Call me a sentimental old fool but I couldn’t help but smile to myself this morning while watching Charice at Charice’s interview with Hot99.5. I must’ve replayed it multiple times. Anyway, what was pleasantly surprising to me was Charice mentioning that David Foster wrote this song especially for her and that it told the story of her life. This piqued my interest all the more and made me listen more attentively to the lyrics of the song.
“How will I know, Where I’m going now, This broken road, Is trying to tear me down” tell of Charice’s early struggles. Her road to stardom was not smooth and while there were a lot of triumphs, there were also a lot of heartaches. She had in more than one instance wanted to quit singing and her pursuit of her star.
“But deep inside I found, A sacred place, That I never knew, Where I feel safe when the road is untrue” … when a young Charice watches her father threaten her mother, or receive unpleasant remarks from her competitors and their guardians, or fail to win a singing competition because “she didn’t have the right looks”… she had to go to that one thing in her heart that would soothe her, assure her, and comfort her… that “sacred place”… that would tell her to keep going and continue along in spite of all the pitfalls, the ruts and the hazards that tries to stop her from going along her journey on to her dream… and she tells us what this is.
“Here’s what I learned to do” … it’s remarkable that David Foster uses the word “learned” to show that for Charice, her life’s continuing experiences teaches her that there is something to learn from everything that has happened or is happening to her, to “learn” to appreciate the good and “learn” to rise above all the bad.
“Just sing this song, And it takes me right back, Where I belong, And every day there’s a new bridge to cross, But I’m never far from home, If I bring my heart, my soul, my own, In this song”… much like everyone’s favorite comfort blanket, Charice’s has her own sacred place which she turns to whenever she encounters new trials in her life. I would think that “this song” is the sanctuary of a comforting mother and a loving brother, the hopeful reassurance of a dream notebook that tells her that she can always reach for the stars, and much like her first song “Note to God”, the knowledge that she only needs to be true to herself to know that God continues to listen to her heart and tells her to continue on with her dreams… that He would keep her safe no matter the kind of road she takes. Charice is very much aware that things do not come on a silver platter, that no matter how it seems that everything that is happening to her now seems to be gilt with gold, she knows that everything may not be as it seems… that underneath all the glitter can always be another roadblock, a pothole, an unpaved road… but her life experiences has taught her to be prepared for all of these no matter what… because she always has that “sacred place” to come back to.
Charice: In This Song – Skate for The Heart
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“No… I don’t depend on friends, Cause they come and go, My belief in myself, Is gonna carry me through. That’s why I’m learning, Oh… I’m learning now, I’m ready to sing” Charice tells us that nothing is certain in this world of ours and that the only true constant in her life is her “sacred place”… her family, her dreams and her faith in God. But I like it when Charice in turn assures us (her diehard fans, her Chasters) that she has not completely shunned herself from the other things that she encounters along her road to stardom. Yes, her heart tells her that the road is not all that bad and that the road is mostly “good” where she can open her heart, where she can “stop to smell the roses” every once in a while… that is why she is “now learning, ready to sing”.
“I may not have, All the words, That I need to say and, Though I won’t always be strong, But I’m never afraid, Cause I hold my destiny, it depends on me, Alone, alone…” these lines may seem so simple but the beauty of the words should not be lost on us. Charice admits she is not perfect… she may not dress up the way everyone wants her to dress up… or use the right amount of make-up, or sport the right hair-do… she may not speak perfect English (much to the discomfort of some over-demanding fans)… or act and behave the way each one of us demands her to… “but I’m never afraid…” and here is why we find Charice where she is now… she is not afraid to dance to a different beat of the drums… she is unique on her own. Which is why sometimes I wonder why most over-demanding fans gush in one breath that she is the best and so on and so forth but in the same breath opines that she should dress up like this star or that girl… “it depends on me alone” Charice is her own person, with God-given talents quite adoring, but more specially with a pure heart worth emulating.
