Show ‘Your Love’ for Gary Ignacio

Watching a news program last Sunday night, I was saddened by the report that Gary Ignacio, the former frontman of local ’90s seminal rock band Alamid, has been battling bone cancer for some time now. Seeing Gary Ignacio in his severely weakened state is a far cry from how he used to look in his healthier and younger days—he has lost so much weight, his signature long hair gone, and he can barely walk as his bones have become so brittle because of this life-threatening disease.

The visual image of him bothered me so much and brought a tear to my eye because Gary Ignacio happens to be responsible for one of the most beautiful local songs I have ever heard in my life which is “Your Love.”

The music of his band Alamid represents another “piece” of my childhood that I fondly remember from the early ’90s as it was during the time I was beginning to realize just how truly talented our musicians were during those exciting years in OPM. It was also because Alamid’s hits like “Your Love,” “China Eyes” and “Sama-Sama” would help raise my own awareness of the existence of other equally great local bands.

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It is time to immortalize the song ‘Your Love’

Who do not know or have not heard of “Your Love” at one point or another in their lives? I can still remember that as a kid I would hear it being played on the radio as I was being dropped off to school. It is one of those local songs that continue to stand the test of time and for this reason alone it will always be considered as one of the most memorable hits from the ’90s.

You can play this classic rock ballad even now and it still sounds as appealing as it was all those years ago. By the time you’re done listening to it, you already know the lyrics by heart.

No wonder “Your Love” has been included in several compilation albums within the last two decades because this is one of those popular hits that for us Filipinos have somehow been embedded in our “memory banks.” Also, how many times have we heard this classic being played in the background of local TV shows or been made part of the OST of movies and even used in commercials since it was released from the band Alamid’s major label debut in 1994?

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Origin explained

I had always believed that the meaning of “Your Love” was about savoring and nurturing a relationship that almost seems “heaven-sent” but in that segment of the news program, it was explained that it is, in fact, a religious song. Gary Ignacio was once a member of the choir in his church and for me that revelation is a testament of his own undying faith and how much he has put so much of his soul into creating this song which speaks directly to the heart of the listener.

“Your Love” celebrates the joys of being a member of the Catholic Church as evidenced by its uplifting lyrics which make you realize that when God is in the center of your life, there are never enough reasons not to be thankful for all the blessings you have.

Whoever knows how to reach out to Gary Ignacio to send any financial assistance for his succeeding chemotherapy sessions, please do so if you can as it was unfortunately not revealed on that news program how we can send help to him. Bone cancer is one of the most destructive and painful types of cancer and if we can somehow ease his pain and alleviate his sufferings any less, we should help him out.

“Tulungan natin siya sa laban niyang ito.”

Waste no precious time in showing “Your Love” to Gary Ignacio.