FMM: Singing Surgeon

When my colleagues and I were talking about 80s OPM singers, the name Nonoy Zuniga came about.

That name immediately rang a bell because of two things.

First, he's a surgeon aside from being a singer. And back then, that was a huge deal. Imagine, he's a not only a good doctor, he's a good singer, too!

Second, he's the brother of my grade 2 teacher, Mrs. Munoz. She would often talk about him, and he actually went to our lass one time.

It was after that meeting that the class learned about his songs. And they turned out to be really cool songs! They were well-written, the lyrics were deep and insightful, and the melodies were easy to listen to. Ballads were his forte, and he sang them with an emotion that you can easily feel.

So, for today's Friday Magic Madness, let me play Nonoy Zuniga's most iconic hits

"Doon lang" was released in 1981, and became one of the most played songs on-air during that time. It also became one of the usual singing contest songs that would be sung. That's who impactful it was.

Let's just say the doctor wrote the prescription for a hit!

FMM: What's the Plann?

Since we're in the subject of j3j3m0hwns, this song from 1993 suddenly came to mind.

"Bring dat booty" is a rap song from the Fil-Am group named Mastaplann. 

While this isn't exactly from the j3j3m0hwn era, (it predated it by more than a decade, actually), this song actually captures the vibe of that era. It campy, cheesy and cringey. But it's so campy, cheesy and cringey that it's fun.

Thus, it's fun to go back and randomly listen to songs like this. 

But yes, I'm still glad this era is over.

FMM: Top of the Pops

The Metropop Music Festival in the late 70s & 80s was definitely the breeding ground of some of the most iconic OPM songs. 

Back in the early 2000s, I had a CD compilation of the winners and finalists of the different Metropop derbies, and I'd often listen it with Kuya Ers - a fellow fan of old OPM. After poring through each CD, one thing was clear - this was the golden age of song writing contests.

From Metropop came some memorable Pinoy hits like "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika," "Salamat, Musika," "Isang Mundo, Isang Awit,""Ako ang nagwagi, Ako ang nasawi," "Give me a Chance," "Anak," "Umagang Kay Ganda," among many others.

But the winning songs weren't the only one that became hits. Other finalists and runners-up were equally memorable and have stood the test of time.

A good example is today's Friday Magic Madness song from 1980. It's a song from The New Minstrels and talks about how we are all connected despite our differences. A message that's beautifully captured in the title: "Ikaw, Ako, Magkakapatid."

I've listened to this song for 4 decades already. And fun fact, we performed this song when I was still part of the High School choir.

And the message rings true now just like it did 42 years ago.

FMM: Vernie Viernes

A few weeks ago, D' Frendz were having an on-line discussion about old songs that we listen to these days. Bonique, Rona and I were talking about the singers from the 70s and 80s that are on our repeat list, and the subject quickly shifted to OPM artists.

We all agree that OPM in the 70s and 80s were the best times for Filipino music. It was the perfect musical storm - great melodies, meaningful lyrics, gimmick-free singing, and top-notch singers! And they had longevity, with some of these artists still very much present today.

My list of OPM greats is long. And one of the names on that list is Vernie Varga.

Yes, the sultry, seductive and powerful voice that can easily shift from a ballad to a dance track, from English to Filipino. Singers like her are a rarity nowadays, that's why the more time files, the more I appreciate her.

One of my favourite Vernie Varga songs is an English ballad from the 90s. It's a song entitled "Being With You" and it's a song that i'll never tire listening to.



That's why on today's Friday Magic Madness, it's time to bring out the big OPM guns and start off with the incomparable Ms. Varga!

Being with this song is a great way to spend Friday!

FMM: Universally accepted

After a month of hard and hush-hush work, the fruits of our labor - one of them at least - is launching today.

To celebrate that, let's go back to the 70s and play an OPM for today's Friday Magic Madness.



I think this pretty much says it all.

FMM: Hot-digitty-dog!

Because I watched the Hotdog's 40th reunion concert last night, it's just fitting that I play one of their most popular songs on today's Friday Magic Madness.



Hala! Hala! Here's to the Hotdogs!