shows this week are current members Donovan Tea, who has been a Letterman for over 25 years and Darren Dowler. Now, I have lost count of how many times The Lettermen have performed in the Philippines. I am sure there have been quite a number with most of the shows happening during the Valentine season. I do not think that this matters to their followers though. They will watch them again and again. Just like the old song goes….moonlight and love songs, never out of date…., The Lettermen will always stand for romance for lovelorn Pinoys. Come to think of it, have The Lettermen ever recorded a version of As Time Goes by?

The Lettermen performs on Thursday, Jan. 26 at the Manila Hotel; Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Araneta Coliseum; Sunday, Jan. 29 in Iloilo; Monday, Jan. 30 in Cebu; and Tuesday, Jan. 31 in Davao. Tickets to the Araneta show are priced at P3,000, P2,500, P2,000, P1,500, P800 and P300 and are now available at all Ticketnet outlets in SM Department Stores and at the Araneta Coliseum Box Office.

In exchange for what you will pay, you will get to take a trip down memory lane, turn back the clock and rekindle the flame when you hear live, the most romantic versions of the following songs: The Way You Look Tonight, When I Fall in Love, Unchained Melody, Graduation Day, No Other Love, You’ll Never Walk Alone, The Wonder of You, Young Love, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Time to Cry Walk on By, Morning Girl, Theme from a Summer Place, What Now My Love, She Cried, It’s All in the Game, Seventh Dawn, Softly As I Leave You, I Believe, Venus, Portrait of My Love.

If Ever Would Leave You, You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, Sealed with a Kiss, Red Roses for a Blue Lady, The Things We Did Last Summer, Come Back Silly Girl, Turn Turn Turn, I Only Have Eyes for You, Moon River, Witchita Lineman, More, The Impossible Dream, Up Up and Away, Going Out of My Head, The Look of Love, Never My Love, Warm, Put Your Head on My Shoulders, Traces/Memories, Hey Girl, Hurt So Bad, Shangri-la, etc. etc…. and many others in a two-and-a half-hour show.

Still on men, romance and a love song, albeit for a gay love story. The winner of the Best Original Song at the recent Golden Globe Awards was A Love That Will Never Grow Old from Brokeback Mountain. It was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla with lyrics by Bernie Taupin and performed by Emylou Harris.

The other nominees were Christmas in Love from the movie of the same title; There’s Nothing Like a Show on Broadway from The Producers; Travelin’ Thru from Transamerica and Wunderkind from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.