Romancing with the Lettermen

Us folks who were very much around during the ’50s and ’60s were absolutely thrilled to watch The Lettermen the other night at the Manila Hotel’s Tent City. We swooned, and clapped — though not shrieked the way many of us did before — as the trio of vocal pop musicians sang hits that had shot arrows into our hearts.

They sang altogether 35 songs - so tireless were they - from “Our Day Will Come” to “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” (the trio’s longest selling hit), “I’ ve Got You Under My Skin” to “Warm” (my lips against your lips), to “A Symphony for Susan” to “I Only Have Eyes for You.”           

The audience hummed or lipsed through such number as “”Someday When You’re Feeling Blue,” “There’s a Summer Place,” “When I Fall in Love,” the Broadway hit “Maria,” “You’re Just Too Good to be True,” “Would You Like to Ride on My Beautiful Balloon,” ”Go, Johnny Go,” “Portrait of My Love,” and “Copacabana.” They swang to the more recent “Unchained Melody” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Why was Tent City overflowing with romantic men and women — 99 percent of them I believe were above 50 years of age? Because romance has not vanished from the scene, and singing the Lettermen’s songs reminded them of past loves and a-courting scenarios. Vice-President Jojo Binay and Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona were there with their spouses, as were former Sen. Dick Gordon and his really charming romance, Kate. President Noynoy’s men were there, too, like NEDA Director General Cayetano Paderanga and Undersecretary Sonny Coloma and Lilia de Lima of PEZA. Politicians were singing along — Palawan’s Edward Hagedorn, for one. There were businessmen, industrialists, society matrons, doctors and nurses and educators, secretaries and poets and writers and Balikbayans.

Mark Preston stole my heart when he sang “If Ever I Would Leave You,” the way Robert Goulet sends me to Cloud 9 when I turn to him on the You-Tube.

One thing that brought the Lettermen close to their fans’ hearts was that they allowed them to go up the stage to be photographed with them even as they sang seven straight numbers. Another thing — they sang native songs, “Hindi Kita Malimot,” “Puso,” “Ikaw” and ”Dahil sa Iyo” with a Pinoy accent. (My seatmate said, “Hindi sila warsh-warsh.”) And still another — they march and run down the aisles singing, and flattering the beauteous ladies in the audience.

The Lettermen was formed, using another name, in the late 1950s by Mike Barnett, Dick Stewart and Tony Butala. The group went by other names, until they formed Lettermen, with Tony, petite and platinum-haired, as the manager of sorts, and Donovan Tea and Mike Preston for partners. Over the decades, the group has had various line-ups, until the trio was formed — Tony, Donovan and Mark who sang together from 1984 until 1988 and again since 2001. Theirs is said to be the best combination of voices, and best sounding group.

The Lettermen, from the original to the present partners, have chalked up the top 10 charts, among them, “The Way You Look Tonight,” “Theme from a Summer Place,” and “Goin’ Out of My Head.” They’ve had 16 Top 10 singles including 31, 32 consecutive Billboard Magazine chart albums, 11 gold records, five Grammy nominations, an Andy Award, and a Cleo Award.

The Lettermen has performed 35 times in the Philippines, including the Folk Arts Theater and Araneta Coliseum.

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Another singing group, The Cascades, performed the other evening, with popular numbers like “Dreaming, I’m Always Dreaming,” “Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain,” “Angel on My Shoulders,” “It’s Not Unusual,” “Just One Leaf, Clings to the Bough,” “Goodbye, I Hate To See You Go,” “Everyday’s a New Day . . . I Love You More Today Than Yesterday,” and the LA walk.

The local boys who have been performing in America and Asia to full theaters, belted numbers. These were the Angelos, led by George Tagle. Sexy Ivy Violan sang, and so did the D’Dreamgirls (smart singers from different Inner Wheel Clubs.)

Beneficiaries of some of the evening’s proceeds were the bayaw foundation, Inc. Inner Wheel Clubs District 381, Tulong Pinoy Movers Unlimited, Inc. and Monasterio deTarlac.

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A romantic that I am let me print here the lyrics of that all-time favorite song from Camelot.

If ever I would leave you

it wouldn’t be in summer.

Seeing you in summer I never would go.

Your hair streaked with sunlight,

your lips red as flame,

your face with a luster

that puts gold to shame!

But if I’d ever leave you,

it couldn’t be in autumn.

How I’d leave in autumn I never will know.

I’ve seen how you sparkle

when fall nips the air.

I know you in autumn

and I must be there.

And could I leave you

running merrily through the snow

Or on a wintry evening

when you catch the fires glow

If ever I would leave you,

how could it be in springtime

Knowing how in spring you bewitch me so

Oh, no! Not in springtime!

Summer, winter or fall!

No, never could I leave you at all!

And here’s another song the Lettermen sang.

When you walk through a storm

Hold your head up high,

and don’t be afraid of the dark

at the end of the storm

is a golden sky,

and the sweet silver song of a lark.

REFRAIN:

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown, ooh, ooh

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone, ooh

(Repeat Refrain moving in a higher note except last line)

You never walk alone.

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