The Wily Filipino

The Greatest Pinoy Pop Singles.

Back in the day when I first discovered the joys of html, I had folks vote on the "greatest Pinoy pop singles of all time," and they're listed here. (I finally shut it down a few years ago, when I had no time to tabulate the votes anymore.)

I had wanted people to write in, with longer comments, about why they chose a particular song, but no one ever did. (Some people spammed my mailbox with dozens of votes for Side A -- come on, folks, it's just an online poll.) Well, neither did I; I've written about "Magasin" by the Eraserheads before, but not about my absolute favorite, "Alapaap." (In case you're wondering, Rey-An Fuentes and Tillie Moreno's "Umagang Kay Ganda" and the Apo Hiking Society's "Mahirap Magmahal Nang Syota Nang Iba" are my other two favorites.)

Here's the top 20, taken from everyone who bothered to vote:

1. Freddie Aguilar: "Anak"
2. Side A: "Forevermore"
3. Eraserheads: "Alapaap"
4. Eraserheads: "Pare Ko"
5. Martin Nievera: "You Are My Song"
6. Eraserheads: "Ang Huling El Bimbo"
7. Gary Valenciano: "Sana Maulit Muli"
8. Eraserheads: "Ligaya"
9. Rivermaya: "214"
10. Rachel Alejandro: "Paalam Na"
11. Eraserheads: "Minsan"
12. Juan de la Cruz Band: "Himig Natin"
13. Rivermaya: "Himala"
14. Eraserheads: "With a Smile"
15. Dina Bonnevie: "Bakit Ba Ganyan"
16. Hotdog: "Manila"
17. True Faith: "Perfect"
18. Asin: "Masdan Mo Ang Kapaligiran"
19. Sharon Cuneta: "Ikaw"
20. Mike Hanopol: "Laki sa Layaw"

It's actually a decent mix (except for that Side A song) of old and relatively new, with different styles (folk, pop, big torch ballad, scuzzy 70's rock). But the topics are all over the place; in order, they're guilt, love, getting high, frustrated love, love, frustrated love, dying love, love, love, dying love, friendship, nationalism, frustrated love, love, puppy love, Manila, love, the environment, love, and... a kind of companion piece to "Anak." (In a sense it's all about love: love for a city, love for a country, love for drugs...)

There's no arguing with the choice of Freddie Aguilar's song; it was a massive hit all over Asia when it came out. It possessed all the right elements: it was easy to sing, Aguilar had a great voice, it had syrupy strings, it was weepy, it was about mothers. And while it didn't have the immediacy of a pop song about love, it still whacked you upside the head with guilt. (Though in my opinion his version of "Bayan Ko" is the ultimate Freddie single for sheer lump-in-the-throat goodness.)

Posted by the wily filipino at May 1, 2004 08:41 AM