We all love our K-pop and our Western music – but there’s something especially touching about hearing a song in a Filipino language, whatever language that may be.

Filipinos may be perfectly fluent in English (it is, after all, one of our official languages), but we all know that the most emotional declarations feel more cathartic when done in our mother tongue. The same holds true for music.

National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab said so himself as he encouraged young songwriters to use the language they feel most comfortable speaking.

“Ang aming mantra ay (Our mantra is) you write your songs in the way you want to express them,” said Mr C, speaking at a press conference for the 2020 PhilPop Songwriting Festival on July 2.

“Imagine if you use your own language of expression you will be able to contribute more to the national music literature of the Philippines, so ang ibig sabihin nun mas unique yung tunog, mas nagiging interesting yung tunog (that means the sound becomes more unique, more interesting),” he said.

As Mr C once wrote in a song (which has been sung by many a school choir sang over generations), “kay ganda ng ating musika” – and we’ve compiled a bunch of songs in various Philippine languages to prove it.

This is by no means an exhaustive list – there are, after all, over a hundred Filipino languages, and countless songs written in them – but here are just some that we’ve curated from Twitter responses (and our own encounters with Filipino music). 

For your listening pleasure, here are just some of the most beautiful songs in Filipino languages:

“Usahay,” Gregorio Responso Labja

“Usahay magadamgo ako/ Nga ikaw ug ako nagkahigugmaay/ Nganong damguhon ko ikaw/ Damguhon sa kanunay sa akong kamingaw“

Popularized by Pilita Corrales, this Bisaya love song has something of a lullaby about it – lilting melody, lyrics meant to be sung gently, even as it is laments over a lonely love.

“Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka,” Ryan Cayabyab

“Buhos na ulan aking mundo’y lunuring tuluyan/ tulad ng pag-agos/ ‘di mapipigil ang puso kong nagliliyab/ pag-ibig ko’y umaapaw/ damdamin ko’y humihiyaw sa tuwa/ tuwing umuulan at kapiling ka”

In this Tagalog track, Mr C uses the image of a torrential rain to convey an overflowing love. With versions by everyone from Regine Velasquez, to the Eraserheads, the song’s emotion transcends genres, and is also great for our unofficial national pastime, karaoke.

“Cuida,” Ebe Dancel

“Kung hawak ko lang ang panahon/ wala nang kahapon at bukas/ mayroon lang ngayon/ at nais kong maging saysay ng aking buhay/ ay bigyan ang iyo ng kulay”

It’s hard to pick just one Ebe Dancel song to put on this list (we may as well have put his entire discography on this list), but “Cuida” – whose title means “to take care of” in Chavacano (though the entire song is in Tagalog), is especially tender. When Ebe’s voice rises towards a lingering saxophone solo, it’s almost impossible to not feel the feels. 

“Kalachuchi,” Munimuni

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“Wala sa’king mga kamay/ Ang init na bubuhay/ Kundi sa kamay ng araw”

As a self-described “makata-pop” band that writes mostly in Tagalog, Munimuni’s discography is filled with songs that belong on this list. Our pick, “Kalachuchi,” is a song that is ultimately about hope, and feels like pure poetry with a playful opening instrumental (that flittering flute!) that gives way to images of the delicate white flower that blooms under intense heat.

“Duyog,” Jewel Villaflores

“Ikaw ang katam-is/ Kalipay na way sama/ Ikaw ba nasayod?/ Sa likod ning pahiyum/ Ikaw lang akong/ Akong higugmaon”

The declaration of a lover being one person’s whole world has been done time and again in various love songs – but in this Bisaya pop song, it sounds all the more powerful.

“Dungo,” Davey Langit

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“Panawen man iti saayat/ Panawen man iti rigat/ Innadlaw ka nga pilyen”

Hitmaker Davey Langit wants to bring Ilocano-language songs to the mainstream consciousness, and he may just do that as he sings about a reassuring, comforting kind of love.

