Archive for the ‘Wedding Song’ Category

Butterfly Fly Away - a father & daughter “lullaby”
Thursday, July 9th, 2009

It’s cool to have a nine year old daughter who’s a Hannah Montana fan (sh.  I really think the TV show is funny.  Sadly, the movie we got into last night wasn’t any at all.  The characters of Jackson & Oliver weren’t given enough limelight. :-?   Still some of the songs in there are just… well… very well written. :)

Aside from The Climb which practically is the anthem of the movie, there’s this father & daughter duet which I think most brides can relate to. I know the marrying age group aren’t exactly big Mily Cyrus or Billy Ray Cyrus fan, but if one’s able to get pass that, the song may just tug any father or daughter’s heart.  The Cyrus’ made it sound like a lullaby. Here’s the lyrics.

BUTTERFLY FLY AWAY
songwriters: Glen Ballard & Alan Silvestri

 You tucked me in, turned out the light
Kept me safe and sound at night
Little girls depend on things like that

 You brushed my teeth and combed my hair
Had to drive me everywhere
You were always there when I looked back

 You had to do it all alone
Make a living, make a home
Must have been as hard as it could be

 And when I couldn’t sleep at night
Scared things wouldn’t turn out right
You would hold my hand and sing to me

 Caterpillar in the tree
How you wonder who you’ll be
Can’t go far but you can always dream

 Wish you may and wish you might
Don’t you worry, hold on tight
I promise you that there will come a day
Butterfly fly away

 Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away
You’ve been waiting for this day
Take your dreams and make them all come true

Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away
We’ve been waiting for this day
All along and knowing just what to do
Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away

Butterfly fly away
Butterfly fly away

- - - - - - - - - -

As for my little caterpillar, don’t grow up yet and let’s watch this video together when you wake up. Mwah! :)


“Te Amo” - my Valentine blogpost
Saturday, February 14th, 2009

“Que a nuestra mágica noche de bodas,
More than our magical wedding night,

Más aun que esto… te amo”
Even more than this… I love you”

Today, I’m spending my Valentine with the same date I’ve spent it with the past sixteen years. No big plans actually. We’ll go out if ever we decide to later. We’re pretty much laid back in fussing over Valentine.

I guess that laid back attitude pretty much shows here in W@W. Because for a wedding site/blog, W@W didn’t make so much fuss about February 14 since it existed. But I’ve come to realize how big a deal this day is for most soon-to-weds. As they say, today is one of the few “allowed” days for men to be mushy. I’d grab that license today.

As a guy, I’m the type who’s not ’sweet’ but can be deeply romantic. It’s not a contradiction. Just like some guys, I’m not the touchy, showy, feely, PDA-type. I may even seem distant. But my deepest, strongest and more sincere feelings have always been better expressed trough writing. I guess all writers are like that.

In high school, Id assist a few buddies with their love letters and, modestly aside, our batting average was pretty high. :D I’ve learned to write songs in my late teens and into my early 20s and that hobby became an outlet in expressing things I can’t easily blurt out.

But as a songwriter, there are times that I come across songs written by others which truly captures my deepest sentiments. Those songs I can’t top (not that I’m saying I can top any other songs). Those types for me are just too “perfect” and writing one like it would just pale in comparison.

An example of which is the song “Te Amo” by Alexander Acha.

I’m not a big fan of foreign-language music. I’ve downloaded that song for free in the iTunes store and didn’t think much of it at that time. But the melody sold it for me. Truly, music is a universal language that all citezens of the world understand.

I’m surprised that my daughter Kite likes it as well. Just last night, I’ve learned that Benz like it too.

Seriously, this is the one song I’d serenade Benz with, if only I have the balls for it.

Why? For it doesn’t only say what I want to tell her. It does so in a language I don’t speak: Latin-loverboy style! ‘Steeg diba? :D

But since I’m not a performer, I’m blogging about it instead and sharing it with all of you. Listen to the song or download it for free in the iTunes Store. Spanish lyrics below (though I have to warn you that the words are a challenge to follow).

TE AMO

Amo toda tu figura
modelo de lo increible
belleza y virtud en una
tu soltura al perdonar

no dejas morir a nadie
y vas sembrandonos ilusiones
tu no sabes lo que causas
creo que no te has dado cuenta
haces que la gente agradezca
tu existencia

