It's a quiet Saturday evening where I am so I decided to enjoy the moment by listening to some favorite songs. My CD player has been quiet these past couple of months because thanks to a rather busy work schedule, I wasn't able to spend some time listening to any of my CDs. Anyway, with some free time on my hands finally, I decided to end the quiet streak to once again listen to some old favorites.
I've loved this Free Movement song from the very moment I first heard it played on DWRK 96.3.
It was the mid-eighties. I was in college and at the time, RK 96 (which was how DWRK 96.3 was known then) was the station I listened to whenever I needed my "oldies fix".
The radio station was still rather new at the time and during my first couple of years in college, the station broadcasted out of a building at the corner of Senator Gil J. Puyat Avenue (Buendia Avenue) and Bautista Street in Makati City. If my memory serves me right, the building's ground floor was occupied by a branch of the United Coconut Planters Bank. ("UCPB") The radio station set aside Wednesday of every week to play nothing but oldies songs all day. The folks at DWRK called this program "Oldies Wednesday". Or maybe it was "Sixties Wednesday"? Hahaha! I can't exactly remember now but anyway....
It was through RK 96's oldies Wednesday program that I was introduced to the song above. It's called "The Harder I Try (The Bluer I Get)" and was a tune that The Free Movement released back in December 1971. I love the song for the simplicity of its lyrics and the beauty of its music. Talk about true "easy listening". Too bad though that as a group, The Free Movement didn't last long for the group had ceased to exist by 1973.
Anyway, let me just share with you the lyrics of this little musical gem a great vocal group gave us from the distant past:
At night I find that I can't sleep
All day long I walk the streets
My heart is filled with misery and pain
Tears fill my eyes when I speak your name
The harder I try,
The bluer I get;
Lord knows that I
I haven't gotten over losing you.
I can't get over losing you...
I can't get over losing you...
I'm so lonely I've lost my pride
And I've got tears that I can't hide;
Every day I'm so sad and blue
Without your love, what would I do?
The harder I try
(The harder I try)
The bluer I get
(The bluer I get)
Lord knows that I
I haven't gotten over losing you.
Last night I held someone new
But when I kissed her lips I was seeing you
A kiss like this has no meaning you see
And life without you has no future for me
Oh, the harder I try
(The harder I try)
The bluer I get
(The bluer I get)
Lord knows that I
I haven't gotten over losing you.
I can't get over losing you...
(Losing you...)
I can't get over losing you...
(Losing you...)
I can't get over losing you...
(Losing you...)
As for the radio station DWRK 96.3, I was a junior in college when it moved from its humble digs in Buendia to its new and current location at the FEMS Tower 1 Building on Zobel-Roxas Street. I still make it a point to listen to the station whenever I'm in Manila. The building that used to house the station at the corner of Buendia Avenue and Bautista Street is still there. A UCPB branch still occupies its ground floor. Like the song above, this station has remained a sentimental favorite of mine because I remain grateful for the countless songs it introduced to me many years ago, songs I still love listening to to this day.
33 responses:
You are a romantic soul!
Is 96.3, WRock? :) If I remember correctly that's how their jingle goes. I listen to it too, they always have a good selection of songs but I leave the radio on overnight tuned at 90.7...not many stations broadcast overnight eh.
I remember this song very much as it was I who did the solo part when I was still in a group. I wonder what happened to the girl singing with me. We did have a great time then.
I remember this song but I didn't quite know Free Movement. I thought 5th Dimension sang it :) Great song though - lyrics and melody wise :)
i believe you have a good memory. when i was in college i am an avid listener of NU107. my casette is with me on my bed the whole night.
Oi! did you know that Basil Valdez sang this when he was still singing with the legendary Circus Band in the early seventies? Ito yung signature song niya at the time and he sang it very much like the original. :-)
wow! my uncle said that song captures how he felt while trying to charm my aunt. she really gave him a hard time daw.
as for wrock, i think they still have light classic features.
you're a romantic! this is a nice song to listen to at 2 in the morning. wrock plays light rock---they have light rock classics on fridays where they play 70's music. i seldom tune in to wrock these days (i don't know why). i usually listen to crossover or 92.3 (used to be Joey) driving to and from work. RJFM when i'm a bit sleepy, 89.9 magic on fridays, 99.5 RT on saturdays and 97.9 on sundays (hahaha). kumpleto e no?
