This is the first song lyrics I wrote. Very simple words. Shallow? Cheezy? More like, easy to digest. A product of the naivety of youth. This is my Love Me Do. The simplicity of the words is the main hook of the song. It's comparable to the premise of a chick-flick.

The inspiration to the words of Girl in the Picture came from a photograph of a beautiful girl I found scattered in our house. It was so much later on that I found out she was the younger sister of my classmate's girlfriend. How it ended up in our house is still a question. This was 1987.

Gilbert Reyes wrote the music for a different song he collaborated with another person. When I presented the lyrics to him, He adjusted the arrangement to seamlessly fit with the words. We were in a garage band at that time. Ferdie Marquez, who played the guitar made further tweaks and our lead guitarist, Nonoy Bisnar added the riffs. when Medwin Marfil joined the band in 1988, he provided his typicall feel to the song, as vocalists usually do. 

The initial recording happened on July 21, 1989. Travelling from Parañaque to the recording studio was a challenge that day. A Philippine Airlines plane overshot the runway and ended up on the other side of the SLEX resulting in heavy traffic both ways. The recording went smooth.

We submitted the demo to NU 107 as a follow-up to our first song, I'll Be There; which was getting tons of airplay. The contrast between the two songs was very evident. This one wasn't as guitar-heavy. And, Strictly Confidentail had a reputation for being loud. That was what they wanted to hear. Screaming distorted guitar, banging 120-bpm percussions, and catchy lines. That was the expectation. Ultimately, Girl in the Picture never aired. Too soon?

This version was recorded some time in mid-2007 by my last band, Saracenos. This recording is more relaxed. No conscious effort was made to make it rock. A clear departure from the original intent of 1989. Also, the first recording had prominent keyboard parts, since I was the keyboardist. This variation didn't.

The music video in Youtube published on July 19, 2024 is more like a social experiment. It features Japanese entrepreneur, music artist, and actress Yua Mikami. The photos and clips were "borrowed" from her Instagram posts.  Would the song  have attracted attention if the video featured myself instead of an attractive Asian lady? Probably in much crazier dimension than this.

I was going through a rough time after a ugly break-up when I wrote Love in the Wrong Places. I prefer not to divulge the date so I could deny the other person the bragging rights to being the inspiration of this song,

The lyrics are very simple and straightforward. I guess this is how every heartbreak sounds like.  I played around with some words and found rhymes that fit.

Finding the appropriate melody was a bit more of a challenge. I started with the chords. There was this song from Truefaith, Everything She Wore I really liked. The progression of the chords was easy and sounded appropriate. Also, I've always loved how Major 7 chords sound.

I would like to get the ooportunity to record the song in the future. I already have the arrangement and production in my head. I also have an idea what the music video will look like.

In October 2022, Vice Presicent Leni Robredo announced her candidacy for President of the Philippines. Although this was eagerly anticipated, the news sent waves of excitement accross the nation. After six years of  murder, corruption, and mediocrity, Leni Robredo presented a glimmer of hope.

I wanted music that would go with the online campaign collaterals I have created. I experimented with the bundled patched in the DAW I was using. Ignite is the name of the software. Working with these applications really make things a lot quicker. The guitar leads and the vocals are the only elements not generated digitally. I did all the vocals, including every single voice in the crowd chant. My former bandmate, Nonoy Bisnar provided the guitar riffs. He recorded the bits and sent them to me through Facebook Messenger.

Writing the lyrics was a bit more tricky. I was heavily involved in campaign activities and could not find time to sit down and write the words. It was very frustrating. I was everywhere and doing almost everything. And yet, I could not put my thoughts on paper.

The music video captured the fist mural painting activity we conducted in Barangay Marcelo Green. It was intiated by a good friend, Ianne Enriquez. The wall is part of the residence of another good friend, Patty Javier.  Images I captured included family, friends, and lots of volunteers. I made the video to document the magic that transpired that day.

I lived in London for a short time in 2006.  It's a place full of history and ordered chaos. The images and experience are still fresh in my heart and mind. This video is a belated tribute to the beutiful city.

Most of the videos and images I personally took of the time I spent in the UK got destroyed and lost forever when my hard drive crashed years ago. The only ones that survived are the images I uploaded on social media. Most of the clips on this music video were downloded from Pexels.

The music is pure and original. It was created using my favorite DAW, Ignite.