The 90s was
a turbulent decade for me as it marked some of the darkest periods of
my life where I had to grapple with a lot of demons, among them, my
desire to kill myself. I always feel a tinge of empathy whenever I hear
news of suicides, especially among young people, because it was a phase
I also went through. I was very lucky though to have music as some
sort of weapon to fight the depression and corny as it may sound, it was
the Wilson Phillips song, Hold On, that saved me from making a stupid
mistake.
If you listen closely to the lyrics, you'd realize that it calls out to someone at the brink of killing himself, to stop for a minute, to hold on for just one day because things may go his way. Yeah, it may sound corny but when you're really depressed and you'd want to kill yourself - any affirmation that life is still worth living is a valuable lifeline. I of course, realized years later that it was really a love song, much to my consternation.
In a way, I've always considered this trio of beautiful singers as some sort of personal savior of mine, so I was really happy that 22 years later, I was able to finally see them perform live! They have many other great songs and I know each one of them very well. More than 20 years after my personal suicidal phase, I look back with gratitude at them for being there at the right time. Just imagine if all I listened to at that time was Marilyn Manson or Metallica or Megadeth - ayun, siguradong nagpakamatay na siguro ako.
As for the show, well, I already had an idea of their playlist tonight but I was really happy that they tweaked it a bit and included some of my other favorite songs of theirs, all obscure of course, unless you're a real fan. They sang 'Eyes Like Twins', 'Don't Take Me Down' and 'Kokomo', which their Dad's band popularized.
But my most favorite performances tonight included You Won't See Me Cry, a song which I underappreciated before, but now, at an older age, I realized how beautiful the song was; then their surprise renditions of the Abba classics Dancing Queen and Does Your Mother Know (a personal favorite of mine and Alberto); Release Me (probably their song with the best vocal harmonies); and their parents' classics God Only Knows and Dedicated to the One I Love.
I was sick tonight so I wasn't able to sing along very well with them but I really had a great time! My colds were killing me and my throat was really painful. Even then, I still managed to croak like a frog through some of their hits and dance a little even if my body was really tired. Bad timing really.
They have done two tribute albums so I'm looking forward for them to do an album of original stuff. They are fantastic songwriters and I'm sure the power of their songwriting can be potent stuff that can inspire and save other people who are in pain or are just plain sad and broken.
If you listen closely to the lyrics, you'd realize that it calls out to someone at the brink of killing himself, to stop for a minute, to hold on for just one day because things may go his way. Yeah, it may sound corny but when you're really depressed and you'd want to kill yourself - any affirmation that life is still worth living is a valuable lifeline. I of course, realized years later that it was really a love song, much to my consternation.
In a way, I've always considered this trio of beautiful singers as some sort of personal savior of mine, so I was really happy that 22 years later, I was able to finally see them perform live! They have many other great songs and I know each one of them very well. More than 20 years after my personal suicidal phase, I look back with gratitude at them for being there at the right time. Just imagine if all I listened to at that time was Marilyn Manson or Metallica or Megadeth - ayun, siguradong nagpakamatay na siguro ako.
As for the show, well, I already had an idea of their playlist tonight but I was really happy that they tweaked it a bit and included some of my other favorite songs of theirs, all obscure of course, unless you're a real fan. They sang 'Eyes Like Twins', 'Don't Take Me Down' and 'Kokomo', which their Dad's band popularized.
But my most favorite performances tonight included You Won't See Me Cry, a song which I underappreciated before, but now, at an older age, I realized how beautiful the song was; then their surprise renditions of the Abba classics Dancing Queen and Does Your Mother Know (a personal favorite of mine and Alberto); Release Me (probably their song with the best vocal harmonies); and their parents' classics God Only Knows and Dedicated to the One I Love.
I was sick tonight so I wasn't able to sing along very well with them but I really had a great time! My colds were killing me and my throat was really painful. Even then, I still managed to croak like a frog through some of their hits and dance a little even if my body was really tired. Bad timing really.
They have done two tribute albums so I'm looking forward for them to do an album of original stuff. They are fantastic songwriters and I'm sure the power of their songwriting can be potent stuff that can inspire and save other people who are in pain or are just plain sad and broken.
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