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Nora Aunor, the superstar not only experimented with the Manila Sound by recording Cinderella’s Ikaw ang Superstar ng Buhay Ko, she actually went all out singing and dancing in the movie ‘Annie Batungbakal,’ with a soundtrack album of purely Manila Sound materials.
Pilita Corrales, Nora Aunor and Hajji Alejandro, three pillars of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) passed away one after the other a few weeks ago. And given the stature each one held in the local music industry, their fans are still in a reminiscing mode, eager to share their stories and still wanting more. Please allow me to add a few more to those.
Did you know that Nora Aunor was the original Annie Batungbakal? The superstar not only experimented with the Manila Sound by recording Cinderella’s Ikaw ang Superstar ng Buhay Ko, she actually went all out singing and dancing in a movie with a soundtrack album of purely Manila Sound materials.
The movie “Annie Batungbakal,” starring Nora Aunor and co-starring Nida Blanca and Lloyd Samartino, was directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes and written by Jake Tordesillas, was shown in 1979. Music was provided by the Manila Sound pioneer band the Hotdog itself. The soundtrack album released by WEA on vinyl was made up of songs composed by the Garcia brothers Dennis and Rene.
Hajji Alejandro of the Circus Band was ripe for a solo career and Vic del Rosario at Vicor Music was eager to put him under contract. But before they could even talk terms, Hajji had signed up with JEM recording, the new label formed by former Vicor producer Willy Cruz.
Among them are some of Hotdog’s best. These were Bongga Ka Day, Langit Na Naman, Kulang, Robot, Meowww and the title track, Annie Batungbakal. Music you will agree that remains hot and relevant until today and isn’t it amazing how these came out of a Nora Aunor movie.
Did you know that it was because of Hajji Alejandro that singers Basil Valdez and Nonoy Zuñiga were launched to stardom and that composers George Canseco and Willy Cruz went on to greater fame? Hajji of the Circus Band was ripe for a solo career and Vic del Rosario at Vicor Music was eager to put him under contract. But before they could even talk terms, Hajji had signed up with JEM recording, the new label formed by former Vicor producer Willy Cruz.
Pilita Corrales was not the original choice to sing Kapantay ay Langit. It was Amapola Cabase, who was also from Cebu. Composer George Canseco composed the song in 1971 as the theme for one of the then popular love triangle style movies of the same title.
What followed next were two big hits in a row, produced by and with lyrics by Willy. Tag-araw…Tag-ulan, a Tagalog adaptation of Charade by The Bee Gees, and Panakip-butas, another adaptation of The Worse That Could Happen by the 5th Dimension. Hajji was off to becoming the era’s Kilabot ng Kolegiala.
Incensed over what Hajji did, Del Rosario sent composer George Canseco in search of the Circus Band’s other baritone, Basil Valdez. Canseco found him singing at the Captain’s Bar of the Admiral Hotel on Roxas Boulevard. Basil signed with Vicor’s Blackgold label and Canseco gave him a new original song. It was titled Ngayon at Kailanman. The rest as the cliché goes is history. Later came Ngayon, Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan, Kastilyong Buhangin, Paano Bang Mangarap and many more hits by the Valdez-Canseco tandem.
By the way, Hajji also left JEM after two albums. Also incensed over Hajji’s departure, Willy went off in search of his new star. A few months later he saw Nonoy Zuñiga, the former soloist of the Family Birth Control Band who had recently lost a leg in a bombing incident at the Philippine Plaza Hotel. He was performing Ako ay Ikaw Rin, a song for the disabled at a Metropop competition in 1979.
Willy saw and heard his new star. A year later, Nonoy was on his way to stardom, singing future Willy classics like Doon Lang, Kumusta Ka and Never Ever Say Goodbye.
Did you know that Pilita was not the original choice to sing Kapantay ay Langit? It was Amapola Cabase, who was also from Cebu. Canseco, then a copy editor for the Associated Press, composed the song in 1971 as the theme for one of the then popular love triangle style movies of the same title. The picture starred Marlene Dauden, Liza Lorena and Eddie Rodriguez who also directed.
A year later, history was made when Kapantay ay Langit was included in Pilita’s Philippine Love Songs album. Mike Velarde’s Dahil Sa‘yo was the first single but there was no stopping Kapantay ay Langit until it became a massive hit and Pilita’s signature song.
