Pilita Garrido Corrales was born in Cebu City, Cebu in 1939. After finishing her studies at Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion in Cebu, she went to Spain to enroll in a finishing school in music. In 1958, Corrales began her recording career after arriving in Australia for a brief period. She left her legacy by becoming the first woman to make the Australian pop charts with a local recording called 'Come Closer to Me'. She became a star of the Victoria Television circuit and her first hit, Come Closer to Me, became part of a collection on which sheโs billed as one of the Grand Dames of Victorian Radio and Television.
Corrales holds the distinction of being the first female artist to top the Australian pop music charts long before Helen Reddy, Olivia Newton-John and Kylie Minogue. She also recorded at least 3 LPs in the late 1950s early 1960s: Pilita with Arthur Young :Pilita tells The Story of Love, I'll Take Romance and This is Pilita under Astor Records. Being one of the pioneers of Australia's early television years, a street was named after her in Victoria. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) recently featured Corrales and several pioneering female artists in Australia in the 2nd episode of the highly acclaimed TV special, Love is in the Air. Pilita returned to Manila during the mid 1960s to pursue a career in the Philippine music industry. Her Philippine career began when she hosted a radio program La Taverna over DZPI where she sang Spanish songs and played the guitar. She performed regularly in stage shows at the Manila Grand Opera House. Subsequently, her reputation grew and during her international stints, she has performed with internationally acclaimed artists like Sammy Davis Jr. the Beatles, Bob Hope, Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra and Julie Andrews. She also appeared in movies, most of them musicals. Her film debut was a lead role in the 1968 film Miss Wawaw and was followed by 11 more movies for the next two years. Pilita later recorded numerous albums in Spanish in the early 60s as well as numerous long playing albums in English, Tagalog and Cebuano during the 1970s under Vicor Music Corporation. Her multiawarded TV program at ABS-CBN, An Evening with Pilita (1965-1972), is widely considered as one of the benchmarks in Philippine broadcasting history.
Corrales frequently performed for Seeing Stars with Joe Quirino in IBC-Channel 13 after the martial law years where she demonstrated her range as a gifted performer of Spanish, English, Cebuano and Tagalog music. Aquarius Record Philippines produced a compilation of Pilita's Spanish songs in CDs like Noche de Ronda, Vaya Con Dios. Her signature song A Million Thanks to You was translated in seven languages. She eventually recorded songs composed by Filipino composers like Danny Holmsen, George Canseco, Willy Cruz, Ryan Cayabyab and several others. Under Vicor Records, Corrales interpreted numerous Filipino classics and introduced them to younger audiences.
Corrales first met Canseco in Your Evening with Pilita (aired on pre-Martial Law ABS-CBN) as a guest in the composers' portion of the show". For the show Canseco brought with him You're All I Love. Canseco later wrote Filipino lyrics for the song, which became Kapantay ay Langit, the first song Canseco sold to a record label in 1966. The song was first recorded by Amapola for the movie theme of Kapantay Ay Langit starring Marlene Dauden and Eddie Rodrรญguez. The song won for George Canseco and Amapola the Manila Film Festival award for best song of the year. The song did not fare well commercially, because Amapola had left (for her U.S. concert tours) and the song was not promoted properly, according to Canseco during an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. But when Pilita revived the song, it turned into a classic and defied trends and time. "The song," Pilita said, "was included in my album Philippine Love Songs Vol. 1, which was released in the early 1970s."
Through the personal invitation of Sammy Davis Jr., Pilita became the first Filipino to sing in Caesars Palace. In her concert in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas during the late 70s, Pilita sang Spanish, English, Cebuano and Tagalog songs, all conducted and arranged by Ryan Cayabyab.
After receiving a 1965 Philippine Citizen's Award for TV as Best TV Female Performer, Pilita went on to receive Cecil, Aliw, Tinig and Awit and several other awards for her performances and lifetime achievement. In 1990, she received a Merit Award from the FAMAS Awards. In 1991, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) for bringing Filipino musical artistry to international audience. She also holds the distinction of being the first Filipino to win in an international music festival by bagging the Best Performer Award during the 1st Tokyo Music Festival (1972) where she bested numerous international artists including the highly-regarded Olivia Newton-John.
