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Balisong by Rivermaya Your face Lights up the sky on the highway Someday You share your world with

me Someday

To speak or not too, where to begin A great dilemma I'm finding myself thin For all I know you only see me as a friend I try to tell myself wake up fool This fairy tale's got to end

Never in my life have a been more sure You mesmerize me, with diamond eyes I try to fool myself to think I'll be alright But I am losing all control, my mind, my heart, my body and my soul. Never in my life have I been more sure Never in my life have I been more sure So come on up to me and close the door Nobody's made me feel this way before You're everything I wanted and more You're everything I wanted. So come on up to me and close the door Nobody's made me feel this way before You're everything I wanted and more So come on up to me and close the door Nobody's made me feel this way before You're everything I wanted...

MARK CERVANTES MEB11

Rivermaya is one of the cores of Filipino OPM band music. It is one of my favorite bands. Too bad its popularity and activity had been declining since Rico Blancos departure. This is a song that Rico Blanco, a certainly one of the best artists in the Philippines. Rico Blancos songwriting credits in his solo album and in Rivermaya, Blanco also arranged and wrote music for various side projects such as the United Nations MDG theme "Tayo Tayo Rin"; the Philippine Department of Tourism theme "Biyahe Tayo" (both of which were performed by veteran Filipino musicians, such as Freddie Aguilar, the Apo Hiking Society, Lea Salonga, and Sharon Cuneta). He also co-wrote a theme song for the Southeast Asian Games, "Posible". He is the chief composer of the band and also written this song. Yes, you seen the title correctly, for those who havent heard the song, the title is Balisong. I knew most of Rivermayas songs specifically the ones written by Rico Blanco had a deep or funny meaning to it. I thought at first that Balisong is a combined word of Bali, an Indonesian island, and Song. But it turns out it really is Balisong, a folding knife, which is also called butterfly knife in the Philippines. It is famous especially in Batangas. My friend knew the story behind this song since he is a big fan of not only the band but also almost all of the OPM bands out there. He gave me a link of a video of a live performance of the band of the song with an intro of the background of where the song came from or started. The story goes like this: the band finished a gig (musical performance) in Baguio City and was in a van on the way home. They were in Pangasinan when Ricos friend called him and said that she wants a pasalubong when they get back to Manila. Rico thought that it was just going to be a simple pasalubong like peanut brittle or strawberry jam but instead requested a Balisong. I think he managed to get one in the highway and he saw a face on a billboard along the highway that inspired him to do the song. The first line of the song connects to thisYour face, lights up the sky on the highway apparently, this friend and the face in the billboard pertains to KC Concepcion, the daughter of Sharon Cuneta and Gaby Concepcion. Rico was rumored to be courting KC at that time and Rico was so in love with her.

As you can see the song is filled with sweet words and love that pertain to a certain someone. These are observed in lines like: You mesmerize me, with diamond eyes in the first verse and Nobody's made me feel this way before. You're everything I wanted and more. in the last lines of the chorus. But it is also filled with sadness or confusion like the thing hes/theyre doing or happiness will come to an end but he has no control to stop. It is reflected one the lines: I try to fool myself to think I'll be alright. But I am losing all control, my mind, my heart, my body and my soul. Apparently, the mother of KC, Sharon, does not like Rico for her daughter and one of the main reasons KC had to go to Europe to study but rumored its just for KC to hide her pregnancy from the public. As Ive said Rico was courting KC at that time. He tried to reveal his realization that a girl like her will never be in love with a guy like him. It is shown in the lines: I try to tell myself wake up fool. This fairy tale's got to end. Hes thinking that No I shouldnt expect from her. She's a star and Im just a singer. Our lives are apart. I totally understand this feeling of Rico. This also represents his uncertainty. Rico offered many songs for KC. Songs like Imposible which had the lyrics Pano mahuhulog para sa akin ang isang matayog na bituing katulad mo? which he wrote when KC allegedly agreed to be his girlfriend. Also for the song Antukin, the title literally means sleepy head, but if you read the meaning of the lyrics of the song, it has nothing to do with being a sleepy head but instead an innuendo or parinig to KC and Sharon because pregnant women tend to be sleepy headed.

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