Healing Your Inner Child:
Playlist of Nostalgia
BY DARREN WAMINAL | DECEMBER 1, 2023
Picture this: You have a morning class. You are preparing your school uniform while listening to Unang Hirit’s latest news updates. Consequently, you’re sipping a hot chocolate drink paired with pandesal that your Nanay purchased from Manong who rides a potpot bike.
You were just a kid back then.
Our childhood was the priceless years of our lives when we learned how to appreciate everything—thinking that life was just serene, simple, and tranquil. It was the period of time when we were still free to jump for excitement or even burst into tears whether for sadness or joy.
To look back and appreciate childhood in its entirety, there are plenty of choices to choose from. One of them is enjoying good old pieces of music that can bring back recollections of our awkward moments with our crush or the memorable days of our lives.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane through Twinkle’s playlist of nostalgia.
Art Angel Theme Song
“Art angel, art angel, ang ating mundo’y gawing makulay!”
Do you still remember Kuya Tonipet and Ate Pia? Art Angel taught viewers of all ages how to do a variety of arts and crafts. Children also loved Pintado, a paint-covered hand that instructs kids how to do sketching, acting as the show's visage. With its iconic “bura, bura, bura!” line, kids enjoy saying it repeatedly as Pintado removes the pencil sketches in the illustration.
Along with these hosts, this song has already left its stamp on our hearts. With time, its vibrant tune and cheerful pace make us feel the touch of yesterday–a time when we were still young.
Dati by Sam Concepcion and Tippy Dos Santos
“Hindi ba’t ikaw nga ‘yung reyna, at ako ang ‘yong hari…”
As the 2013 champion of the Philippine Pop (Philpop) music festival, this song was about the story of two childhood friends who never lost their feelings and affection for each other despite moving on into their separate lives.
This track captures the hearts of those who have been separated by time. A romantically nostalgic song about treasured memories of the past, Filipino kids who grew up with the things they mentioned in the track can ultimately relate to this song on a different level.
Buko by Jireh Lim
“Naalala ko pa, noong nililigawan pa lamang kita..”
Surely, even though a lot of Christmases have passed, Buko would remain as one of our most remembered songs. The title “Buko,” is a contraction of the word ‘Buhay Ko’ which means ‘my life’. The song is about constant and eternal love, portraying the character's everlasting commitment and love for his significant other despite their distance and miscommunications.
This debut single of Jireh Lim evokes peace, which brings back a lot of childhood memories, and oddly gets you thrilled about a relationship that you don't even have.
Ang Huling El Bimbo by Eraserheads
“Kamukha mo si… Paraluman”
If you are a Filipino, it’s likely that you’ve heard Ang Huling El Bimbo at least once in your life. A prominent song by Eraserheads, it depicts a forbidden romance story between childhood friends who grew older, drifted apart, and eventually met a tragic end through its colorful and sentimental lyrics. It surely makes us reminisce about such experiences that make us yearn for the older times.
Ang Huling El Bimbo is a sentimental track for people who love, are loved, and are hurt. For sure, until now, this song is still present and still making your karaoke list complete!
Alaala Na Lang and Classmate by Hambog ng Sagpro Krew
“Iniisip ko kung bakit ganito ang langit nilayo ako sa’yoooo”
Remember back in elementary school? Did you memorize this song by heart and sing it for your friends? Or the time when it was hard to avoid hearing it played in computer shops in the afternoon?
Alaala Na Lang and Classmate by Hambog ng Sagpro Krew “Iniisip ko kung bakit ganito ang langit nilayo ako sa’yoooo” Remember back in elementary school? Did you memorize this song by heart and sing it for your friends? Or the time when it was hard to avoid hearing it played in computer shops in the afternoon?
Teach Me How To Dougie by Cali Swag District
I'm sure you danced and ‘dougied’ way back when this song hit!
Before TikTok dances today, there was Teach Me How to Dougie, a debut single by American hip-hop group Cali Swag District. The song features a metronomic beat, which made every kid vibe and experience that early 2010s dance trend.
Even now, some grown-ups can't resist doing the Dougie if it suddenly plays. The dance battles we enjoyed at our Christmas parties were timeless! Though it's odd to think back on, we were among those who danced and enjoyed this song with our friends when it initially became a hit. It gives us a constant reminder of how we enjoyed our elementary and high school days.
Those are just some of the songs that serve as a sentimental recall of childhood stories and the purity that existed in those times. It symbolizes the timeless feeling of nostalgia and the never-ending desire to return to the moment of innocence and simplicity.
As we get older, those songs are getting more nostalgic, aren't they? What's wonderful about good old music is that it gives you a moment to reminisce about the good times, or even makes you realize that life was simple back then. Now, which of these songs are still in your playlist?
