The Power of a Song

Before I started our band Thoughts And Notions, I was nothing but a big fan of Rivermaya Music. I mean, I never imagined I'd be writing songs and recording it with a band. But Rivermaya was really a big influence on me. I've been a fan of Rivermaya since the beginning. Though I didn't really immediately knew of their existence until I heard the song 214. Back then, I was snobbish when it comes to OPM music. Eraserheads was already big back then, but their music did not appeal to me. I was more into boybands like Boyzone (HEY! Who wasn't?). So there was this one summer drive with my cousin that I could still vividly remember and on his car radio was the first album of Rivermaya. As the music played, I was suddenly surprised when 214 played on the speakers alongside their Filipino songs in the album. I exclaimed to him, "So 214 is actually a song written and recorded by Filipino artists?" Thus began my Rivermaya fandom. From that moment, I have never missed buying a Rivermaya Album. Albums after albums initially on Casette Tapes. And from the old casette tapes that I own, I upgraded into the CD format when the album FREE was released exclusively on CDs. I sang to the tunes of their songs with my High-School friends, sometimes even role-playing as the Rivermaya band members themselves. I even got my Rivermaya Atomic Bomb album confiscated by my mom when she heard me blurt out a line that sounded inappropriate to her (but luckily, I managed to recover the album by switching it with TEETH's album, the one with the song Laklak). So from Bamboo (the band's first vocalist) to their transition to Rico Blanco as the vocalist, to their various iterations and line up changes, and down to even up to now I remained a Rivermaya Fan. But there was one Rivermaya song that will forever be etched in my memory and became a song that totally changed my life. And no, it wasn't 214. It was this song...

Umaaraw, Umuulan

Hindi mo maintindihan
Kung ba't ikaw ang napapagtripan
Ng halik ng kamalasan
Ginapang mong marahan ang hagdanan
Para lamang makidlatan
Sa kaitaas-taasan, ngunit

Kaibigan huwag kang magpapasindak
Kaibigan easy lang sa iyak

Dahil wala ring mangyayari
Tayo'y walang mapapala
Huwag mong pigilan ang pagbuhos ng ulan
May panahon para maging hari
May panahon para madapa
Dahil ang buhay natin ay sadyang ganyan

Umaaraw, umuulan
Umaaraw, umuulan
Ang buhay ay sadyang ganyan

Umaaraw, umuulan

'Wag kang maawa sa iyong sarili
Isipin na wala ka nang silbi
Isang dambuhalang kalokohan
Bukas sisikat din muli ang araw
Ngunit para lang sa may tiyagang
Maghintay...

Kaya't kaibigan
Huwag kang magpapatalo
Kaibigan itaas ang noo

Dahil wala ring mangyayari
Tayo'y walang mapapala
Huwag mong pigilan ang pagbuhos ng ulan
May panahon para maging hari
May panahon para madapa
Dahil ang buhay natin ay sadyang ganyan

Umaaraw, umuulan
Umaaraw, umuulan
Ang buhay ay sadyang ganyan
Umaaraw, umuulan

Dahil wala ring mangyayari
Tayo'y walang mapapala
Huwag mong pigilan ang pagbuhos ng ulan
May panahon para maging hari
May panahon para madapa
Dahil ang buhay natin ay sadyang ganyan

Umaaraw, umuulan
Umaaraw, umuulan
Ang buhay ay sadyang ganyan
Umaaraw, umuulan...

