Ang Huling El Bimbo
| "Ang Huling El Bimbo" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Eraserheads | |
| from the album Cutterpillow | |
| Released | 1995 |
| Genre | Alternative rock, Pinoy rock |
| Length |
7:30 (full version) 5:30 (radio version) |
| Label |
Musiko Records & BMG Records (Pilipinas), Inc. |
| Writer(s) | Ely Buendia |
| Producer(s) | Robin Rivera |
| Certification | Platinum (Philippine Association of the Record Industry) |
"Ang Huling El Bimbo" (English: "The Last El Bimbo") is a song composed by Ely Buendia of the Philippine pop/rock band Eraserheads, for their 1996 studio album Cutterpillow. It received extensive airplay after its release and ranked #2 on RX 93.1's "Top 20 OPM Requests of 1996".[1] It is the only Tagalog song included in the band's international compilation album, Aloha Milkyway (1998). The song's music video catapulted the band's success outside the Philippines by bagging the 'International Viewer's Choice Awards for Asia' at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.}
The song has been covered by many other artists, including Rico J. Puno for the 2005 Eraserheads tribute album, Ultraelectromagneticjam!: The Music of the Eraserheads and by Jay Durias of South Border for another tribute album, The Reunion: An Eraserheads Tribute Album, in 2012. Buendia also sang an orchestral rendition of this song under the baton of Gerard Salonga with the Manila-based symphony orchestra FILharmoniKA, for the 2008 anthology album, FILharmoniKa - Kumpas: An Orchestral Celebration of Pinoy Music.
Background
According to Buendia, "Ang Huling El Bimbo" is a melodrama about one of the famous dances of the '70s. It was written in a semi-biographical fashion because when Buendia was a young boy, he had a teacher who taught him the El Bimbo dance. Additional elements were placed to adorn the narrative and build the final storyline of the song: a first-person point of view of a man's unrequited feelings for his childhood friend whose life unfortunately comes to a tragic end.
Composition and structure
Most popular music of the '80s to early '90s in the Philippines were known to follow a certain pattern: slow-tempo intro which builds to a progressive refrain, eventually leading to a loud and emotional chorus. "Ang Huling El Bimbo" forged a trail of its own by opening the song with a couple of chorus chords (F♯-A♭-B-F♯) in full blast of Buendia's rhythms, Buddy Zabala's tight basslines, Raimund Marasigan's energetic beats, and Marcus Adoro's eccentric leads.
The first stanza, played in the same chords as the chorus, follows a brief instrumental pause after the intro; ushering the story arc of the narrator's childhood, introducing a certain girl with striking resemblance to Paraluman. The girl has a penchant for dancing, be it to the tune of boogie or cha-cha; but El Bimbo was her favorite. She can dance it contagiously, which gives the narrator a sense of enjoyment and strong emotion that gives him goosebumps.
The first refrain, played in the chords of Em-Am-C-G, tells the narrator's growing interest in the girl as he visits her directly after school, where she would teach him the dance for the rest of the day. The song's melody at this point increases pace, complemented by the arrival of the chorus.
The one-sentenced chorus suggests that the narrator developed an innocent love towards the girl through the unsullied way of holding each other's hands as part of the dance routine.
The second stanza focuses on the narrator's growing feelings for his childhood friend through their constant dancing, starting from how petrified he is every time the record spins. He openly describes her drop-dead hip-swaying moves and how his life seems brighter every time his arms are draped around her.
The second refrain tells how the narrator yearns of telling the girl that despite being out of fashion, El Bimbo was the only dance he knows. This indicates that the narrator already knew the El Bimbo before the girl taught him the moves; and that he simply let him become her student so they can be together in one way or another. The second chorus follows.
The bridge effectively uses a simple phrase ("La la la la") while playing an alternative (lower) chorus chords to transition from the narrator's past to his present situation.
The third stanza reveals that the narrator and his childhood friend parted ways without seeing each other for a very long time. However, hearsay spoke of the girl being unwed with a child and earns a living as a dishwasher in the district of Ermita, Manila. And one unfateful night, she was accidentally run over in a dark alley. The last refrain, also considered as the song's climax, implies how all his aspirations suddenly crumbled upon hearing the news; that he'll be only able to dance with her in his dreams, and how his affection for the girl will forever be unrequited.
The chorus playing twice, followed by a couple of bridge phrases, serves as the song's denouement; and the impressive guitar solos and almost-theatrical instrumental accompaniment provides the dramatic finale.
Music video
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Auraeus Solito and completed filming within two days at Solito's ancestral house in Sampaloc, Manila. As a theatre director, Solito injected several experimental shots and symbolisms in the video despite being a literal translation of the story contained in the song. According to Buendia, this was the first major production music video of the band since it involved big budget due to casting; and being treated as a short film due to the song's playing time and storyline. This also marked the first time the Eraserheads produced a music video for their song.
