00:00 I wrote it for the piano, but when a group sings it,
00:03 as in, "Hala na kami," I can't bring a piano along.
00:05 So it eventually morphed into a guitar version,
00:08 and then Tone Tony played it on the piano.
00:11 Parokya and Chito did it on the guitar.
00:19 But at the end of the day, the essence has not changed.
00:29 It's a bit sensitive. I didn't know if I can deal with rejection.
00:36 I wrote the song "Harana" when I was 19 years old.
00:49 The lyrics were relatively quite easy.
00:51 It's interesting because I actually started writing the song that Saturday night.
00:55 I had a few phrases in my head.
00:57 It's straightforward because it was so real.
00:59 Just collecting the images and the recollections that I had about the group, about our haranas.
01:04 I think at that time, we probably had done three or four haranas.
01:07 And we'd do it in Antipolo, for example.
01:09 So, "Laging malamig yung hangin," "The sky is clear."
01:12 It's always fun, and then we were on the Barbarong.
01:22 So it's just recollecting, putting together everything that we were doing,
01:25 and trying to capture that moment.
01:27 Trying to capture that heart, that special thing that we were doing.
01:30 And I wrote it into ours because it just flowed.
01:33 It was real. It was true.
01:34 It's not just me. It was everybody's experience.
01:37 I was fortunate enough to be able to capture that.
01:39 And I think that's why a lot of people can relate to it.
01:43 Because it is real.
01:44 And it was our story, as the Hujat group, as the Harana Boy.
01:48 They are my friends in college.
01:50 We were actually a political party in college.
01:53 We ran for student government.
01:56 We also liked music.
01:57 When one of our friends, who's now a doctor in Makati Med,
02:01 was going to express his feelings to the girl he was courting.
02:07 One of our other friends, who's also now a lawyer,
02:09 Ernie Guevara, said, "Oh, mang Harana tayo!"
02:12 And it was fun.
02:14 And I was the guy who was always playing the guitar.
02:17 We're going to go and do Harana.
02:19 But let's do it properly.
02:20 We need to practice. At least sabay-sabay.
02:21 Miski sablay-sablay.
02:23 And second, we need to dress up.
02:25 So that we don't look like we're just making fun of this.
02:28 So we actually took it really seriously.
02:30 But we wanted to make sure that we conveyed that aspect.
02:32 That we did prepare for this for our friend.
02:36 And for our friend's soon-to-be girlfriend.
02:37 And it was an offering that we actually were providing a gift to both of them.
02:43 And then we just kept on going.
02:46 And we actually did a few more Haranas for all of our friends through the years.
02:51 The thing that I remember the most though,
02:53 was that when I started writing the first and second stanza,
02:57 it was pretty good. Typical.
03:00 But when I got to the refrain, it flowed.
03:03 I didn't even have to think about it.
03:05 It just came out. It just came bursting out.
03:07 [Music]
03:31 One of my friends, Cholo Malilin, who is a fantastic singer,
03:36 also became a radio DJ early in his career.
03:41 I told him, "Okay, this is it. That's yours.
03:43 If you want to launch your singing career, you can use that. That's yours."
03:46 And yet, he was the one who taught it to Tony Lambino.
03:48 He was the one who brought it to the Atene High School.
03:50 Seeing it in variety shows or whatever other programs.
03:54 And then everybody just picked it up.
03:56 And I think Chito Miranda picked it up.
04:00 Just to pass it on.
04:01 I never submitted it for publication.
04:05 I'm a bit sensitive.
04:06 I didn't know if I can deal with rejection.
04:08 So I didn't submit it for publication at the time.
04:12 But I just wanted it to be...
04:13 So I shared it with friends.
04:15 And it just kept on going.
04:16 I was quite happy that it does.
04:18 And I'm still quite happy that it connects with a lot of people.
04:21 [Music]
04:28 It was original.
04:29 That was not...
04:30 It's "Bukang Gago" naman.
04:31 So it's like you're looking stupid, right?
04:34 It's not like a pointed thing, right?
04:36 It's not an insult.
