Staying at home all day is hard in this quarantine period. The internet is a good place to find great stuff to keep us company during this time when all we think of is the food for our next meal.

They say that listening to music is the best boredom killer.  Great tunes boast our mood and fight off depression.  I could not agree more with these observations.

So, what are the best Filipino sounds in my playlist?   I’ve compiled the best go-to love songs currently hitting the airwaves in the Philippines.  Listening to this music allows me to relax, and take things lightly amid the bad and not-so-bad news about the corona virus.

I am not a music person. But since I have plenty of downtime now, listening to music on Spotify or YouTube has become my favorite pastime. Come on, let us play that music, drink your coffee, and sing along with the singers.

1.  Kathang Isip –  (Ben and Ban)

It is difficult when you assume things, especially in a relationship.  But that is how the love story goes. We assume so many things until we realized our efforts are not valued.  The song’s melody and lyrics will hit you to the core.   The  opening  lines resonate with so many emotions:

“Di ba nga ito ang ‘yong gusto?/ Oh, ito’y lilisan na ako;

Mga alaala’y ibabaon / Kalakip ang tamis ng kahapon”

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcv2cH8rsKU

2.  Pagtingin – (Ben and Ben)

Are you  “torpe” when it comes to love? Do you love someone but afraid to take the first move?  Or are you secretly in love with your best friend?  If you are one of these, then this love song is for you. The message is pretty simple – how will you know what is for you when you do not know what’s not for you.  Very poetic, isn’t it?  The chorus mirrors how anxious it is when you finally take the first leap

Pag nilahad ang damdamin / Sana di magbago ang pagtingin

Aminin ang mga lihim / Sana di magbago ang pagtingin”

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ktQh3sWZk

3.  Araw-araw – (Ben and  Ben)

Commitment and acceptance.  These are the messages of the song.  Choosing to love the same person every day despite that person’s flaws and imperfections is magical and mysterious.  These lines are my favorite:

Mahiwaga / Pipiliin ka sa araw-araw

Mahiwaga / Ang nadarama sa iyo’y malinaw

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ktQh3sWZk

4.  Sa Iyo  – (Silent Sanctuary)

The soft and sweet melody in the song fascinates me. Moreover,  the conversational tone of the lyrics makes the song more appealing.  Listening to the song is not heavy to the ears.

Tumingin sa’king mata/ Magtapat ng nadarama

‘Di gusto, ika’y mawala / Dahil handa akong ibigin ka

Kung maging tayo / Sa’yo lang ang puso ko

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU2giFgWYQk

5.  Balang Araw – (I belong to the Zoo)

This is I Belong to the Zoo’s version of one-sided love.  Like Ben and Ben’s Kathang Isip, Balang Araw is heavy too with relatable lyrics.  “Ganoon talaga / Talo na naman tayo / Ganu’n talaga / Nadala na lang sa puro pangako”

Sometimes, our disappointments are products of our misplaced expectations.  When we are in love, we expect a lot of things.  We expect that everything is perfect.  But, well when it come to love, there is no perfect relationship.

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWSrOYG87lg

6.  Sana – (I Belong to the Zoo)

Do you think you have a perfect love story?  But some love stories do not end up with happy endings. In “Sana”, being the second option is painful,; “panakip butas”.  These lines change the love story:

“May hinihintay ka lang pa lang bumalik”.  Sakit talaga!!

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea3NPjCXPeg

7.  Hindi Tayo Pwede – (The Juans)

There are relationships that are not meant to last.   You knew there are red flags from the start but you insisted to keep the relationship until you realize later on that it is not going somewhere. Giving up on something isn’t bad after all. Anyone can relate to this story.

“Hindi tayo pwede / Pinagtagpo pero ‘di tinadhana

Hindi na posible / Ang mga puso’y huwag nating pahirapan

Suko na sa laban / Hindi tayo puwede

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD767CcTe-U

8.  Gitara – (Parokya ni Edgar)

This classic Parokya hit never ceases to make me a romantic soul every time it is played on the radio.  The song tells the story of someone who is in love but for some reasons cannot express his intentions.  The beat is easy-going and the lyrics are just right.  These lines are perfect:

“hahayaan na lang sila / Magkadarapa na manligaw sayo

Idadaan na lang kita sa awitin kong ito / Sabay ang tugtug ng gitara

Idadaan na lang sa gitara”

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y93Xqqaz-DA

9.  Pansamantala – (Calla Lily)

The song explores the theme of a third wheeler, someone who is just an option,  best friend, and shock absorber.  These lines are meaningful:

Kaibigan lang bang maituturing  / Ang hirap naman yatang mangapa sa dilim

Sino ba talaga sa amin ang ‘yong / Pansamantalang panyo

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0glxF_eFm8w

10.  Mitsa (Salamat) – (Ben and Ben)

Some relationship doesn’t last long.  Mitsa reminds us that the time we spent loving the person is time not wasted even if things did not work out.   The song challenges us to be clear and honest when loving someone.  This is evident in these words:

Pag wala na naman tayong nararamdaman Ay mabuti pang itigil na’ng, kunwa-kunwari lang

Pag wala na naman din itong pupuntahan Ay mabuti pang sabihin na’ng Salamat, salamat.

Listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbfMhYVy-yM

I hope you had a grand time listening to the songs.  What about you?  How do spend your free time?  Kindly share that in the Comment Section below.