The sounds of AlDub

There must be one or two surfers in the think-tank or among the scriptwriters of the noontime show Eat, Bulaga. You know how a surfer stays on the shore patiently waiting for the right wave. When it comes, he goes out to the ocean and rides it to the top. It is thrilling and dangerous but also so fulfilling.

That is how I see the creative minds of Eat, Bulaga. They quietly coast along on their daily routine. A Sugod Bahay here. A Little Miss Philippines there, etc. Then out of the blue, here comes this idea. How about deconstructing those teleserye plots and characters with their own zany versions? Something funny, inexpensive and done on the street and called a kalyeserye that daily viewers can look forward to. Risky but it might just work. It did.

Now, who was it who told guest host Alden Richards to give new comedienne Yaya Dub played by Maine Mendoza on the field, one of his dimpled pabebe smiles from the studio? Who noticed Yaya Dub gasp at the princely sight? Who put those two images side by side? And best of all, who was the genius who saw a unique Romeo and Juliet love story in those two? It was a wave, big and unexpected and Eat, Bulaga, is riding it to the top. The ratings are over the roof in historic numbers.

Of course, everything is done in the outrageous Eat, Bulaga style. Yaya Dub takes care of Lola Nidora, played by the cross-dressing Wally Bayola who is against Bae boy Alden and wants Yaya to marry the supposedly rich, signature-infested Frankie Arinoli, played by Jose Manalo instead. The plot has turned convoluted these past weeks and fun possibilities for the future are limitless. When do you think will Yaya and Alden finally meet?

And that is not all. It cannot be denied that every incident and every punch line in the kalyeserye are rendered doubly effective with very well-chosen, strategically-placed songs. These choices are genius and an AlDub soundtrack with hits already exists. Here are the songs:

Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran. Can you think of anything more romantic than this ballad for AlDub? This is one of the No. 1 singles from the blockbuster X album of the British pop rocker. It is the No. 14 most important song of this decade. And because it is also what we have been hearing so much of these days, thanks to AlDub, the three-year-old song might just end up the big hit of 2015.

God Gave Me You by country music crooner Bryan White. Additional points or even a raise should go out to the music editor or spinner at Eat, Bulaga for unearthing this song from 1999. Country music is not that big here in the Philippines. Can you name a hit song by the big country star Blake Shelton? I think not. But when a Pinoy discovers a country song to his liking, it becomes a hit for the ages. This one is staying around for a long, long time.

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick. This was the theme from the romantic fantasy movie Mannequin from 1987 that starred Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattral who would later become one of the girls of Sex and the City. It is a happy upbeat song about determination, just right for the beleaguered young lovers of kalyeserye.

The other songs of the moment in the AlDub playlist are: Bahala Na by Nadine Lustre featuring James Reid. This was composed by the award-winning tandem of Thyro and Yumi and comes from Nadine’s first solo album. Ngiti, this is the sweet love song composed by Vince Katindoy, which became a big hit for model-turned-singer Ronnie Liang.

Kunin Mo Na Ang Lahat Sa Akin was a torch ballad written by Larry Hermoso for the pop-rock band Jeremiah of Nanghihinayang fame. This same song later became a big hit for Angeline Quinto. Just The Way You Are was Bruno Mars’ debut recording. It was included in the album Doo Wops & Hooligans. And Ikaw by Yeng Constantino. This was also composed by Yeng and a few months later, it became her wedding song.

But don’t close the album yet. Given how volatile the kalyeserye is, I am sure there will be more interesting songs added before it reaches its end.