04:37 "Sino ba 'tong magmumukang gago'ng nagkahantara pa sa pagkata?"
04:40 It's because you feel...
04:42 Sometimes you feel a bit foolish or sheepish.
04:44 That word was originally part of the song.
04:46 Kasi that's how we speak.
04:48 That's how we speak as friends.
04:49 That's how the baragada jokes with each other.
04:52 That's how we all cajole each other.
04:55 And have fun while being serious.
04:58 And that's the tone that I wanted in the song.
05:01 That it's us being together.
05:03 [Music]
05:10 From what I recall,
05:12 Tito was saying that they didn't even know the last tanzan until recently.
05:15 And then it goes...
05:16 Because it goes back and it slows down again.
05:18 [Music]
05:31 "Bastat para sa 'yo aking hirang kahit na magmukang hibang."
05:35 [Music]
05:41 And then...
05:42 "Tutop din ang lahat liyag pagkat ako'y iyong bihag."
05:46 [Music]
05:56 And then it ends very, very simply...
05:58 "At mahal kita, sinta."
05:59 "At mahal kita, sinta."
06:06 The last line, it just closes everything out.
06:08 That's why we're doing this harana.
06:11 [Music]
06:18 I never met Tito.
06:19 I never met the paroqui group.
06:20 So they did call me and ask for my permission to record the song.
06:24 Of course, I said yes.
06:25 From what I remember,
06:26 Tito was saying in his story,
06:28 in one of the interviews we did together,
06:30 that he heard it from a friend,
06:31 "This big guy that's always tough."
06:34 And then singing this,
06:35 and being able to sing this with heart.
06:37 "Sigat talaga. One of the bad boys sa bat samin."
06:39 "We were hanging out sa bahay nila."
06:41 "And he sang this song."
06:42 Tony, I got it from Cholo.
06:45 I also know Tony's sister.
06:48 Because Tony's sister and I are in the same batch.
06:51 And I think pasapasa na rin yun, eh.
06:54 And then the first time it was ever out-sang
06:57 in a wider audience was in "Rain, Rain, Musikahan"
07:01 by Tony Lambino.
07:02 He's the first person to actually cut the song
07:05 and publish it as a recording.
07:06 [Music]
07:19 When you create something or develop something
07:21 and it connects with somebody, even one person,
07:23 it is truly special.
07:25 I wrote it for the piano.
07:27 But when a group sings it,
07:28 "Nangahalang na kami,"
07:29 I can't bring a piano along.
07:31 So it eventually morphed into a guitar version.
07:34 And then Tony played it on the piano.
07:36 Parokya and Chito did it on the guitar.
07:38 But at the end of the day,
07:39 the essence has not changed.
07:42 And all the changes, all the updates,
07:45 every small detail that people,
07:49 small nuance that people add,
07:52 it just makes it richer.
07:53 [Music]
08:06 I think it's relatable.
08:08 It's the language.
08:12 [Speaking Filipino]
08:16 The language is normal.
08:17 It's like talking to each other.
08:19 And it's also a song for a person,
08:24 but also a song by the group.
08:26 [Speaking Filipino]
08:33 That gets that feeling.
08:34 But also the person trying to confess their love has that.
08:39 But also everybody around him.
08:41 It is about the community.
08:43 It's about heart.
08:44 It's about a shared experience,
08:46 a shared special experience
08:48 that we're all going through.
08:49 And that's probably why it connects to people.
08:51 [Music]
09:07 Professionally, I think whatever I achieved in my career,
09:10 in my lifetime,
09:11 I will always be known as the person who wrote "Tarana."
09:13 And I'm happy about that.
09:16 One of my friends said,
09:19 "Andami mong napasaya dahil sa kantang iyan."
09:22 And if that's the way I will always be remembered,
09:24 I'm happy with that,
09:25 being able to connect with people.
09:27 At the end of the day,
09:28 anything we need to do is about connecting with other people
09:30 and really sharing that experience.
09:32 [Music]
09:58 [Music]
10:06 Hi, this is Eric Giptanco.
10:08 I'm the composer of "Tarana."
10:10 Please like and subscribe the OJYoutube channel.
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