David Foster gifts Charice and us with a very unique but simply beautiful song telling of her story. Lyrics were so simple that if one did not really “listen” to it, the meaning would be lost on us. I especially like it when David relates Charice’s early life in all of 4 lines of the first verse and how Charice had managed to accept and deal with her life experiences through the chorus. In the next two verses, David then explains to us life as it is now with Charice, how her past has given her the inner strength to deal with the present… and he continues that Charice is learning now that there is a wonderful world (much different from before) that is opening up to her now but that she will always be ready for anything that could happen… because she knows that no matter what, she always has that “sacred place” to go to.
While viewing the Hot99.5 link over and over, it just seemed that the more I listened to the song, the more I realized that this is not just Charice’s song… it was in fact my song… and it could be everybody else’s song. Our lives have been overtaken by so many trials and problems besetting our world that each one of us have our own way of taking refuge… of finding that “sacred place”… that only when we start believing in ourselves, trusting the good that is around us, believing that we all should be patient and truly have faith can we ever find the solace and peace that we are all looking for.
I should have stopped with that last paragraph… but I can’t help but add that I think we should all sing this song with Charice, sing all of the verses in full melody and not bicker on what she should do, what she should wear, how she should act, how she should speak. We have already been gifted every time with the way she continues “to learn” and we have seen how she continues to improve… with the way she dresses up, the ways she acts, the way she speaks. We need to be patient the way Charice is patient… we need to have faith the way Charice is faithful… we need to have hearts and souls that are pure the way Charice’s heart and soul is pure… we need to let Charice know that whenever she needs to sing the “chorus” of her life, that we shall all be singing backup for her… in perfect harmony. ..
Click HERE to view the complete lyrics to “In This Song.”
Written and submitted by Henry_v
Posted by Max
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man, that brought me to tears.
i can fully relate. same thoughts here… that’s why this has been my MOST FAV of her songs since this was out in youtube. it always brings me to teary eyes everytime i lipsync this song & sing silently with her (with my heart).
i play it over & over again while at the gym for 2 hours (on my itouch)… even while asleep (that even makes me dream of her most of the time).
Perfect song for a CONTEST PIECE (like the song A-Moment-Like-This– effect).
Hope she’ll sing this in the Grammy Awards when she’ll get her award soon. those hollywood stars shall be in tears, they’ll see… they’ll feel her
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Chirice!!!You are the best!!!
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Henry_v,
You haven’t been around much so when I was nearing the end I was surprised to see it was you!
Thanks for the tissues-are-needed article. (Well, don’t we ALWAYS need it everytime we view EVERY SINGLE Charice performance?)
Thanks for bringing us back to our feet, and putting everything in context- that even though it seems we just enjoy being Charice’s fans, we in fact watch and listen to her for the effect she has on our well-being. Seeing all these comments above, looks like this effect is positive and that your deft writing brought the message across. So happy for you!
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I don’t know if my comment would appeal to others who read this but I hope it would.I love charice and happy for her success.like all of the chasters, I also want only the best for Charice.she gives me so much pride,joy and inspiration and in return I wanna do something for her.pinoy chasters, I would like to appeal to you, please let’s make/take extra effort to help boost the sales of Charices’ int’l album here in phils.let’s PROMOTE her album more.and I’m thinking, one way of doing this big time is get abs-cbn to AIR her album debut on Oprah.please send emails/requests to web_feedback@abs-cbn.com I already did, I hope you do also.the more the better chances.I also asked other pinoys from other sites and will continue to do so for dear charice.the success of her int’l album sales here in phils. will be our contribution to the worlwide success of her album and career..pinoy chasters, let’s show the world that we do love and support charice.that we are happy for her as she shares herself and her talent to the world.that we pinoys are proud of her success and not the other way around.regards to all..
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Listening to the song again after reading this article and other people’s interpretations makes it more meaningful. I am glad you shared these with us.
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very well said kuya henry. you got it all right and we must continue supporting charice as she continues to keep the faith to get to the top. we love you and we’ll always be here for you,charice:)
thanks for sharing this kuya.
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Gosh..u made me cry!!! very well said. I dearly love CHARICE..she’s PAR EXCELLENCE
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Thanks Henry! A very thoughtful interpretation of the lyrics to the song and a very well constructed and written article. Even if a tad long.
