Draft:Raining in Manila

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"Raining in Manila"
Single by Lola Amour
from the album Lola Amour
Language
  • English
  • Tagalog
ReleasedJune 14, 2023 (2023-06-14)
StudioSpryta Productions, Inc.
GenreCity pop
Length4:53
LabelWarner Music Philippines
Songwriter(s)
  • Pio Dumayas
  • Raymond King
Composer(s)
  • David Yuhico
  • Pio Dumayas
  • Raymond King
Lola Amour singles chronology
"Madali"
(2022) 		"Raining in Manila"
(2023) 		"Namimiss Ko Na"
(2024)
Music video
"Raining in Manila" on YouTube

"Raining in Manila" is a song by the Filipino rock band Lola Amour and the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album (2024). It was released on June 14, 2023, by Warner Music Philippines. Pio Dumayas and Raymond King wrote the track and composed it with David Yuhico. A city pop tune, "Raining in Manila" has an upbeat production featuring drums, guitars, and syncopated brass riffs. Its lyrics are about the feelings that ensue after a friend's departure to another country, inspired by Dumayas' personal experiences.

"Raining in Manila" peaked at number two on the Philippines Songs chart and earned the biggest streaming day and week for a Filipino song at the time.[a]

Background and release[edit]

Warner Music Philippines released "Raining in Manila" in June 14, 2023.[1] Its lyric video was released on the band's YouTube channel the next day.[2]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

"Raining in Manila" was written by Pio Dumayas and Raymond King, both of whom composed it with David Yuhico. It was recorded by Rener Serna at Spryta Productions, Inc. The song was mixed by Jorel Corpus and mastered by Jeff Galindo, which he had done at Bakery Mastering.[3][2] Critics categorized "Raining in Manila" as an upbeat city pop tune,[3] which was a style that inspired the song.[4] It was described by Manu Dumayas as their "hardest song to play".[3]

All band members contributed to the song's production with their associated instruments: Pio Dumayas on vocals, King on bass, Yuhico on keyboard, Angelo Mesina on trumpet, Jeff Abueg on tenor saxophone, on Manu Dumayas on trumpet, Raffy Perez on drums, and Zoe Gonzales on electric guitar.[2] It also features strings, percussion,[4] piano chords, syncopated brass riffs,[5] and saxophone solos.[6] The song contains breakdowns at two points in its duration.[7] Kara Angan of Billboard Philippines thought it borrowed elements from other Lola Amour songs, specifically citing "Fools" (2017) and "Pwede Ba" (2018).[5]

"Raining in Manila" was written for Pio Dumayas' friends, those who left the Philippines to pursue a better life.[8] In the lyrics, Dumayas reminisces on a person with whom he had a close relationship and shows no signs of going back to Manila again.[9] He continues to be concerned about them ("Cause it's been raining in Manila, hindi ka ba nilalamig? Mahirap bang mag isang nanginginig?") (lit. 'Cause it's been raining in Manila, aren't you cold? Is it hard to be shivering alone?'), and "wishes them happiness and [...] that they are doing well".[8]

Reception[edit]

"Raining in Manila" came out at the time when the wet season was prevailing in the Philippines.[10] Some journalists thought this was an ideal period to release the song and its lyrics about missing someone would be even more appealing at this time.[11][12][13]

"Raining in Manila" became the first OPM track to reach atop the Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube Music charts simultaneously.[14] On Billboard's Philippines Songs, the song debuted at number 23 issued on July 22, 2023.[15] On the chart's next issue on July 29, it climbed to a new peak of number two, behind Jungkook's "Seven".[16] The song stayed on that spot for eleven consecutive weeks and became its ultimate peak on the chart.[b] At one point in that time frame, "Raining in Manila" broke the records for the biggest streaming day and week for a Filipino song on Spotify.[27][28][a] The track lasted for 28 weeks on the chart; its final appearance was on the issue of February 2, 2024.[30]

Critical reviews for "Raining in Manila" were generally positive. Some of whom thought it delivered a "playful" production that contrasts the song's melancholy lyrics.[4][9] Robert Requintina of Manila Bulletin said that it "beautifully captures the essence of being in love and missing someone, and the struggles that come with it".[31] In Bandwagon's list of the year's top tracks, "Raining in Manila" was featured—Camille Castillo lauded the efforts that was put into the song and picked it as Lola Amour's best track to date.[7]

Music video[edit]

Sypnosis and production[edit]

Mairus Talampas directed the music video for "Raining in Manila".[27] It was produced by the Arcade Film Factory.[31] The premise for the video is a fictional reality of Manila being flooded by nonstop rain that has been going on for 1427 days.[32][33] The narrative revolves around a man named John (Jal Galang) and her wife Sheila (Kat Galang), who went missing.[27][32][34] After learning that Sheila turned into a "magic" gecko, John prepares an aquarium and a dinner to show his love towards her.[32] Following that, he discovers that she have been abducted.[33] In the end, Sheila transforms into a human sized gecko and the video concludes with the rain stopping.[35][27]

Release and reception[edit]

To promote the music video, a 30-second teaser was released on October 24, 2023, which depicts Lola Amour singing joyfully in a bangka during a flood.[36][35] The teaser was met with mixed reactions from fans, with criticism for how it glorified the Philippines's experiences with natural disasters.[37] The band responded to the teaser's reception and apologized for "not [being] sensitive enough" on the way it was presented. They added that fans should give the music video a chance despite of how the teaser "greatly misinterpreted" it.[38]