“Porque,” Maldita

“Porque contigo yo ya escoji?/ Aura mi corazon ta sufri/ Bien simple lang iyo ta pidi/ Era cinti tu el cosa yo ya cinti”

Being ghosted isn’t fun – but in Zamboanga band Maldita’s iconic track, the pain and bitterness somehow becomes poetic. The song was originally released in Chavacano (an official version is hard to find on the internet), and later on in Chagalog – the more popular version that most people know today.

“Indak,” Up Dharma Down

“Makikinig ba ako/ Sa aking isip na dati pa namang magulo?/ O iindak na lamang/ Sa tibok ng puso mo/ At aasahan ko na lamang na/ Hindi mo aapakan ang aking mga paa”

Life and love are constant negotiations, and Up Dharma Down strings together some of the most beautiful Tagalog words to make that point.

“Malinak Lay Labi”

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“Malinak lay labi oras lay mareen/ Mapalpal nay dagem catecep toy linaew/
Samit day cogip co binangonan con tampol/ Lapud say linggas o sican sica’y amamaywen”

This Pangasinan folk song has been performed by singers like Charmaine Clamor and jazz band Debonair District, but those who grew up with the song remember it as a lullaby, sung to them by parents or grandparents in their childhood. The song paints a scene of a quiet, dewy night where one wakes from a sweet dream to look for their lover’s touch.

“Dosayan,” Grace Nono

“Tulungan cha kami Kabuniyan, Dosayan, Dosayan/ Sika un awad ngato/ Mansanib ko nan ngachan no”

A Cordilleran prayer taught by Kalinga singer Arnel Banasan to ethnomusicologist Grace Nono, the song implores the Kalinga sky-god Kabuniyan for protection – a testament to how Filipinos are deeply faithful, beyond religion.

“Kanlungan,” Noel Cabangon

“Natatandaan mo pa ba/ Inukit kong puso sa punong mangga/ At ang inalay kong gumamela/ Magkahawak-kamay sa dalampasigan/ Malayang tulad ng mga ibon/ Ang gunita ng ating kahapon”

An OPM classic, Kanlungan is a love song both for a beloved, and for the environment, as well as a rumination on the passage of time. The images the song paints in words are so clear you might as well be looking at picture-perfect postcards.

“Upuan,” Gloc 9

“Ulam na tuyo’t asin/ Ang singkwenta pesos sa maghapo’y pagkakasyahin/ Di ko alam kung talagang maraming harang/ O mataas lang ang bakod /O nagbubulag-bulagan lamang po kayo/ Kahit sa dami ng pera niyo/ Walang doktor na makapagpapalinaw ng mata niyo”

Gloc 9’s lyrical genius comes alive in one of his most popular songs, which calls out social injustice by using the image of a seat (of power?) and a wall to illustrate the vast inequalities in Philippine society.

“Libu-Libo,” Ferdinand Aragon

“Libu-libong mga bituon/ Imong kaanyag, di’ kahitupngan/ Basta ikaw akong mabati/ Na muistorya ug mukatawa”

Another love song on this list (don’t we Filipinos just love romance?), this Bisaya track captures the feeling of never wanting to be away from the person you love – a frantic emotion tempered by Ferdinand Aragon’s smooth, comforting voice.

“Magbutas Da Kamu,” Seven Colors

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“Wakto di kaw tagaran/ biyah sin dum iban adlaw damikyan/ in suga ha subangan. tantu muwih da pa sadlupan”

This Tausug song could be interpreted as a song about parting ways with a lover (the title can be translated to “You’ll break up”), but don’t mistake it for a hugot track – the song, rendered beautifully in guitar, speaks about the passage of time and the inevitability of change.

“Dati,” Sam Concepcion, Tippy Dos Santos, Quest

“Diba’t ikaw nga yung reyna at ako ang iyong hari/ Ako yung prinsesang sagip mo palagi/ Ngunit ngayo’y marami na ang nabago’t nangyari/ Ngunit ‘di ang pagtingin na gaya pa rin ng/ da-ra-rat-da dati”

Songwriting powerhouse duo Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana first burst onto the scene with this Philpop winning pop-R&B piece laced with nostalgia and pop culture references as it speaks about a love that has remained constant through the years. – Rappler.com