Not that I could ever be accused of being long winded. 
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Henri_V,
the use of “In This Song” as the soundtrack for this video is very effective and poignant, starting at 1:44 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3jyCf_Id2o&feature=player_embedded#)
- at 2:27, the passage “and it takes me right back where I belong …” flashes back to her beginnings and early challenges, which is quite poignant considering how far she has come since, and since it makes me flash back as well to the time I discovered her
- at 2:34, “and everyday there’s a new bridge to cross …” is the backdrop to her new projects, like the Chipmunks movie then – note that she is singing in a basketball court as well (not seen here but visible in the other videos of this scene), just like it was for her when she first joined singing contests, recalling the “and it takes me right back where I belong” portion as well
I first heard “In This Song” from the “Skate For the Heart” video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-IY21FfBF8&feature=related), and was not aware that it was written expressly for her, about her life. Since this was performed as the backdrop to the excellent skating of Caroline Zhang, the entire experience imprinted on my mind in a manner different from hearing the song on its own – what I got from it was that the metaphorical “song” applied not only to Charice, but also to Caroline, who for me was a stand-in for the rest of us. I was moved enough by this experience, that like you, had to write about it to get it off my chest (http://www.charicemania.com/2009/09/29/editorial/finding-your-song-in-this-song/), so that makes me a “sentimental fool” too.
when we sing our metaphorical songs together, we are In Perfect Harmony, to borrow from your title …
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Henry_V, you are a genius!
“In This Song” is a very beautiful song and this is the one song from my DVR that I replay everyday. I love the meaningful lyrics and I will not be surprised if this song will become a classic. Charice’s album is going to be great! Truly, a STAR IS BORN!
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David Foster is brilliant! What a gift to Charice, writing this song for her.
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great interpretation henry. i shared that philosophy in life. my sacred place is not somewhere or something but its just within. once a hindu guru preached ” we are more than our looks, our wealth, possessions. the primacy of the “transcendent self” as the axis of our existence
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Great interpretation of the song, Henri_V, and great writing style!
The genius of the song is that it seems so simple that it sneaks up on us, then percolates into our subconscious until we realize that there must be more to it, and then it is too late – we are hooked.
Aside from it being written for Charice, obviously about her life story, it also inspires us to adopt the same ideas into our own lives.
Like you, I take the word “song” as a metaphor for something of deeper meaning, by the way it is used and repeatedly referred to in the song. It would be interesting how each one of us interprets this, as you have done above. Eventually, we find our own song, our own “Personal Anthem”, that represents who we are and what we stand for. And when we hear her sing the song, we are reminded of ours as well, and when we sing it with her, the experience becomes all the more beautiful and meaningful.
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Thanks much ArrVee… you are quite astute as well in your observation.
Going along your interpretation of Charice’s life in “song”, notice that the chorus also contains the word “bridge” which we all know plays an integral portion of any song… this is the pause or the transition from a verse to the chorus or to a climax of a song… this actually shows the different ups and downs in the life of charice… as well as ours…
henri_v
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Kudos especially to the one and only DF for writing this song that relates to our princess life experiences. Hopefully DF will write or look for songs for the next album that are not only lyrically beautiful but also vocally very challenging which we all know only our Cha can render. Thanks.
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Charice, many more blessings, God loves you, stay as sweet and humble as you are. Good Luck in all your endeavors and may your star continue to shine. we’ll continue to support you. luv yah… (:
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I am a very proud fan of Charice.
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no wonder that song feels so meaningful – it was tailor-made for Charice.
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life for that matter because we all went through the bittersweet of life struggles. I felt the same way when I read the lyrics and it’s meaning is so deep beyond one’s imagination that tears always comes out because of the emotion it evokes.
Because of this song, I learned not to critize another human being because we don’t know the hardship that person went through. And it makes this world a better place to co-exist with one another…Like in Perfecr Harmony. Great job and look forward to your other write up when the full album comes out.
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Charice – May your star continue to shine. You are inspiration to us all.
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