MUSIC 21
Home: Traders Hotel




It was getting chilly out, the cold night breeze blowing in from Manila Bay.

Luneta Park had already woven its magic upon us. The night was still young. We wanted to savor it some more.

But we had to savor it someplace else. My denim sundress was a little too flimsy to protect me against the elements. Even with the mild weather, I still felt exposed somehow.

So we decided to head for familiar territory.

Our first stop was Ratsky in Greenhills, his old watering hole. Ratsky is owned by his cousin, Randy Santiago. He used to be a regular there, during its early days. But Ratsky is worthy of its own detour on The Long Way Home, so I won't talk about it much on this post.

Next, we went to my old watering hole, Motions at the Centerpoint Hotel in Manila. Again, this place has its own stop on The Long Way Home, so all I'll say for now is that we saw my good friend, Pol Antonio there.

There wasn't much going on in Motions. Even my dance instructor, Boyet, wasn't there, which was just as well. I was feeling so giddy from the first blush of love that I was in no mood to dance anyway.

We hooked up with Pol and decided to head over to Music 21 in Makati. Music 21 is where my karaoke journey began. I used to go there with my friend, Dada Carlos, along with other members of our barkada, the Rub-a-Dubs. We used to sing up a storm until the wee hours of the morning, fueled by calamares and iced tea. Through many return visits, I finally learned how to compliment my voice through proper positioning of the mic, tricks which were alien to me during my choir days.

Pol was another karaoke bar denizen. He even had a signature song, "Paradise", which never failed to leave the audience in stitches. I knew Pol was game when it came to singing, but I wasn't sure about my new beau. I was just happy that Lorenzo didn't object to going to a karaoke bar, which was a promising sign.

When we got to Music 21, Lorenzo was relieved to see the location's setup. He did express apprehension about singing in front of strangers when we first mentioned karaoke, but we reassured him that it would take place in a very private setting.

We ordered our food and drinks and started choosing our numbers from the song books. We insisted that Pol do the first song, since we were still in the shy stages of our relationship. And then it was my turn. I don't remember what I sang anymore, but I'm sure it was a noisy song from either Pat Benater or Heart, or maybe even Joan Jett and the Black Hearts. (Is it obvious I'm a frustrated rocker as well?)

Maybe I DID sing "I Love Rock-N-Roll" because I remember his surprise at the uncharacteristic choice of music, and his loud claps of approval after.

And then it was HIS turn to sing and I remember it just like it was yesterday. He sang "Just Once", and he sang it well too, James Ingram growl and all.

We sang late into the night and I was happy as a clam, content in the knowledge that we had found one more thing we had in common.

Both of us loved to sing.

But the biggest surprise that night was yet to come. And it came in the form of a song. I had programmed "With You I'm Born Again" into the system, hoping Lorenzo knew it. I have always loved this song, and used to sing it with Dada all the time. She was versatile enough to make the duet sound good, even though we were both female.

I didn't have high hopes at first, and was surprised that Lorenzo seemed to know the opening verse. I sang the next verse on cue, thinking (hmmm...so far so good), and we continued taking turns, singing our respective parts.

And then the chorus came. He sang "Come bring me your softness..." and I blended my voice with his, being used to the harmonization from my many practice sessions with Dada. My senses were fine-tuned to listen for any hesitation on his part, but Lorenzo continued just like it was the most natural thing on earth.

And then it was my turn to sing the following verse, and to my surprise, he sang second voice. Flawlessly. It was like we had been singing this song all our lives. And the feeling was awesome. Giddy. Hair-raising even.

We finished the song beautifully, blending and all, still in our own little world together until the final notes faded.

The spell was broken by Pol's applause. He was dumbfounded when we told him it was the very first time we ever sang that song together. He even expressed doubt, saying there was no way we could sing it that well unless we sang it before, but the look of happy surprise on our faces must've convinced him in the end.

This is why, to this very day, we still consider it our song.


Pol would later be found murdered in his own house, just seven weeks after that karaoke date. They still haven't found his killer to this day.

I would like to dedicate this song to my dear departed friend, Pol Antonio, and to my former singing partner, Dada Carlos, who is dealing with a recent loss of her own.


WITH YOU I'M BORN AGAIN
Billy Preston & Syreeta
Written by David Shire and Carol Connors

Come bring me your softness
Comfort me through all this madness
Woman, don't you know, with you I'm born again

Come give me your sweetness
Now there's you, there is no weakness
Lying safe within your arms, I'm born again

I was half, not whole
In step with none
Reaching through this world
In need of one

Come show me your kindness
In your arms I know I'll find this
Woman, don't you know, with you I'm born again
Lying safe with you I'm born again

Come bring me your softness
Comfort me through all this madness
Woman, don't you know, with you I'm born again

Come give me your sweetness
Now there's you, there is no weakness
Lying safe within your arms, I'm born again
(Woman, don't you know, with you I'm born again)

I was half, not whole
In step with none
Reaching through this world
In need of one

Come show me your kindness
In your arms I know I'll find this
Woman, don't you know, with you I'm born again
Lying safe with you I'm born again


(PLUGGING: "Art For Heart's Sake", the latest in The Prada Mama Chronicles.)