Manila Sound is a type of music that started in Manila, Philippines, from the last years of the 1960s to the middle of the 1970s. It is commonly known as the "bright side" of the time of President Ferdinand Marcos because of its cheerful words and was often used in protest to his dictatorship.
This music type has affected all modern music types in the country as the beginner of Original Pilipino Music (OPM).
Music type
Manila Sound was made famous by a folk rock band called Hotdog. Their songs: "Ikaw Ang Miss Universe Ng Buhay Ko" (or "You Are the Miss Universe Of My Life"), "'Manila'", and "Beh Buti Nga"; had catchy melody phrases common to the music type. Later, the singer-songwriter, Freddy Aguilar, used the music type with his music to express the suffering of the people. His song, Bayan Ko, was popular in protests.
The music type is a mix of Filipino folk music and rock music added with some funk, light jazz, and disco, and is sung in both Tagalog and English languages.
The lyrics are childlike and often humorous caused by the disco fever in that period and in contrast to the oppression by Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. It is sometimes described as "the marshmallow sound".