Yes! Umaaraw, Umuulan changed the trajectory of my life. You see, in that year that the Rivermaya album "Tuloy ang Ligaya" was released. With the aforementioned song as the carrier single, I faced a tragedy. I was in the last year of my college education and was ready to graduate and was eager to look forward outside the confines of student life. But tragedy strucked when my parents were gunned down by unknown assailants. Thank God they did not die and was miraculously saved when my father managed to shield a fast speeding bullet aimed at his head by using his forearm to block the bullet, hence shattering his arm bones. My mother was hit in her thigh and leg, shattering her bones. This tragedy caused them to be incapacitated for more than a year. Thus, I had to quit school and take over the family business. My family operated two grocery stores at that time, with one store I managed as a working student. While I have an ample experience in store operations, I however was inexperienced with financial management. My father controls that part of the business. So I took over in managing both stores with my brothers who were still in high school helping me out every now and then. But it became such a huge burden for me specially when suppliers/creditors started to doubt my capability to manage the finances and operate the stores. Some were even pulling out their support, not extending credit, afraid that I might not be able to manage the finances well and leave unpaid debts owed to them. Whispers and chatters were aplenty that our business was bound to fail with an inexperienced manager managing the business.     

Amidst all of these troubles, I clang to that one song that kept on blaring on my speakers. "Umaaraw, Umuulan" taught me to be strong. It taught me that while life is full of ups and downs, we should never give up and just soldier on and be strong enough to survive the tides crashing on our way. Because somewhere along the bend, there's a better future ahead of us. Or these troubles are just temporary. The song became like my de facto cheering squad. For every tear that I shed, this song egged me to push forward. For the times that I really wanted to give up, the song told me to hold on and not wallow in self pity and defeat. This was the power of a song that seems to hit you out of nowhere but stays in your consciousness. And the power of the song lifted me from tragedy and transformed me to become a better and stronger version of myself. Yes I lost my college years, I never had any social life in college. I never fully experienced and enjoyed how it was to be so young, so free, with no worries but to enjoy the company of your "barkadas." That was the exchange. And it was so tough for me. But well, I survived. And that's the most important thing I guess. I learned the ropes of the business early. I was wet behind the ears at that point, but the hasty growth and tough as nails decisions I had to make back then made me wiser beyond my age. But my story does not end there. Here's another funny thing.

You see, before that tragedy happened, I recently made a promise to God that I would go back to our Church community and re immerse myself with Church community work. If I was not mistaken, it was just the day before that tragedy happened. I used to be so active with Church community work, but I had a falling out with Church elders, which caused me to take a sabbatical and mended my wounds. So when I made that promise to God and then that tragedy happening just the next day, I could not believe my fortune that God had forsaken me just when I had promised to him that I'd be back serving him thru the church. Honestly it crossed my mind that God failed me, or he had forsaken me, but I immediately erased that thought the moment it crossed my mind. I should still feel blessed and thankful that my parents survived. But I guess it was only fair to question God after the promise I made to him. Or maybe not. But that Rivermaya song, coupled by my promise to God probably played a big part with how I managed to survive my ordeal. Imagine if I gave up and was not able to handle all those problems and burdens? I don't know where I would be now. But looking back, it was indeed a miracle. That God's saving grace put me in a position to face an insurmountable challenge and eventually triumph over it. Yes it wasn't like the skies opened and a light rained down on me with his thunderous voice comforting me or egging me on not to give up. It took "Umaaraw, Umuulan", a Rivermaya song, to become God's instrument and voice in speaking to me. It took the power of that one little song that some of you might not even have heard to save me from my predicament. 

That's why years after years of dealing my tragedies and imperfections. It dawned upon me that maybe if I can write and record songs, maybe it would mean to someone in some way. We don't need to win awards, or get streamed by millions. All we need is that one soul whom our songs could reach out the way Rivermaya's song reached out to me (to this day I still get goosebumps whenever I hear this song). Then I would be happy to be God's instrument to pass it on the way Rivermaya has to me. And that's why Thoughts And Notions exists. Our songs might mean to someone in ways we never imagined or would know.

And I thank Mark Escueta of Rivermaya for being the bridge to get our songs to be streamed on digital streaming platforms soon. Friends, I'm inviting you to like our band page to know more about our songs 

https://www.facebook.com/Thoughts-And-Notions-193302864060157        

Thank you for hearing my story out. Keep fighting! "Umaaraw, Umuulan.... ang buhay ay sadyang ganyan!" 

Here's the song in its entirety. Enjoy!

And the Rivermaya Playlist I made on Spotify (plus my band's song inspired by Rivermaya)