The song, "Anak" (Child), composed and sang by Freddie Aguilar, made him one of the icons of Filipino music.
"Anak" (Child) speaks to all ages. It is timeless as it explores universal themes -- the love that motivates a couple to conceive a child, and the joy that comes with the birth, the rearing that follows to steer the child to find his way in this world. But aometimes, even with all the love bestowed and the guidance provided, the child goes astray in his path to become independent.
The song implies an end similar to the biblical story of "the prodigal son". However, unlike the story in the Christian bible, the child sought solace from the Mother in the journey to find his way back.
Brief Notes on "Anak" and "Ka Freddie":
"Anak" (Child) became an instant hit the moment it came out in the Philippines. It captured the heart of Filipinos and other peoples of the world, especially Asians. In the future, I will link some other adaptations of "Anak" by other Asian singers in their own language, as wells as style presentations of other Filipino artists.
English version of "Anak (Child)". I heard the "English" version of "Anak (Child)" for the first time just the other night (to be linked), also sang by Freddie Aguilar. The song, as sang by "Ka Freddie" remains true to the melody, but the words are not exact translation of the Filipino lyrics. Notably missing in the English version, is the implied "Prodigal Son" epiphany and reonciliation that made the Filipino version of "Anak" so powerful.
Unfortunately, the video creator did not include who wrote the lyrics. At a glance, some of the lines in the English translation indeed seem a literal translation (perhaps too literal even) of the original Filipino "Anak" version, but did not capture the cryptic presentation of the original.
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