Censorship in MTV Pinoy and YouTube
The instrumental part of the music video was omitted during its broadcast on MTV Pinoy. After the music video fades to black, the music video ends.[2]
Video reception
At the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the video won the 'International Viewer's Choice Awards for Asia'. The video was up against "Kirana" by Dewa 19 of Indonesia, "Fun Fun Fun" by Joey Boy of Thailand, "Fanatik" by KRU of Malaysia, and "Family" by Lee Seung-hwan of Korea. The Eraserheads accepted the award themselves. The recognition was the first Moonman award received by any Filipino artist, and further made the band known in Asia which paved way to the release of Aloha Milkyway.
Covers
- Rico J. Puno performed the song for the 2005 Eraserheads tribute album Ultraelectromagneticjam!: The Music of the Eraserheads.
- Philippine punk rock band Kamikazee recorded an unreleased version of the song.[3]
- Philippine group of singers The CompanY made a rendition of the song in 2008 with a music video[4] interpreted in a different way from the song's content.
- Former South Border pianist Jay Durias performed the song for another Eraserheads tribute album, The Reunion: An Eraserheads Tribute Album, released in 2012.
- Korean acoustic fingerstyle guitarist Sungha Jung performed the song during his "2013.6 Philippine Tour" concert.[5]
In other media
- Buendia sang the song as a guest artist for a FilharmoniKA album, Kumpas: An Orchestral Celebration of Pinoy Music, which presented some of the signature alternative rock anthems of the '90s orchestrally.
- A portion of the song was used by McDonald's Philippines for their commercial titled "First Love" in 2009.[6] The commercial used a trimmed version of the opening riff as a bespectacled young boy walks with his mother inside a McDonald's branch, assumed to be during the '70s, as indicated by the design and atmosphere of the set. An old friend of the mother happened to be in the same branch along with her young daughter. The opening lyrics ("Kamukha mo si Paraluman") plays as the young girl waves to the young boy and they sit in front of each other ("Nung tayo ay bata pa"). The music then cuts to the chorus as the girl dips her fries in chocolate sundae instead of the usual catsup. Afterwards, the girl reached out for the boy's hands and started to run, presumably towards a 'PlayPlace' ("Magkahawak ang ating kamay"). As the young girl runs, the video transitions to a grown-up lady, holding on to the hands of the grown-up, still bespectacled, man ("At walang kamalay-malay"). Leaving the man puzzled a few inches away, the lady run towards another man and a young girl near the 'PlayPlace', giving the viewers an impression that they are the lady's husband and daughter ("Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko na umibig ng tunay"). The next scene shows the bespectacled man seated in front of the lady and dips his fries in chocolate sundae, reviving a sweet memory of their youth and eliciting a sweet smile from the lady. Although not as poignant as the original story of the song, McDonald's was able to capture the emotions of the audience through the effective use of the song.
- When local radio station NU 107 signed off for the last time on 8 November 2010, "Ang Huling El Bimbo" played as its final song.[7]
Impact and legacy
During the time of its release, local songs played in the radio averages 3 1/2 minutes of airtime. Eraserheads challenged this norm with "Ang Huling El Bimbo", demanding almost twice (07:29) the average airtime. Released during the height of the band's success, notwithstanding the use of simple chords and solid narrative, the song was an instant success and became synonymous with OPM. Since its release, the song has been a staple and one of the most anticipated songs of Eraserheads every time the band performs live. The band usually reserves "Ang Huling El Bimbo" as the final song to close their act.
The video accompaniment also changed the landscape of OPM music videos, a refreshing take of fleshing out the song's story presented in a short film-like production, instead of the usual artists lip syncing their songs on their best dress and appearance.
Because of the simplicity of the song's structure and chord progression, many local bands and artists—amateur and professionals alike—perform this song either as a cover or in their own renditions.[8]
The band's 'The Final Set' concert held on March 7, 2009 marked the first time the Eraserheads played the song live since their breakup in 2002.
Personnel
- Marcus Adoro - Lead guitar
- Ely Buendia - Vocals, rhythm guitar
- Raimund Marasigan - Drums
- Buddy Zabala - Bass guitar
References
- ↑ "The RX93.1 Yearend Countdown". Archived from the original on May 14, 1998. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lajnSJZpI34 -The official music video of the censored version
- ↑ "Kamikazee - Ang Huling El Bimbo". 16 August 2011. Dodong Mindanao. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ "Ang Huling El Bimbo (music video)". 20 June 2008. Moy Ortiz. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ "Ang Huling El Bimbo - Sungha Jung". 18 June 2013. jwcfree. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ "McDonald's First Love Commercial". 13 January 2009. Franny Omampo. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ "107 Candles for NU107: The Last Goodbye". 07 November 2010. Stompworks Studios. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ "Ang Huling El Bimbo cover". Retrieved 12 August 2014.
External links
- Eraserheads Database (www.eheads-offline.com)
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