(coro)
te amo, mas que a un nuevo mundo,
mas que a un dia perfecto
mas que a un suave vino
mas que un largo sueño
mas que a la balada de un niño cantando
mas que a mi musica
mas que a mis años
mas que a mis tristezas
mas que a mis quehaceres
mas que a mis impulsos
mas que a mis placeres
mas que a nuestro juego preferido
mas aun que esto te amo

amo toda tu persona
parabola de la vida
poderosa cenicienta
tu destreza para amarnos

no olvidas dolor de nadie
y te desvives por alegrarnos
no has notado lo que eres
y me aterra que no lo notes

haces que las rosas se peleen
por ser tu broche

(coro)
te amo, mas que a un nuevo mundo,
mas que a un dia perfecto
mas que aun suave vino
mas que un largo sueño
mas que a la balada de un niño cantando
mas que a mi musica
mas que a mis años
mas que a mis tristezas
mas que a mis quehaceres
mas que a mis impulsos
mas que a mis placeres
mas que a nuestro juego preferido
mas aun que esto te amo

mas que a un largo viaje
mas que a un rubio campo
mas que a un viejo amigo
mas que a cualquier santo
mas que a tu pureza adornada de errores
mas que a tu tenacidad que no se rompe
mas que a tu alegria
mas que a tus colores
mas que a tu sensualidad que crees que escondes
mas que a nuestro beso primero
mas aunque esto te amo
mas que a nuestro beso primero
mas aun que esto te amo
mas que a nuestro beso primero
mas aun que esto te amo
mas que a nuestra magica noche de bodas
mas aunque esto te amo

Happy Valentine’s Day, Mimma! :)


a 1026 countdown: T minus 3 - the re-release of the 1026 Wedding Soundtrack!
Friday, October 24th, 2008

1026-cd2008.jpgThe surprise party the other night also served also as the “launching” of the 10th Anniversary Special Edition of the 1026 Wedding Soundtrack — the audio CD which served as our invitation and keepsake for our wedding ten years ago.

Benz & I never thought of doing this again until seven days ago.  We were lucky that the replication plant kept a digital master of the original recording in their archives even from ten years back (and it still plays!) so the production pushed through.  We had to rush redesigning the layouts of the cover/inserts to update the look and immediately had the press run them.  We’re satisfied with how the finished product came out despite the very limited time we had.

The 1026 CD still contains 8 cuts, mostly with songs I wrote for Benz (tracks 4, 5, 6 & 8).  Track 1 is our spoken invite, while cuts 2, 3 & 7 are audio recordings by people who played a significant role in our lives.

You may listen to each cut by clicking on the title (right click to save in your iTunes library):

  1. An Invitation from the Bride & Groom
    by: John & Benz | 2:18
  2. The Talking Frog
    by: Dr. Margie Holmes | 3:16
  3. The Wake Up Message
    by: Chico Garcia & Delamar (audio clips courtesy of Monster Radio RX 93.1) | 8:00
  4. BENNETTE You are Everything
    by: John Rana | 4:32
  5.  From this Day Forward (Wedding Song)
    by: Jonjon Barros & Izza Benipayo with the San Beda College Chorale (Batch ‘97) | 3:04
  6. BENNETTE (Reprise) Take Care on Your Way Back to Me
    by: Gino Padilla | 4:35
  7. Tibok
    by: The Boys (Bong Sare, CJ Lagman, Denden Benipayo & John Rana) | 5:36
  8. 1-0-2-6 (Anniversary Song)
    by: The CompanY | 4:39

This special edition CD has a limited run.  To our friends who weren’t at the party, do send us a quick note so we can send you a copy.

Happy listening! :)


“Take My Hand Forever Hold” - a chart topping wedding song!
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

natalie-ramsay.jpg Last February, we blogged about a dad who wrote a wedding song for his daughter. This time it’s the other way around: we’re featuring a wedding song written by a daughter when her dad remarried. Natalie Ramsay — an indie artist based in Canada — wrote “Take My Hand Forever Hold” when she was just 17 years old.

Her father Brian is also a musician and now lives in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro with his new wife. Being his daughter’s inspiration and biggest fan, he brought her demo in a local FM station in San Jose (97.7 Bambi FM) and the wedding song topped the chart for 10 weeks even making it to No. 1! The song also made it (No. 18) to the station’s Top 40 Yearend Countdown for 2007. Prior to that, another song of hers (“Broken Pieces of My Heart”) peaked at No. 3 and became the station’s most requested at the time it was on the playlist.

Natalie has never been to the Philippines but she hopes to visit sometime in the future. She’s been offered a recording contract here but she said nothing’s official yet. She currently studies Filipino and dreams of conquering Broadway someday.


A father’s gift
Monday, February 25th, 2008

Trina Ibarle (now Orquiza) was a W@Wie. For her wedding last year, her dad — singer/songwriter Noel Milan — wrote a song especially for her. Entitled “Letting Go,” this original composition speaks of a father’s fond memories of his daugther as he sends her off with his blessings. The moment we first heard it, it reminded us of Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses which is another father-of-the-bride song.

Click here to listen to Noel Milan’s “Letting Go.”