Paying homage is no easy feat.
The one attempting always has the almost unbearable burden of reimagining, repositioning, or re-showcasing something beloved. It’s as if walking on a treacherous tightrope between showing admiration to the original and adding just the right amount of flair to make the new rendition acceptable, and perhaps (quite ambitiously), even memorable.
But braving the difficult is, at times, inevitable, especially if the forces begging so are central to humankind — expression and communication.
Many years ago, I stumbled upon this YouTube video of a pianist named Robert Van Horne. Clad in barong and wearing a bright smile, he proudly introduces a Filipino classic to his audience. “Maalala Mo Kaya”, he says of the song’s title, “which means, ‘Would you remember?’”
Mr. Robert played the song with heart. Penned by Constancio de Guzman, the song served as the carrier soundtrack of the movie of the same name released in 1955.
I was glad and proud to see him appreciate it so, and I understood why. The truth is, if Filipino cuisine is gaining international traction now, piquing the curiosity of people far and wide waiting to try it… Oh boy, wait till you hear Filipino music.
While classic Filipino melodies can easily pluck heartstrings with their sweetness and sincerity, kindly indulge my attempt at an homage — in the hopes that listeners who do not share our mother tongue may understand and appreciate our songs’ beautiful lyrics.
Indeed, the attempt is humble. But perhaps one that some might somehow remember.
In the 1955 film, which you can watch in its entirety on YouTube, the actors who starred in the movie, Rogelio de la Rosa and Carmen Rosales, sang the song as a duet. And so I’ve written it so. The song begins at 23:39:
Sincerely,
Fork with No Name