Yearning is the intense or tender longing for something, but of course, it is mostly about a person we miss dearly or a connection we long to stay connected with. At some point in our lives, we have yearned as much as we could bear, and there is nothing wrong with that. After all, it is all part of being human. However, we advise you to yearn moderately and love yourself.
Whether you choose to yearn during nights when even a sliver of thought about them makes your heart feel torn and your body weak, or when momentary sadness slowly creeps in at any point during the day, it remains a deeply human experience.
This desire can be done through rewatching films that make you remember them, going to places that you deemed your “Cornelia Street,” or unearthing a dusty old box full of photobooth pictures, letters, or the gifts they’ve given you not too long ago. But these moments are amplified with the help of music, with songs that echo your heartaches.
Billboard Philippines helps you find the perfect soundtrack for your moments of yearning — as you pause, contemplate, and think about where you fell short, how things went wrong, the kind of love you deserve, or the person you still wish you could wrap your arms around.
“Pag-ibig ay Kannibalismo II” — fitterkarma
We’ll probably never get sick of fitterkarma‘s chart-topping hit, “Pag-ibig ay Kannibalismo II.” This track goes all out and is unapologetically loud to get the point across, portraying love as something so strong and intense that it slowly consumes you from the inside. Take it as you will, and play it on repeat if you want, but we can’t deny the catchy chorus and lyricism that could be perfectly summed up by the “pen in flames” meme. This is the perfect soundtrack for when you’re helplessly opening your heart, feeling like it’s combusting, and longing to have it completely consumed.
“Tampo” — SUYEN
One thing that can be as deadly as missing the person we used to have is being ever so present and committed to someone we can never have, or who chooses not to reciprocate the love we give. “Tampo” by SUYEN plays out as a plea and a call for someone, despite receiving the bare minimum or less in return. It’s the feeling of receiving cold replies, being left on read, or being ignored entirely. But again, despite all the love and affection we choose to give to someone who chooses, with full awareness, we’re left with the short end of the stick.
“Nangungulila” — Maki
“Hindi ka, hindi ka, hindi ka sa akin.” Yearners have probably said this at some point, either in their heads or bravely out loud during a final confrontation with the person their heart longs for. If you’re feeling like you’ve lost the war of finally accepting that you can never be with them, Maki’s “Nagungulila,” a standout track from his debut studio album, KOLORCOASTER, is about choosing to let them go and letting them live their life. How colorful life can be is shown in how we can fall, go through moments we may choose to forget in the future, and stay strong to weather the storm.
“Ano Ba Talaga Ba Tayo?” — The Juans, Janine Berdin
Part of yearning is a lot of questioning — and we do mean a lot — whether it’s asking ourselves where we fell short, how things went wrong, or what we could’ve done to not be in the trenches of someone’s heartache. “Ano Ba Talaga Ba Tayo?” by The Juans and Janine Berdin puts it plainly, asking the other person for clarity and making the uncertainties feel certain. Some yearners perhaps love the idea of things not being sure, filling their minds with all the what-ifs and the many different possibilities. Next time we ask the person we long for, we should remember that silence is also an answer.
“Kulimlim” — Angela Ken
Sometimes yearning can also happen while you’re in a relationship. We can yearn and grieve for the outgrown, past romance we shared with our significant other. Staying in a relationship that’s long dead can definitely be tricky. In “Kulimlim,” Angela Ken sings her way through choosing to stay despite uncertain and difficult times. What was once a sunny relationship has turned into doom and gloom, yet the track remains committed despite the impermanence. It’s as if time is running out, and all you can do is try your best to fight for the relationship, even if it’s a one-person show.
“Medisina” — Zild
The closing track of Zild‘s third studio album of the same name is a fitting soundtrack to capture intense love and devotion, portraying a person and the longing for them as a medicine and a cure that offers temporary comfort or relief. Love can become an addiction if not handled in moderation. We all have moments of being too attached to someone, regardless of how we met them or the kind of bond we shared. There’s a sense of teenage angst in this track, and the IV OF SPADES bassist/vocalist screams the sentiments of not only needing the person but also the feeling of being with them, with all we can do being to just scream our love for them, whether they hear it or not.
“Sabihin Lang (Kung Ayaw Mo)” — Kenaniah
We’re adding a catchy pop tune to this list with Kenaniah‘s “Sabihin Lang (Kung Ayaw Mo).” The track is as playful as it gets, with a straightforward message asking for assurance if the other person doesn’t want to continue pursuing them. But again, for long-time yearners who have been there and done that, it’s great to have a definite answer and put an end to the longing, though sometimes they refuse to get to the point so that the fantasy stays alive. It’s tricky, we know.
“Sa’yo” — Munimuni
A modern OPM yearn classic is Munimuni‘s “Sa’yo.” There’s a sheerly melancholic experience when listening to this track, which stays devoted to one’s love despite the other person leaving or being gone from their life. When you find yourself walking the places you used to go on dates, visiting the food spots where you loved filling your tummy, or returning to the special sanctuaries you made just for yourself, this track 100% gives all the feels and shouldn’t be left out in your playlist.
“Kung Na’san Ka Man” — mirasol
Distance is the ultimate obstacle, and wondering how they are feeling is the perfect recipe for some late-night yearning. Grieving for a person who’s still alive feels as if they are strange visitors walking on the same planet. Baguio-based band Mirasol’s “Kung Nasa’n Ka Man” asks how the other person is doing after cutting all connections. Yearners who have lost someone — whether they started as friends, enemies, lovers, or ended up as strangers — will surely relate to the sentiments of this acoustic track.
“Orasan” — Any Name’s Okay
As you reach the end of this list, we have a track that’s moving toward something bittersweet and hopeful. Yearning comes with the desire to remember or be remembered. We may wish life could be non-linear, like in films, or that we could fast-forward to only the good times, but reality comes knocking to remind us that all we can do is live in the present. With Any Name’s Okay‘s “Orasan,” rhythm guitarist and vocalist, Renzo Lumanog, shared that the song is, in fact, a love song and “about being there for the people you care about most in the world — no matter how difficult it could be.” With that, yearning can be an integral tool for healing and finding yourself again.