Labingsiyam ang edad ng multi-awarded songwriter na si Cecile Azarcon nang isulat niya ang "Lift Up Your Hands," ang inspirational hit song ni Basil Valdez noong 1980 na nananatiling sikat at tinatangkilik ng publiko.
Read: Cecile Azarcon, star-studded ang 45th anniversary concert
May magandang kuwento si Cecile tungkol sa kanta na naghatid sa kanya ng suwerte at mga oportunidad para makalikha pa siya ng magaganda at hindi makalilimutan na mga awitin.
Kabilang dito ang "Sana Ay Ikaw na Nga" (Basil Valdezz), "Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin" (Martin Nievera), "One More Try" (Kuh Ledesma), "Even If" (Jam Morales), "Reaching Out" (Gary Valenciano), "Special Memory" (Iwi Laurel), "So It’s You" (Raymond Lauchengco), at "How Did You Know?" (Chiqui Pineda).
"LIFT UP YOUR HANDS"
“Ang ‘Lift Up Your Hands,’ ang daming istorya niyan kasi that’s the song that ushered my songwriting career. And who would have thought that an inspirational song would even be played over the radio?” ang lahad ni Cecile tungkol sa kanyang kauna-unahang komposisyon.
“When I wrote that song, it came to me in a matter of ten minutes, words and music. That’s really a divinely inspired song. I didn’t even have a Bible in front of me.
“Hindi yung nagbukas ka ng Bible, o maganda itong verse na ito, magawan nga ng kanta.
“I didn’t even have an idea na it was based on Matthew 11:28. Medyo may alam ako sa Bible and somehow, lumabas lang iyon,” ani Cecile na binalikan ang kuwento ng “Lift Up Your Hands.”
“I was on the phone with a friend of mine, she’s the daughter of our pastor in our church. Mahirap kasi kapag preacher’s kid ka, kahit pastor’s kid ka, maraming challenges.
“She was troubled at that time and I told her not to do anything drastic. I prayed for her and after we put down the phone, the words and the music came about.
“And then, siyempre bagong gawa, excited ka and I was hanging out at Vicor. My cousin, my Ate Charo Unite [ang sumulat ng ‘Lupa’ at ‘May Bukas Pa,’ ang ilan sa mga popular na kanta ni Rico Puno], she’s working at that time as an A&R for Vicor and Blackgold.
“Tapos, may kuwarto at piano doon and that’s where George Canseco would hang out, si Ernie dela Pena…
“May piano, walang tao nung time na iyon. Ang ginawa ko, kapag may piano, parang nangangati yung kamay ko. Gusto kong tumugtog so I played and I was singing 'Lift Up Your Hands' kasi bagong compose.
“Hindi ko alam, dumadaan si Basil Valdez. Hindi ko alam na nakikinig siya sa labas ng pintuan so after I sang the song, pumasok siya.
“I don’t know if Basil remembers it but I will never forget it. Sabi niya sa akin, ‘What’s that song?’
“Sabi ko, ‘Oh, it’s nothing.’
“Sabi niya, ‘Well, I’m doing my first English OPM album. Can I include it?’
“Hindi ako makapaniwala. Tuwang-tuwa ako. Kasama iyon sa kanyang Corner of the Sky album [ 1980]. The first English OPM.
“May Side A, may Side B ang plaka. Ang ‘Lift Up Your Hands,’ nasa Side B. Filler nga lang, di ba? It’s not even the carrier of the album. Wala siyang payola.
“Ni hindi siya tinutugtog sa radyo. Itong DJ na ito, almost lost his job. He got in trouble with his station manager for playing ‘Lift Up Your Hands’ kasi it’s not on the playlist.
“He broke the playlist rule pero it became an overnight success. Pinatawad siya ng boss niya. He didn’t get fired and the rest is history,” ang pagbabalik-tanaw ni Cecile tungkol sa makulay at kontrobersyal na nakaraan ng ‘Lift Up Your Hands.’
“Kapag in-ordain ng Diyos, I believe it’s God-ordained and for the song to still be my number one song up to today…. glory to God!
“Nagsunud-sunod na yung humingi si Basil ng pangalawang kanta. Sabi niya kung meron akong Tagalog song, gagawa naman siya ng all-Tagalog album and that’s when I gave him 'Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga' na hindi ko rin inaakala na maghi-hit.”
Dalawang daang piso (na malaking halaga noong 1979) ang advanced royalty na natanggap ni Cecile para sa ‘Lift Up Your Hands’ na naging instrumento para magtuluy-tuloy ang kanyang songwriting career.
45TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
Ipagdiriwang ni Cecile ang ika-45 na anibersaryo ng kanyang propesyon sa pamamagitan ng dalawang magkasunod na gabi na pagtatanghal sa Mayo 24 at Mayo 25, 2024, sa The Theatre ng Solaire Resort Casino, ang The Music of Cecile Azarcon: A 45th Anniversary Concert.
Matagal nang naninirahan si Cecile sa California, USA at uuwi siya ng Pilipinas para sa pagdiriwang ng anibersaryo ng songwriting career na nagbigay sa kanya ng kaligayahan kaya lubos ang pasasalamat niya.
“Masayang-masaya ako. I just can’t contain the joy, the gratitude that I have in my heart kasi wala naman kahit sino na nag-e-expect na aabot ka ng 45 years in your career lalo na music industry.
“Yung mga kasabay ko, contemporary ko, actually most of them wala na. Willy Cruz, wala na. Si Rico J. [Puno], wala na. Yung songwriters, George Canseco, inabot ko pa si George. We used to hang out sa Vicor so I’m just grateful.
“I feel bad because yung iba, hindi sila nabigyan ng ganitong pagkakataon, that they were able to celebrate, that they were given a tribute.
“Siguro nabigyan sila, wala na sila, patay na. Kaya niloloko ko nga si Kuh [Ledesma] noon, kasi she recorded most of my songs.
“Sabi ko ‘Kuh, baka naman bibigyan mo ako ng tribute kapag patay na ako.’
“Actually, she gave me one back in 1988. It was the very first concert that featured an all Azarcon repertoire that was held at the Music Museum.
“And I am just so grateful na 45 years na, yung mga tao tinatangkilik pa rin ang mga kanta ko. Kinakanta pa rin sa mga karaoke at nire-revive pa rin.”