Anak (song)



"Anak" (Filipino for child or more accurately my son or my daughter) is a Tagalog song written by Filipino folk-singer Freddie Aguilar. It was a finalist for the inaugural 1977 Metropop Song Festival held in Manila. It became an international hit, and was translated into 26 languages. The lyrics speak of Filipino family values. The current copyright owner of the song is Star Music.

Inspiration and composition
Freddie Aguilar left home at the age of 18 without graduating from school. His father, who had wanted him to be a lawyer, was disappointed. Freddie traveled to faraway places carrying with him only his guitar. With no one to guide and discipline him, he got into gambling. Realizing and regretting his mistakes five years later, Freddie composed "Anak", a song of remorse and apology to his parents. He went back home and asked for forgiveness from his parents, who welcomed him with open arms. After his father read the lyrics of "Anak", the two became closer. The homecoming proved timely as his father died not long after. According to Felipe de Leon, Jr., an authority on Philippine music, the song was composed in a Western style but has aspects of pasyon, a form that many Filipinos can identify with. and Elmer Estrera the co-composer

Impact
"Anak" became a finalist in the first MetroPop Song Festival. It went on to become very popular in the Philippines and eventually abroad. The song generated a hundred cover versions, was released in 56 countries and in 27 different foreign languages, and has sold 30 million copies. Billboard reported that the song was the number one in the U.S. for two weeks and world hit of the 1980s. it was unsurpassed as the all-time highest-selling record of Philippine music.

A successful movie of the same name was released in 2000, with a plot inspired by the lyrics of the song.

Other recordings or versions

 * ASIN (from the 1978 album Masdan Mo Ang Kapaligiran)
 * Larry Matias (from the 1978 self-titled album)
 * Tito, Vic, and Joey (parody entitled, Anak ng Kuwan, from their album, Iskul Bukol)
 * Blonker,(band of German guitar player Dieter Geike, from their 1982 album "Fantasia")
 * Regine Velasquez (from the 1991 album Tagala Talaga)
 * Gary Valenciano (from the 2000 movie soundtrack Anak) (only appears on the movie soundtrack)
 * Sharon Cuneta (from the 2000 movie Anak) (used in movie credits)
 * Kuh Ledesma (from the 2000 album Duet With Me)
 * Side A (from the 2001 album The Platinum Collection)
 * The Kelly Family (from the 1980 single Alle Kinder brauchen Freunde)
 * Michael Holm ("Kind" which means Child in German)
 * Noel Cabangon (from the 2012 album, Tuloy Ang Biyahe)
 * Cusco (entitled "Philippines", from their 1983 album Virgin Islands)
 * Mitoy Yonting (from the 2013 various artists album The Voice of the Philippines: The Final 4)
 * Ramon Jacinto (from the 1992 instrumental album The Guitarman II) (used in the instrumental medley includes "Walk Don't Run" and "Diamond Head")
 * 愛著啊 by Jody Chiang (江蕙) from album 愛著啊 (Taiwanese language)

Media
"Anak" was used in both Filipino and Korean Version of the 2015 South Korean action film Gangnam Blues for its trailer and actual feature.