These days she operates Pilita, a restaurant-bar in Greenhills named: PILITA'S, one of Manila's prime commercial districts. She is also a highly-acclaimed host and comedy actress on Philippine television. With over 135 albums to her credit and an international profile with many appearances in Asia, the Middle East, Australia and North America, she still enjoys a reputation as one of the Philippines most celebrated singers.
In 2006, Corrales was selected by Associated Broadcasting Company (ABC Channel 5) and FremantleMedia to be one of the celebrity-judges for the first-ever nationwide search for the Philippine Idol together with composer Ryan Cayabyab and rapper Francis Magalona. She was a judge in the first Asian Idol held in Indonesia, representing Philippine Idol.
[edit] Personal life
Corrales has two children, Jackielou Blanco and Ramรณn Christopher Gutรญerrez. Both her two children are also well known celebrities in the Philippine Film Industry. Corrales was married in 1963, to the late executive businessman Gonzalo Blanco and separated soon after, while her daughter Jackielou was still a child. Gonzalo later died in 1981.
Corrales gave birth to her second child, Ramรณn Christopher in 1971. Ramรณn's father is Filipino actor Eddie Gutรญerrez. On May 22, 2001, Corrales married Paraguayan businessman Carlos Lรณpez.
A Song for You
Pilita Corrales Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Playing so softly in my heart
I reach for you,
You seem so near yet so far
I hope and I pray
You'll be with me someday
I know down inside
Or am I dreaming
How can I each time I try you say goodbye
You were there
You look my way I touch the sky
We can share tomorrow and forever more
And I'll be there to love you so
You are my song
I know for sure that
We were meant to fall in love
I look in your eyes
I know what you're thinking of
I try not to say
The words that might scare you away
I know down inside
You are mine and I'm your true love
Please no more dreaming
How can I each time I try you say goodbye
You were there
You look my way I touch the sky
We can share tomorrow and forever more
I'll be there to love you so
You are my song
18, 845
The song "A Song For You" by Pilita Corrales is a romantic ballad about a person who is deeply in love with another, but feels as though they cannot reach them. The chorus repeats the line "You are my song," which is an important throughline in the song. The first verse describes the feeling of being close, yet far away from the person they love. They long to be with them in the present moment, but understand that it may take some time before their love can be realized.
The second verse highlights the singer's confidence in their own feelings, knowing that they were "meant to fall in love" with this other person. Despite their certainty, they hold back from expressing their love too strongly, not wanting to scare the other person away. The chorus is then repeated, emphasizing once again the importance of this person in the singer's life. The song ends with a plea for the other person to stop saying goodbye every time the singer tries to get closer to them.
Overall, "A Song For You" is a beautiful and heartfelt love ballad that captures the longing and hopefulness of being in love.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the song
You mean everything to me, you are the melody that plays in my heart.
Playing so softly in my heart
Your presence is comforting and gentle, it brings peace and calmness to my heart.
I reach for you,
I yearn for your presence, for your touch, for your love.
You seem so near yet so far
Although you feel close to me, it hurts that we're not physically together in this moment.
I hope and I pray
I have faith that our love will come to fruition, that we will be together soon.
You'll be with me someday
I long for the day when we finally unite and our love can fully blossom.
I know down inside
I have a deep certainty within myself that you are the one for me.
You are mine and I'm your true love
Our love is real and true, we belong to each other.
Or am I dreaming
Sometimes I question if this love is too good to be true, if I'm just dreaming.
How can I each time I try you say goodbye
I can't bear the thought of losing you or being separated from you.
You were there
In my darkest moments, you were there to uplift me and bring me joy.
You look my way I touch the sky
Your love and attention make me feel on top of the world, like there are no limits to how high I can go.
We can share tomorrow and forever more
Our love has the potential to last a lifetime, and I yearn to share my future with you.
And I'll be there to love you so
No matter what happens, my love for you will remain strong and unwavering.
I know for sure that
I am certain in my heart that our love is meant to be.
We were meant to fall in love
Our love story was destined from the start, it was inevitable that we would find each other.
I look in your eyes
When I gaze into your eyes, I see a reflection of my soul, my heart, my truest self.
I know what you're thinking of
I understand your thoughts and your feelings, your desires and your dreams.
I try not to say
I'm hesitant to express everything I feel, for fear of overwhelming you or driving you away.
The words that might scare you away
I'm afraid that my passion and intensity might be too much for you to handle, that you might retreat from my love.
Please no more dreaming
I want to live in our reality, to experience our love fully and completely.
Contributed by Anthony H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.