By George, listen to this!

So there!” Those words were written on the note songwriter George Sison left on his father’s desk where the old man had his morning coffee. Along with the note was an album by The Platters. Why the note was there seems like a story straight out of Tin Pan Alley.

Months before, George had gone to the States in the late Sixties with the hope of getting his compositions published. “Look at that George — he’s absolutely out of his mind,” the father told one of George’s siblings when he found out about the purpose of the US trip. “With all the competition in America… He’s not even a professional musician.”

What happened next was the stuff that dreams — or movies — are made of. George opened the yellow pages, closed his eyes, and let his finger fall on the page listing the different music publishing companies in the area. He looked at where his finger was pointed and made the fateful phone call. He recalls, “I introduced myself. I said, ‘I’m George Sison from the Philippines. I have written some songs and I’m interested in having them published here. The guy answered, “Are they in English?” I said, ‘Yes.’ And then I was asked to go to their office on a Monday. I said to myself, that was easy (laughs).”

The songwriter showed up with a couple of 45 RPM vinyl records and the guys in the music publishing company listened to them in the boardroom. One of them came back and told George, “Fine. We are publishing them. Come back next week.”

George admits, “I was shocked (laughs). Before the week was over, I got a call (from the music publishing company representative). ‘Mr. Sison, do you mind if The Platters record your song?’ I answered, ‘Are you pulling my leg? Do I mind?’” George recalls with a laugh. 

Sison’s tune titled What Name Shall I Give You My Love was recorded by The Platters for their “The Platters Have the Magic Touch” album, thus prompting George’s “So there!” message to his father. What an achievement for a guy who started out as a fan of Pilita Corrales. All he wanted was for Pilita to record one of his tunes on the latter’s TV show. This dream was fulfilled when Pilita recorded Love from a Distance. That started a very fruitful relationship between the singer and the songwriter.

What Name Shall I Give You My Love was released as a single in London, subsequently recorded by Pilita for her “Pilita Sings George” release, and is one of the strongest cuts in the “Only Love Remains” double-disc album, featuring Sison’s compositions as interpreted by pianist Raul Sunico and singer Bo Cerrudo. The album, which was launched lasts week at The Peninsula Manila, was co-sponsored by the Tantoco-Rustia Foundation headed by Nedy Tantoco, an avid supporter of Filipino artists. The Tantoco-Rustia Foundation aims to undertake educational, cultural and social development initiatives, as well as worthy projects in art, fashion and music. The latest project is Nedy Tantoco’s tribute to a friend, an inspirational figure, and a songwriter whose accomplishments should serve as a reminder that Filipinos have what it takes to make it anywhere in the world. And by sponsoring musical projects — or in other cases, mounting shows and publishing books — the foundation is not just paying tribute to the past accomplishments of artists, or chronicling them for posterity, it is allowing the creative ones to remain creative and prolific, and to do what they are truly good at.

Another co-sponsor is the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). CCP president Nestor Jardin says about the album: “Can love be so beautiful and painful? George Sison, Raul Sunico and Bo Cerrudo make us remember what love truly means through poignant songs that weave masterful poetry into beautiful music.”

George Sison has taken on many eclectic roles in his life: stage actor, scriptwriter, movie and TV and record producer, astrologer, society columnist, painter, restaurateur, spiritual guru and founder of the Temple of Prayer, Peace and Prosperity (TOPPP), host of Will of Fortune, In the Game of Life, etc. But as a composer, George has accomplished startling feats. He was the first Filipino to become a member of the American Society of Authors and Composers; and the group behind classics such as Only You and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes recorded one of his tunes.

 “There are many who dared touch on love as those who have failed,” says composer Oscar San Pedro. “George Sison is one, rare exception.”   

Singer Bo Cerrudo explains, “In this album (“Only Love Remains”), the songs are not difficult to sing, but they are full of emotions, angst — and the sentiments are quite complex. I haven’t a more intellectual take on love. So many people can relate to the songs here. I believe a singer doesn’t need to belt out the notes. All (he or she) has to do is make them meaningful and express them well. Wala na ’yung pasikat. Wala na ’yung vocal acrobatics. The songs of George Sison are a testament to that.” 

Recordings for “Only Love Remains” started in March last year. The album, which boasts the orchestration of Noel Espenida, also contains tracks such as Love from a Distance, My Bitter Black Coffee, This Loneliness, Se Potessi Un Di Rinascere (If I Had My Life To Live Again), Tayo Din Naman Ay Umibig, and When Eyes Are Filled With Tears, and other tunes that talk about love, loss and other demons.

“The melodies are almost neo-classical pop,” explains Bo Cerrudo. A genre, he adds, which is also explored by composers such as David Foster. “It wasn’t a challenge for me to record the tunes, because for me (the whole process) was a labor of love.”

When George heard Bo perform in recent years, he was surprised at the tremendous improvement of the singer. George says “I told him, ‘You have grown as a singer — and it is about time we change your name from ‘Bimbo’ to ‘Bo.’ It’s quite impressive how Bo Cerrudo has moved from being a pop singer to being a classical balladeer.”

As for Raul Sunico — currently the dean of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, a pianist who has recorded 13 volumes of Filipino folk songs and kundiman that he arranged for the piano — George says he has been a friend for a long time.

“We had a baby grand piano in our house that no one played, so I told Raul, ‘Why don’t you rehearse here?’ Thus for many years, he rehearsed in our house and (my family and I) had free concerts.” 

Sison, Sunico and Cerrudo have collaborated on an album that revisits the sentimental favorite subject matter of artists — everyone from Shakespeare to Cole Porter to The Beatles, from The Platters to Sting to Amy Winehouse.

“When we find the right one, every day is like a song,” concludes Sison, paraphrasing one of his songs. “And then we realize that it’s not that simple. There are disappointments, commitments and frustrations… At the end of the day, some become wiser, some become not so wise, but the piper’s always playing. And after all that is said and done, only love remains.”   

* * *

 “Only Love Remains” will have its official launch tomorrow, 6 p.m., at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Little Theater, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, and is available at selected record stores nationwide.