The music video premiered on the band's YouTube channel on October 25, 2023.[34] It raised over 50,000 views in its first day.[27] Eric Cabahug of The Philippine Star commented that the video had a "playful, dark comedic tone" that made it "odd" to watch. He also criticized how it featured violence in a superfluous manner and made the final scene "eerie".[35] The video was included on SunStar Cebu's list of 2023's best music videos, where its author Christian Tugunon praised the production as cinematic and the story as creative.[39]

Live performances and covers[edit]

On January 19, 2024, the band performed an acoustic version of "Raining in Manila" during Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour.[40]

Personnel[edit]

Credits are adapted from YouTube[2] and Wish 107.5.[3]

  • Pio Dumayas – vocals, writer, composer
  • Raymond King – writer, composer, bass
  • David Yuhico – composer, keyboard
  • Zoe Gonzales – electric guitar
  • Angelo Mesina – trumpet
  • Jeff Abueg – tenor saxophone
  • Manu Dumayas – trumpet
  • Raffy Perez – drums
  • Rener Serna – recording
  • Jorel Corpus – mixing
  • Jeff Galindo – mastering

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Raining in Manila"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Philippines (Billboard)[41] 2

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Both were broken by "Ere" (2023) from the band Juan Karlos.[29]
  2. ^ Sources:[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Amour, Lola (June 14, 2023). "Raining in Manila". Apple Music (US). Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lola Amour - Raining in Manila (Official Lyric Video)". June 15, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b c d Valladolid, Kenneth (June 23, 2023). "Lola Amour Debuts Latest Single, 'Raining In Manila'". Wish FM 107.5. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Rosello, Maria Sophia Andrea E. (June 29, 2023). "Listening Party: Lola Amour Mirrors the Season With 'Raining in Manila'". Inquirer Lifestyle. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Angan, Kara (October 4, 2023). "One Hit After the Other: Lola Amour and Raining in Manila". Billboard Philippines. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Basbas, Franchesca Judine (July 20, 2023). "Lola Amour on Their Viral Hit 'Raining in Manila', Memes, and Getting Recognised by ENHYPEN". Bandwagon. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Top Songs of 2023: Bandwagon Picks – NewJeans, YOASOBI, Snow Man, yeule, Lola Amour, BTS' Jungkook, Fujii Kaze, Olivia Rodrigo, and more". Bandwagon. December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Catimbang, Krisha (July 6, 2023). "Lola Amour Frontman Shares Story Behind the Group's TikTok-Trending Song 'Raining in Manila'". Inquirer POP!. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Dulay, Chud David (August 11, 2023). "Lola Amour season-perfect hits while it's raining in Manila". Village Pipol. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  10. ^ "Lola Amour Performs 'Ambon Version' of Hit Song 'Raining in Manila'". GMA News Online. August 29, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  11. ^ Franchesca, Judine Basbas (July 20, 2023). "Lola Amour on Their Viral Hit 'Raining in Manila', Memes, and Getting Recognised by ENHYPEN". Bandwagon. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  12. ^ Bonoan, Christian (June 22, 2023). "Listen to Lola Amour's New Song 'Raining in Manila'". Myx. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Policarpio, Allan (April 19, 2024). "Lola Amour Band Unchanged by Unexpected Success". Inquirer. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "FEATURE: It's Been Raining All Summer for Lola Amour". ABS-CBN Entertainment. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  15. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of July 22, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Philippines Songs (Week of July 29, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  17. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of August 5, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  18. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of August 12, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  19. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of August 19, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  20. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of August 26, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  21. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of September 2, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  22. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of Septemeber 9, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of September 16, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  24. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of September 23, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of September 30, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  26. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of October 7, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  27. ^ a b c d e Saulog, Gabriel (October 27, 2023). "Lola Amour Clarify Story of 'Raining In Manila' Music Video". Billboard Philippines. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  28. ^ Gil, Baby A. (August 9, 2023). "Lola Amour's Turn to Shine". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  29. ^ Bautista, Rafael (October 10, 2023). "All the Historic Firsts and Records Juan Karlos' ERE Broke". Nylon Manila. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  30. ^ "Philippines Songs (Week of February 2, 2024)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Requintina, Robert (October 27, 2023). "WATCH: Lola Amour Drops Official Music Video for 'Raining in Manila'". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  32. ^ a b c Roque, Nika (October 26, 2023). "Lola Amour Performs in a Flood in Official 'Raining in Manila' Music Video". GMA Integrated News. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  33. ^ a b Bodegon-Hikino, Kara (October 26, 2023). "Lola Amour Get Drenched in 'Raining in Manila' Music Video That Will Keep You Guessing – Watch". Bandwagon. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Lola Amour - Raining in Manila (Official Music Video)". October 25, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2024 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ a b c Cabahug, Eric (October 26, 2023). "[OPINION] 'Raining in Manila': A Music Video That Dares to Be Different". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  36. ^ "Lola Amour Apologizes for Music Video Teaser: 'We Were Not Sensitive Enough'". CNN Philippines. October 27, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  37. ^ Basina, Carby (October 27, 2023). "Lola Amour Apologizes for 'Raining in Manila' Music Video Teaser". GMA Network. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  38. ^ "Lola Amour Says Sorry for 'Raining in Manila' MV Teaser". ABS-CBN. October 27, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Tugonon, Christian Gil D. (December 5, 2023). "Billboard Philippines Announces 2023 Top Picks: SB19, Juan Karlos, BINI, Maymay Entrata and More". SunStar Cebu. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  40. ^ Purnell, Kristofer (January 20, 2024). "Lola Amour Joins Coldplay's Chris Martin for 'Raining in Manila'". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  41. ^ "Philippines Songs". Billboard. July 29, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
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