By Tim Capellan
In 1968, a little girl from Bicol was contracted by Alpha Records upon the recommendation of Carmen Soriano. Her name was Nora Villamayor, known to *Tawag ng Tanghalan, a popular local amateur singing contest (Challenge of the Champions), followers as Nora Aunor.
This marked the beginning of the Golden Age of Local Recording. Although Nora's first singles were not major hits, she smashed all record sales with her series of hits which included "It's Time to Say Goodbye", "Silently", "Forever Loving You", "It's Not Unusual", and countless others. In her seven years with Alpha, she was able to set all-time high record sales which up to this day have not been surpassed. She had more than 100 hit singles, more than 15 hit albums, and several extended plays. At the height of her popularity as a recording artist, local records soared up to 75% of national sales.
The well-manicured lawn of a private villa and the breathtaking view of Taal Volcano could have been a perfect venue to conceptualize an excellent storyline. While there were no sexy bodies and white sands in my contemporary haven for the holy week break, it was nevertheless refreshing and stimulating stay. It was a week of abstinence but I never thought that my imagination and creativity would also be on a fasting mood. I suspect that the food prepared by the chef failed to stimulate my creative muscles. I should try avoiding organically grown lettuce, and maybe the pate is yummy for the bread but an antidote to one’s power to generate ideas. My editor is frantic for I have to submit an article about the contribution of the country’s one and only Superstar in the music industry. This is not an easy assignment because I am not an authority in the music scene. Also, the mere thought of writing about Nora Aunor sends differing signals to my spine.
I have confession to make: it is only now that I am beginning to collect the albums of Nora Aunor. Hey before you brand me an intruder in the Nora camp, let me explain. I was only one year old when the superstar stormed the Philippine music industry. My introduction to her music was when I was in grade one when our teacher taught us to dance “Pearly Shells.” After “Lupang Hinirang,” “Pearly Shells” was the next song that the entire class memorized. I would discover later on that in every school program, a Hawaiian number in the tune of Pearly Shells is a must -- no wonder a small cottage industry was developed: production and sales of grass skirts.
How do we define the music of Nora Aunor?
One critic posted that even if Nora Aunor is just delivering the most mundane line, she seems to be humming a tune. That her melodious voice soothes the senses. A diminutive woman, Nora Aunor is not a belter. She is not fond of making obstrusive body movements to win her audience. What she gives is pure magic which is unadulterated and simply captivating. Her numerous musical forays confirmed the views of experts that Nora Aunor need not do vocal calisthenics and don flashy outfits to connect with her audience. Few years ago, I was part of the supercilious crowd that trooped to the Captain’s Bar of Mandarin Oriental to watch her intimate lounge performance. The audience that evening was a far cry from the banner toting Noranians who would shout till their larynx collapses, but a performed set wanting to confirm if the golden voice of the brown Cinderella is still there. The verdict: the audience was mesmerized and convinced that indeed, the voice that catapulted her to prominence did not wane but in fact improved. It had a renewed timbre, a reflection of a more matured artists. She gave justice to her jazzy numbers, she had the audience dancing to their feet with her fast numbers, and she held everyone spellbound when she crooned a medley of emotion-filled songs.
It would be remembered that her sold-out concert Handog ni Guy in 1990 was her first live outing since the axing of her Superstar show. Weeks before the concert, she was terribly afraid if she could deliver. An insider even related that minutes before the big event, the Superstar was too terrified and was copiously nervous. However, when the strong 17,000 plus audience welcomed her with a standing ovation, her magic simply enveloped the sweaty coliseum, and again she connected well through her music. Few months after the mammoth event, her Handog ni Guy…Live album was given the gold record award. Clear manifestation that 20 years after she released her fist album her fans and believer still treasure her music.
Nora Aunor’s music is without doubt her passport to fame and success. Since winning the Liberty Big Show in 1964 in Camarines Sur to being declared 14 weeks champion of Darigold Bulilit Show in 1965 until her winning the Tawag ng Tanghalan in 1967, there was no looking back for the Superstar. She reshaped the Philippine music scene.
Since 1969 to date, Nora Aunor has recorded more than 500 songs and has won about 23 major music awards. She has recorded all types of songs ranging from native songs (Dandansoy, Sinisinta Kita, Sarungbanggi), Pinoy love songs (Buhat, Kapantay ay Langit, Superstar ng Buhay Ko), Visayan songs (Banikanhon and Gugmang Timawa), Christmas albums (Mama Cita, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus), country songs (Langit Pala ang Umibig), movie theme songs (Kahit na Konting Awa, Bongga Ka Day, Muling Umawit ang Puso) and duets with Tirso Cruz III, Christopher de Leon, Manny de Leon and Cocoy Laurel.
It would be noted that she was most prolific during the 70s churning out more than 40 albums. She holds the record of selling more than a million copies of a single song (Pearly Shells), a monster hit in 1971. It is a known fact that the music of Nora Aunor brought millions to the coffers of Alpha Records. This feat is unprecedented in the recording industry because it only took a single singer to build a recording empire. The 70s is characterized by political uncertainties with foreign singers dominating the airwaves. However, the entry of Nora Aunor changed the beat of that era by delivering million of sales for her records surpassing those of Beatles, the Supremes and Jackson Five. In the consumer’s hierarchy of needs, a Nora vinyl is included in the priority list. It is safe to say that it was Nora Aunor who helped fuel the micro-economy that is the music industry during that turbulent era. Until today, no single Filipino celebrity can claim to have affected the industry and the economy as a whole other than Nora Aunor.
A review of Nora Aunor’s discography revealed that while she slowed down in recording songs in the 80s, she never failed to release at least one album every decade. In the 90s, she had Handog ni Guy…Live (Wea 1991), The Power of Love (Big Record 1991), Langit Pala ang Umibig (Aguilar Records 1994), Superstar ng Buhay Ko (Vicor 1994), Muling Umawit ang Puso (Viva 1995), Viva Films Great Movie Themes (Viva 1996), OPM Timeless Collections (OctoArts 1998) and Thanks for Being a Friend (Alpha 1999). Her latest recording Heal our Land and Aking Mahal (Viva and Artistika Records 2001) still continue to enjoy brisk sales, a testament to her bankability as a recording artist.
A lot has been said about Nora Aunor, but to millions of Filipinos, she is already part of our nation’s history, and her legacy will forever be etched in our collective memory. As a singer, she has expressed and interpreted the many songs of our lives — joys, frustrations and aspirations. Her umbilical cord is attached to the millions of people that she has touched and inspired through her music. To review and analyze her reign as musical genius is to write an incomplete executive summary for she remains relevant and forever be a force in the music industry.
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**Tim A. Capellan is the Managing Director of InAsia Management and Consultancy, a respected retail and marketing consulting firm in the country. He is based in Manila, Philippines.
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