• 5 months ago
The Story Behind Harana as Told by Its Original Composer Eric “Yappy” Yaptangco | OG

Yep, Parokya fans. ‘Harana’ is not a Parokya Ni Edgar original. Meet Eric “Yappy” Yaptangco, the man who wrote “Harana” in 1989 when he was 19. There have been different versions by different generations but everyone knows it tells only one story. Well, maybe, if we to talk about love and friendship in general. If you listen close enough, this cherished OPM song is not just a courtship masterpiece. It also tells a story of ka-barkadas coming together to help their friend who needs a team to serenade a love interest. What a gesture!

And do you want to hear all of these from Yappy Yaptangco himself? Well, you're about to hear so much more. Here's the interview.

What Yappy shares in this video:

- How the song came to be
- Why he didn't want to submit Harana for publication
- How the song was passed on
- The missing stanza Chito Miranda and the rest of Parokya Ni Edgar didn't know about (but they did eventually after a long time)
- College days and friendship
- His thoughts about how Harana resonate with so many

MUSIC COURTESY OF:
"Harana" by Parokya Ni Edgar
Song and Music Video Courtesy Of Universal Records Philippines

Music by KaraoKeysPH - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_aruj4Uo10

VIDEO CLIPS COURTESY OF:
Ryan Ryan Musikahan (Jeepney TV)
Jing Castaneda - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaCGTHzC4SU
loyesp - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHyfH7_jSLU
Bakit kinagat ni Adan ang mansanas ni Eba? (Urban Films)

Regal Entertainment, Inc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrtDGO10uDM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00KlmE3FPZo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9XhjBrz9vs

MUSIC COVERS BY:
Jireh Singson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNiq0Gz4gpk
EM Productions Studio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAJjnZ7JW40
AJ Molina - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn67tI_69is
Vie Dela Rosa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ejXGfW4llQ

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
Eric Yaptangco
Cholo Mallillin
Parokya Ni Edgar (Facebook)