It brings back memories. I was a freshman in college when I first heard it in the late-70's... haaay, those were the days.
Sidney,
Thank you. I just try to make sure that I stop and smell the roses every once in a while. :)
Mirage2g,
Yes, it's the same radio station. From RK 96 it changed to WRock some time in the late 80s or 1990.
Rolly,
SO did tell me that you do have a great singing voice and can play the guitar well. Sample naman diyan! Hahaha Take care. :)
BW,
It took me a while too to find out what group was behind this song. Too bad that there's not enough material out on the web that talks about them.
Dong,
Cool. :) I was way past college when NU 107 came out. I would listen to it every once in a while while in the car on my way to work or on my way home.
But oftentimes, I would switch between WRock and DZRJ.
Rudy,
Wow. Thanks for the info. I didn't know that Basil did this song way back when with the Circus Band. Even though I wasn't too fond of his songs when he went solo (found them quite depressing), in fairness to Basil, the man did have a very good voice.
Atticus,
Hahaha The song does capture that emotion felt when one laments the loss (or possible loss) of a loved one. I'm very happy for your uncle though because he was able to turn the situation back in his favor. :)
Luna Miranda,
Hahahaha You have a programming schedule pala. :D
When I was still a student, I'd often listen to WRock in the car while on my way to school. I often listened to it in the evenings too and on weekends while I did my homework.
But later on, when RJ-FM came into the picture around 1986, I would switch between the two stations. I didn't listen much to 99.5 RT in those days for the simple fact that almost everyone in my class listened to it. I was a rebel in a way that I would sometimes do things to go "against the flow" so to speak. :)
Blogusvox,
Yup, Pards. Those were indeed the days. Life was a bit carefree.
I remember the song very well as I was hooked on easy listening music during the the time too. It was the rage then, together with lite jazz. That was before hip hop and rap destroyed the music scene! He he.
Mon,
Hahaha I must admit that hip hop is one form of "music" I have serious problems appreciating. I find the music awful and the message/lyrics too negative most of the time. Sigh.
iba talaga ang classics ano?mas lasting ang effect..also based from what i noticed when I compared them to the new hits of today. ngayon sikat pa, pero after a month or so wala na.
you must be romantic..that's good.
really romantic lyrics. sayang, faulty ang speaker. cant seem to recall the tune but the lyrics are familiar.
romantic mode ka na naman, huh..
of couse you're welcome in my new blog! although, it's not really that new, it's been around for four years now, it just hasn't been my "main" blog until now.
anyhoo, sorry haven't been lurking around your site lately. been bz bz bz! haha. will spam your comment pages soon :p
pards andun pa nga yung ucpb..naalala ko rin yung building na yan,nung time na gumagawa ako ng semi thesis isa sa gusto kong irevised yung building ng ucpb...column kasi ang design.
pareho kami ni dong ng timpla ng music...N.U.107..:)
such a sweet guy. parang natural na poet ah. galing.
interesting! now i know who sang this song. i love this song! =)
Esularte,
So true. These classic songs remain popular for generations. It is sad that a lot of the songs these days don't have the same beauty and staying power.
Thanks for the compliment. :)
Bing,
Hahaha Kaunti lang naman. :D
Penny Lane,
No problem. Thanks for the second welcome. LOL
Ever,
Yes, nandoon pa rin siya, Pards. Nakita ko noong huling bisita ko sa Maynila. Medyo luma na ngayon iyong building pero ok pa rin naman iyong lugar. :)
Lawstude,
Maraming salamat sa papuri, Pards. I'm not really a poet. Mahilig lang ako makinig sa music lalo na pag nagandahan ako sa lyrics at sa himig. Salamat uli. :)
Carlotta,
Beautiful song, isn't it? It took me a while too to determine the group behind it. For a long time, I just listened and sang to it but didn't really know who sang it.
A very breezy love song it is and even if I just heard it for the first time, I felt like I have loved the song for along,long time.
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