Jose Mari Chan looks back on the stories behind his timeless songs

MANILA, July 9 ------ At 81, singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan says retirement isn't on his mind, insisting he has no plans to stop writing songs and performing as long as people continue listening to his music. "Music is my hobby. One never retires from a hobby," Chan told ABS-CBN News.

Throughout his life, Chan has written many songs. “A few have been lost,” he admitted. “Some remain unrecorded, waiting to be given wings. Some dozens never even left the scratch paper I wrote on. A great number of them were recorded but never aired on radio.”

Chan said a song's natural journey begins in the heart and soul, takes shape on paper, is brought to life in a recording, reaches listeners, and eventually takes on a life of its own. “The song then becomes a part of our memories and may either be kept away in the corner of our minds until someone decides to revive it or it fades into oblivion,” he said.

Chan's debut single, “Afterglow,” was penned in 1967 when he was in senior college at the Ateneo de Manila University. Surprisingly, the song immediately gained favorable response that Chan was subsequently offered his first ever recording contract late in 1967. Although “Afterglow” was Chan’s first recording, “Deep In My Heart” was the first song he composed in 1964. The very first one to hear “Deep In My Heart” was Chan’s Lola Mediong, who was visiting from Iloilo. “It was done in less than 15 minutes,” Chan recalled. “The song made its debut that same night in a party in Bel-Air, Makati, where our combo played.”

When Dyna Records produced Chan’s first album in 1968, “Deep In My Heart” was the title track. The song soared to No. 1 in the charts and has since been reimagined by Zsa Zsa Padilla and Sharon Cuneta, as well as Ivy Kamahl from Australia. It has been one of the most requested songs on the radio, as well as in Chan’s concerts. “A good song should be a good marriage of words and music,” he said. “Like a husband-and-wife team. They should be compatible. The music and melody should go hand in hand.”

One of the defining moments of Chan's career came in the 1970s when music executive Vic del Rosario invited him to submit a song for the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Japan. "I remember Vic del Rosario called me up and said, ‘Joe, they're looking for a Filipino song,'” recalled Chan. “'Can you submit a song? Just to let you know, I also asked four or five other composers to submit a song. So, there's no guarantee that your song will be picked by the Japanese.’"

Chan wrote "Can We Just Stop and Talk A While," and weeks later received the news that it had been selected to represent the Philippines. He performed the song before an international audience at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan, alongside contestants from more than 40 countries. "It was a wonderful moment in my life," he said. "The song didn't win, but that was immaterial to me. The important thing was being able to share my words and music with a wide Japanese audience."

In the Philippines, “Can We Just Stop and Talk A While” became a hit. “That was a turning point in my career and I'll never forget that. That was my first international appearance. BBC on Channel 9 produced a series of television specials spotlighting my songs. That was a turning point in my career.” Chan also recalled that "Mr. Songwriter" served as the original English version of Celeste Legaspi's "Mamang Sorbetero," with Tagalog lyrics later written by Gryk Ortaleza. For Chan, a timeless song has to be melodious and catchy, "so that even children can sing it." "Mamang Sorbetero" later became the theme song of the 1979 comedy film of the same title starring Joseph Estrada and Legaspi.

Another memorable composition, "I Remember the Boy" was born during a family vacation in Quebec, Canada, when Chan found himself reflecting on a a lost love, but without the feelings anymore. That led him to compose “I Remember the Girl.” When he gave the piece to Joey Albert years later, he naturally changed it to “I Remember the Boy.” Chan also shared the unexpected origins of what would become his signature Christmas anthem. "Christmas in Our Hearts" began as a collaboration with young songwriter Rina Cañiza, an earlier composition titled "Ang Tubig ay Buhay."

Chan had hoped to record the song with Lea Salonga following her success in London's "Miss Saigon," but contractual obligations prevented the collaboration. Instead, his daughter Liza joined him on the recording, with Homer Flores providing what Chan described as a "marvelous" arrangement.

Chan's music also found an audience in the United States through the 2011 album "The Manhattan Connection: The Songs of Jose Mari Chan," which features American artists performing his compositions. Chan recalled meeting singer Janis Siegel at a concert, where she expressed interest in hearing about his work. "I sent her several CDs," he said. "A few months later, she contacted me and said, I like some of your songs and I think I can get American artists to sing them."

More than five decades after he wrote his first song, Chan said he remains grateful that his compositions continue to find new audiences. "I'm happy to sing for the audience," he said. "Music is God's gift to me. Expressing my songs and giving back to people, that's my gift back to God." Chan is set to celebrate his enduring musical legacy in "Afterglow: Seasons of the Heart," a concert on July 11 at 8 p.m. at the Philippine International Convention Center, where he will share the stage with younger artists JM Dela Cerna, Marielle Montellano, Kolette Madelo and Lyka Estrella.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com