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Transcript
00:00 I wrote it for the piano, but when a group sings it,
00:03 as in, "Hala na kami," I can't bring a piano along.
00:05 So it eventually morphed into a guitar version,
00:08 and then Tone Tony played it on the piano.
00:11 Parokya and Chito did it on the guitar.
00:19 But at the end of the day, the essence has not changed.
00:29 It's a bit sensitive. I didn't know if I can deal with rejection.
00:36 I wrote the song "Harana" when I was 19 years old.
00:49 The lyrics were relatively quite easy.
00:51 It's interesting because I actually started writing the song that Saturday night.
00:55 I had a few phrases in my head.
00:57 It's straightforward because it was so real.
00:59 Just collecting the images and the recollections that I had about the group, about our haranas.
01:04 I think at that time, we probably had done three or four haranas.
01:07 And we'd do it in Antipolo, for example.
01:09 So, "Laging malamig yung hangin," "The sky is clear."
01:12 It's always fun, and then we were on the Barbarong.
01:22 So it's just recollecting, putting together everything that we were doing,
01:25 and trying to capture that moment.
01:27 Trying to capture that heart, that special thing that we were doing.
01:30 And I wrote it into ours because it just flowed.
01:33 It was real. It was true.
01:34 It's not just me. It was everybody's experience.
01:37 I was fortunate enough to be able to capture that.
01:39 And I think that's why a lot of people can relate to it.
01:43 Because it is real.
01:44 And it was our story, as the Hujat group, as the Harana Boy.
01:48 They are my friends in college.
01:50 We were actually a political party in college.
01:53 We ran for student government.
01:56 We also liked music.
01:57 When one of our friends, who's now a doctor in Makati Med,
02:01 was going to express his feelings to the girl he was courting.
02:07 One of our other friends, who's also now a lawyer,
02:09 Ernie Guevara, said, "Oh, mang Harana tayo!"
02:12 And it was fun.
02:14 And I was the guy who was always playing the guitar.
02:17 We're going to go and do Harana.
02:19 But let's do it properly.
02:20 We need to practice. At least sabay-sabay.
02:21 Miski sablay-sablay.
02:23 And second, we need to dress up.
02:25 So that we don't look like we're just making fun of this.
02:28 So we actually took it really seriously.
02:30 But we wanted to make sure that we conveyed that aspect.
02:32 That we did prepare for this for our friend.
02:36 And for our friend's soon-to-be girlfriend.
02:37 And it was an offering that we actually were providing a gift to both of them.
02:43 And then we just kept on going.
02:46 And we actually did a few more Haranas for all of our friends through the years.
02:51 The thing that I remember the most though,
02:53 was that when I started writing the first and second stanza,
02:57 it was pretty good. Typical.
03:00 But when I got to the refrain, it flowed.
03:03 I didn't even have to think about it.
03:05 It just came out. It just came bursting out.
03:07 [Music]
03:31 One of my friends, Cholo Malilin, who is a fantastic singer,
03:36 also became a radio DJ early in his career.
03:41 I told him, "Okay, this is it. That's yours.
03:43 If you want to launch your singing career, you can use that. That's yours."
03:46 And yet, he was the one who taught it to Tony Lambino.
03:48 He was the one who brought it to the Atene High School.
03:50 Seeing it in variety shows or whatever other programs.
03:54 And then everybody just picked it up.
03:56 And I think Chito Miranda picked it up.
04:00 Just to pass it on.
04:01 I never submitted it for publication.
04:05 I'm a bit sensitive.
04:06 I didn't know if I can deal with rejection.
04:08 So I didn't submit it for publication at the time.
04:12 But I just wanted it to be...
04:13 So I shared it with friends.
04:15 And it just kept on going.
04:16 I was quite happy that it does.
04:18 And I'm still quite happy that it connects with a lot of people.
04:21 [Music]
04:28 It was original.
04:29 That was not...
04:30 It's "Bukang Gago" naman.
04:31 So it's like you're looking stupid, right?
04:34 It's not like a pointed thing, right?
04:36 It's not an insult.
04:37 "Sino ba 'tong magmumukang gago'ng nagkahantara pa sa pagkata?"
04:40 It's because you feel...
04:42 Sometimes you feel a bit foolish or sheepish.
04:44 That word was originally part of the song.
04:46 Kasi that's how we speak.
04:48 That's how we speak as friends.
04:49 That's how the baragada jokes with each other.
04:52 That's how we all cajole each other.
04:55 And have fun while being serious.
04:58 And that's the tone that I wanted in the song.
05:01 That it's us being together.
05:03 [Music]
05:10 From what I recall,
05:12 Tito was saying that they didn't even know the last tanzan until recently.
05:15 And then it goes...
05:16 Because it goes back and it slows down again.
05:18 [Music]
05:31 "Bastat para sa 'yo aking hirang kahit na magmukang hibang."
05:35 [Music]
05:41 And then...
05:42 "Tutop din ang lahat liyag pagkat ako'y iyong bihag."
05:46 [Music]
05:56 And then it ends very, very simply...
05:58 "At mahal kita, sinta."
05:59 "At mahal kita, sinta."
06:06 The last line, it just closes everything out.
06:08 That's why we're doing this harana.
06:11 [Music]
06:18 I never met Tito.
06:19 I never met the paroqui group.
06:20 So they did call me and ask for my permission to record the song.
06:24 Of course, I said yes.
06:25 From what I remember,
06:26 Tito was saying in his story,
06:28 in one of the interviews we did together,
06:30 that he heard it from a friend,
06:31 "This big guy that's always tough."
06:34 And then singing this,
06:35 and being able to sing this with heart.
06:37 "Sigat talaga. One of the bad boys sa bat samin."
06:39 "We were hanging out sa bahay nila."
06:41 "And he sang this song."
06:42 Tony, I got it from Cholo.
06:45 I also know Tony's sister.
06:48 Because Tony's sister and I are in the same batch.
06:51 And I think pasapasa na rin yun, eh.
06:54 And then the first time it was ever out-sang
06:57 in a wider audience was in "Rain, Rain, Musikahan"
07:01 by Tony Lambino.
07:02 He's the first person to actually cut the song
07:05 and publish it as a recording.
07:06 [Music]
07:19 When you create something or develop something
07:21 and it connects with somebody, even one person,
07:23 it is truly special.
07:25 I wrote it for the piano.
07:27 But when a group sings it,
07:28 "Nangahalang na kami,"
07:29 I can't bring a piano along.
07:31 So it eventually morphed into a guitar version.
07:34 And then Tony played it on the piano.
07:36 Parokya and Chito did it on the guitar.
07:38 But at the end of the day,
07:39 the essence has not changed.
07:42 And all the changes, all the updates,
07:45 every small detail that people,
07:49 small nuance that people add,
07:52 it just makes it richer.
07:53 [Music]
08:06 I think it's relatable.
08:08 It's the language.
08:12 [Speaking Filipino]
08:16 The language is normal.
08:17 It's like talking to each other.
08:19 And it's also a song for a person,
08:24 but also a song by the group.
08:26 [Speaking Filipino]
08:33 That gets that feeling.
08:34 But also the person trying to confess their love has that.
08:39 But also everybody around him.
08:41 It is about the community.
08:43 It's about heart.
08:44 It's about a shared experience,
08:46 a shared special experience
08:48 that we're all going through.
08:49 And that's probably why it connects to people.
08:51 [Music]
09:07 Professionally, I think whatever I achieved in my career,
09:10 in my lifetime,
09:11 I will always be known as the person who wrote "Tarana."
09:13 And I'm happy about that.
09:16 One of my friends said,
09:19 "Andami mong napasaya dahil sa kantang iyan."
09:22 And if that's the way I will always be remembered,
09:24 I'm happy with that,
09:25 being able to connect with people.
09:27 At the end of the day,
09:28 anything we need to do is about connecting with other people
09:30 and really sharing that experience.
09:32 [Music]
09:58 [Music]
10:06 Hi, this is Eric Giptanco.
10:08 I'm the composer of "Tarana."
10:10 Please like and subscribe the OJYoutube channel.

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