Instruction: Eraserheads was a Filipino rock band formed in 1989 consisting of Ely Buendia,

Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro, and Raimund Marasigan who were schoolmates at the
University of the Philippines that time. The band became one of the most successful and
influential bands in the Philippine history for bringing alternative music in the Philippine
mainstream. For this activity, you listen to any songs of the Filipino band – Eraserheads. Pick
two songs and list down all of the mediums of art that you observe in each song. Explain the
role of each medium to the overall meaning of the song. Lastly, you write whether the mediums
used by the artist are successful in communicating the meaning of the song to you. Write your
answer on the space provided.

I listened to Ang huling El Bimbo and Spolarium. A depressing song like "Ang Huling El
Bimbo" is an excellent example of such a piece. It uses literature as a medium of art. At first
glance, it appears to be any run-of-the-mill love ballad, with a sad ending, where the narrator's
first love (his “Paraluman”) ends up dying. He traces their young love affair, from their
childhood all the way to when he hears she's dead.

Although it might be argued that one can find the sensuality in the narrator's Paraluman, such an
argument will hold only if one looks closely and focuses on the narrator's emphasis on certain
terms (Nakakatindig, Naninigas, Dumudulas). It allows one to conjure up an image of a young,
innocent, boy's initial venture into puberty, almost certainly as a result of adolescence.

Following this reasoning throughout the song, you'll discover several elements about the song's
third stanza that don't make sense.

The description conveys the narrator's outrage at the conditions in Paraluman, as well as his joy
when he learns of her death. However, the last phrase of the poem really stands out: “...on the
roof of a mud hut under a starlit sky. It is impossible for a 4-wheeled vehicle to get though such a
tight path, and even if it were a motorcycle, it would be too light and unable to move quickly
enough to kill someone. This precise line of a widely recognized song has ignited so many
heated discussions, particularly in college classrooms and bars, between students and their
teachers, as well as between friends who have been drinking.
The second song is Spolarium. It uses combined arts as a medium. If you read the lyrics, it
seems as if the singer or songwriter is asking a lot of questions about current events and doesn't
have an answer. I have deciphered the lyrics and it's a story about a person who was really
confused and needed answers as to what was happening. In addition to questioning his or her
companions, the person acts as though he or she is seeking instruction or support.

Contrary to popular belief, the music video did not feature the song at all, since it presented a
completely different version of the song. The woman attended a function in the beginning of the
video. She was alone, completely alone. Suddenly, a stranger approached her, sat alongside her,
and smirked, presumably because she was an assumed acquaintance. When I was watching the
video, I found it funny because it is highly unusual and rather disturbing for someone to do
anything like that in real life. Surprisingly, another man was in the spot where the previous man
had been, and this caused the woman to get alarmed, and she consequently departed. Next, the
scene played out. The man with a sneer on his face was on the payphone, and his facial
expressions seemed to indicate that he was having an argument with someone, as his movements
showed frustration. Fast-forward to this scene, the woman happened to be using the same
payphone, as well. An impatient man handed the woman his business card. When the song
“Anong sinulat ni enteng at joey diyan” started, four men who were related to the words were
standing in place, making it clear that they had been inspired by the song. I found the next scenes
odd. The same actors that were in the room when the woman arrived were likewise in the scene
when she left. While she was going down the stairs, they were merely standing on the side. Their
faces were distorted as if their identities were not intended to be discovered. The woman was
almost always followed by a large group of men, and wherever she went, so did the males.

The song's lyrics were interpreted to indicate that the song had to do with the Pepsi Paloma case.
It is possible that the Eraserheads never confirmed this, and therefore the theories remain pure
conjecture. It will be impossible to know. We may have the solution someday.