Born in the suburb of Santa Mesa in Manila on August 6, 1964, he is the sixth of Vicente Valenciano and Grimilda Santiago Ortiz’s seven children. Santiago Ortiz is a Puerto Rican woman of Italian descent who became a popular opera singer in Manila during the 1960s, and her love for music passed down to her son, Gary. He took his primary and secondary studies in La Salle Greenhills. It was during his high school days, while on a brief stint with the musical group Kundirana, that he devoted himself to music.
Valenciano started performing in 1982 and launched his career in singing and show business on May 13, 1983. He first appeared as a solo in a television show called The Pilita and Jackie Show in 1982, but he was finally noticed after his performances in the TV shows Germspesyal and Penthouse Live. He had his first solo concert, in April 1984, inside the jam-packed Araneta Coliseum. That would be followed by 21 albums, three of them released internationally, including a Christian inspired album called Out of the Dark.
He is married to Maria Anna Elizabeth "Angeli" Evangelista Pangilinan, with whom he has three children: Juan Paolo Martin (a vocalist of the band Salamin), Jose Angelo Gabriel (a dancer), and Kristina Maria Mikaela.
Letting Go
Gary Valenciano Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was not supposed to feel that way
I had everything I needed
But nothing ever made me
What I longed to be
The wealth, the name
The lights, the fame
Were everything to me
Out of the blue
I heard His name (Jesus)
And so I took that step of faith
And walked into His domain
I believe that's what He wants
Every heart to do
When hard may seem the task
One step is all He asks of you
Letting go to know the truth
Is not so hard to do
It's the heart that's got the will
To open up for Him to fill
And trusting and believing Him
Is all we've got to do
It's just the heart that's got to move
For Him to show His love that's been there
Even when we never cared
Take hold of His hand
Let go and you'll understand
Why be afraid
For God knows what you're feeling
But even He can't do a thing
If He sees the heart's not willing
And so we ask what's going on
We want what's right and still do wrong
When hard may seem the task
One step is all He asks of you
I guess by now you'd realize
You can't be on your own
And all your cares
And all your burdens
Should be cast upon His throne
Letting go, just let go, letting go
Let go and you'll understand
Just let go and you'll understand
In Gary Valenciano's song "Letting Go," the artist reflects on a time when he was successful, but still felt empty inside. He had everything he thought he needed - wealth, fame, and a name - but still felt unfulfilled. One day, he heard the name of Jesus and made the decision to take a step of faith and enter into His domain. From that moment on, Gary began to understand the importance of letting go of the things that he thought would bring him happiness, and instead, trusting and believing in God.
The lyrics encourage listeners to let go of their fears, doubts, and worries, and to trust that God knows what they are feeling. The journey may not be easy, but all God asks is for one simple step towards Him. By opening up their hearts and letting God in, listeners will understand the love that has been there all along, even when they didn't realize it. The song reminds listeners that they cannot do it alone, and all their cares and burdens should be cast upon His throne.
The overall message of the song is about the importance of faith, letting go of material possessions, and trusting God to guide you to where you need to be in life. It encourages listeners to take one small step towards God, and he will take care of the rest.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to feel the emptiness inside me
I used to feel a void within me
I was not supposed to feel that way
I didn't expect to feel that way
I had everything I needed
I had all the material things I needed
But nothing ever made me
But I still felt unfulfilled
What I longed to be
I had aspirations
The wealth, the name
I thought money and fame would bring me fulfillment
The lights, the fame
More specifically, I thought attention and admiration would make me happy
Were everything to me
I prioritized these things above all else
And then one night
One night, unexpectedly
Out of the blue
Without warning
I heard His name (Jesus)
I became aware of Jesus' existence
And so I took that step of faith
I made the decision to have faith in Jesus
And walked into His domain
I started practicing Christianity
I believe that's what He wants
I think that's what Jesus desires
Every heart to do
For everyone to have faith in Him
When hard may seem the task
Even if it seems difficult
One step is all He asks of you
All it takes is one step to start having faith in Jesus
Letting go to know the truth
In order to discover the truth, you need to let go of things
Is not so hard to do
It's not a difficult thing to do
It's the heart that's got the will
It's a matter of having the willingness in your heart
To open up for Him to fill
To open your heart to Jesus and let Him fill it with love
And trusting and believing Him
By trusting and having faith in Him
Is all we've got to do
That's all that's required of us
It's just the heart that's got to move
All it takes is for us to have a change of heart
For Him to show His love that's been there
Once we open our hearts to Him, we will see His love that has been present all along
Even when we never cared
Even when we didn't acknowledge Him
Take hold of His hand
Accept Him and His love
Why be afraid
There's no need to be fearful
For God knows what you're feeling
God understands our emotions
But even He can't do a thing
However, if we're not willing to change, even God can't help us
If He sees the heart's not willing
If He sees that there's no willingness to change
And so we ask what's going on
At times we don't understand why we feel the way we do
We want what's right and still do wrong
We try to do what's right, but sometimes we still fail
I guess by now you'd realize
I think you've realized by now
You can't be on your own
We can't live our lives on our own
And all your cares
All of our worries and concerns
And all your burdens
All of our problems and difficulties
Should be cast upon His throne
We should give them all to God
Letting go, just let go, letting go
We need to let go of our worries
Let go and you'll understand
Once we let go, we will understand
Contributed by Kennedy J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@olivialegree9774
Such a great song about our dependence to the One, Father. Letting go is having His way,,, and when we do ,Peace saturates our hearts and minds that transcends human understanding... Glory to God!!!
@daywalker5663
We want what's right and still do wrong... That hits me hard😔😔😔
@analuzcajucom127
When im falling apart and everything goes wrong.. This song keeps me reminding that you have to let go and let God..
@dennisganas6277
sometimes we have to let go what's drowning us and let God carry us.
@EchoBueno
True love doesn’t have a happy ending, because true love never ends. Letting go is one way of saying I love you. There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life. Sometimes you have to let go to see if there was anything worth holding on to.
@emmanuelpaquio5604
Echo Bueno amen sister😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇
@emmanuelpaquio5604
Echo Bueno i dont believe you,you are in denial🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀
@miasalonga5678
I always cry to this Gary V tune, its always touched me to the core..2006, then 7yrs later, and again dis year, it kept coming over me like tearing me apart to completely surrender& trust in Him and make me whole again to a stronger&faithful version of a new me.
@revecadatas8215
Thank you for this song
@RichPlayz.
exactly what i need right now...