Early years
The first line-up consisted of Jesse Gonzales on vocals, Kenneth Ilagan on guitars, Nathan Azarcon on bass, Rome Velayo on drums, and Rico Blanco on keyboards. They were managed by Lizza Nakpil and director Chito Roño who had the intention of molding the group into a rock show band. The band was then called Xaga.
Classic line-up and mainstream success
In the process of grueling practice sessions, Ilagan was replaced with Perfecto de Castro; Azarcon's childhood friend, Mark Escueta, to replace Velayo, as well as former classmate Francisco "Bamboo" Mañalac to replace Gonzales. With Bamboo as frontman, the band members themselves decided to disband Xaga and form the band Rivermaya. They started putting together original songs like "Ulan" [Rain], "214", and "Awit ng Kabataan" [Song of the Youth] (mostly composed by Rico Blanco) in demo form for prospective recording companies.
Nathan Azarcone was one of the members of Rivermaya from 1993 to 2001.
By November 1994, the band had released its first album, the self-titled Rivermaya, and its first single, "Ulan"; followed by "214". Critically praised for its fresh, excitingly new pop/rock sound, the album went on to become one of the best acts in the 1990s.
Citing artistic differences, Perf de Castro was adamant in leaving the group and founded his own band, Triaxis.
The band's second album Trip, followed with the singles "Kisapmata" [Blink of an Eye], "Himala" [Miracle], and "Panahon Na Naman" [Here Comes the Season]. Whilce Portacio, creator of the X-Men's "Bishop" and co-founder of Image Comics, designed the album art for Trip.
In 1997, the band released its third album, Atomic Bomb, with the single "Hinahanap-hanap Kita" [Always Searching For You]. The album gained positive responses from listeners and received heavy airplay from radio stations. During this period, Rivermaya also released the "Rivermaya Remixed" album, put together with the help of DJ Toti Dalmacion of Groove Nation.
Departure of Bamboo Mañalac and second evolution of line-up
The band then embarked on a US and Canada tour. It was at this time that Bamboo Mañalac decided to stay in the US. He eventually went on to form his own band, Bamboo in 2003.
Rico Blanco was the chief composer of the band, he later became the band's full time guitarist when Perf de Castro left one year after their debut album was released & later became the band's frontman after the departure of Bamboo in 1999.
Rivermaya decided to forge on, with Rico Blanco taking on vocals and released their fourth album, It's Not Easy Being Green containing the singles "Nerbyoso", "Shattered Like", and "Rodeo".
The band released its fifth studio album, aptly called Free, entirely for free on the Internet as well as on CDs distributed at their gigs. Free went on to be named "Best Album of 2000" at the NU Rock Awards.
Nathan Azarcon departed from the group signaling a new lineup change. Completing the lineup were new guitarists, Kakoi Legaspi (from blues band Mr. Crayon) and Mike Elgar (from 7 Foot Junior) as well as Japs Sergio (from Daydream Cycle) on bass.
Together, this lineup released "Tuloy ang Ligaya", preceded by the EP "Alab ng Puso" (featuring a remix by Raimund Marasigan's Squid 9).
The band released the albums Tuloy ang Ligaya and Between the Stars and the Waves, producing the singles "Umaaraw, Umuulan" , "Wag Na Init Ulo, Baby", "A Love to Share", "Balisong", "Sunday Driving", "Table for Two", "241 (My Favorite Song)", and "Atat".
Kakoi Legaspi resigned in 2004.
International success
The band found a variety of partners who commissioned such works as "Liwanag sa Dilim" [Light in the Dark], "Posible" [Possible] (Southeast Asian Games' Athletes Anthem) and "You'll Be Safe Here".
"You'll Be Safe Here," originally created as the theme for the ABS-CBN TV series Spirits (directed by Rivermaya co-manager Chito S. Rono) would be the song to take Rivermaya outside the country. Released as an EP by Warner Music Philippines, it also became the song that MTV Asia selected for performance at the 2006 Asia Awards. Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child introduced the group, and they were backed up by Thailand’s Royal Symphony Orchestra during live performance. It was the first time that a Filipino band was invited to perform in the said event.
An album of compiled works, titled You'll Be Safe Here, is distributed in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Rivermaya embarked on a series of Asian tours, including at Thailand's Pattaya Music Fest (2008, 2009) as well as Singapore's Mosaic Festival (run by The Esplanade); and Bangkok's Fat Fest as well as in Indonesia's MTV Staying Alive show.
In the Philippines, the Rivermaya Greatest Hits 2006 album on Viva Records was followed by an album dedicated to its music heroes: Isang Ugat, Isang Dugo [One Vessel, One Blood].
At the end of March 2007, Rivermaya scored again another first for the Philippines as their videos, "You'll Be Safe Here" and the recent video remake "Bali Song" were chosen as the first Asian artists to have full-length music videos featured on the Star World Channel.
In 2008-2009 Rivermaya performed at the Marina Bay New Years' Countdown in Singapore and became the first Filipino band invited to perform at the 2009 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.
Departure of Rico Blanco
On May 2007, rumors of Rico Blanco quitting the group surfaced. The band's management team refused to comment, as did the other members. It was not until a few more days before Rico Blanco officially announced his departure from the group. Both Rivermaya and its management have taken the announcement in stride and have denied rumors that the band would disband as a result. "No one member is greater than the whole," declared Rivermaya management in an official statement released on June 14, 2007.
After Rico Blanco left, Rivermaya released a new single, "Sayang" [Wasted], penned by Japs Sergio and described by the band as "an open letter to the fans."
In addition, Studio 23 announced the selection of Rivermaya to create the new theme song for the station. The new song is titled "Sumigaw" [Shouted] and marks the release of a second single in two months for the band, accelerating Rivermaya's pace for new songs rapidly (In previous years, the band had managed to release only a single every 12 months).
On August 11, 2007, during a mini press conference held at Mogwai Bar and Café in Cubao's Marikina Shoe Expo, Rivermaya released its all-new 5-song Bagong Liwanag EP, which hit stores nationwide starting August 15. This 5-song EP is released on the band's own label, Revolver Music, and licensed to Warner Music Philippines.[1]
Rivermaya also held auditions for a new member. Out of more than 400 participants, only 80 were chosen to join the semi-finals. The auditions was televised on Studio 23, which was titled Bagong Liwanag (A New Light). Aside from the band members, main judges are Rivermaya manager Lizza Nakpil, The Dawn guitarist Francis Reyes, and Razorback bassist Louie Talan.
New frontman and third evolution of line-up
On October 24, 2007, then-18 year old Jayson Fernandez was announced as the winner and new member of Rivermaya. This third evolution of Rivermaya offers an ensemble cast (with the four members offering their vocal prestiges) as compared to their previous lineups.
On February 2008, Rivermaya released the album entitled Buhay [Life] with the carrier single "Sugal ng Kapalaran" [Gamble of Fate] penned by Sergio with both Fernandez and Sergio doing the vocals, while Elgar and Escueta do backing vocals.
214
Rivermaya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do the words I speak before you
Make you feel
That the love I have for you
Will see no ending?
Well, if you look into my eyes
Then you should know
Nothing to fear
And you can lay your questions down
'Cause if you'll hold me
We can fade into the night
And you'll know
The world could die
And everything may lie
Still you shan't cry
'Cause time may pass
But longer than it'll last
I'll be by your side
Take my hand
And gently close your eyes
So you could understand
That there's no greater love tonight
Than what I've for you
Well, if you feel the same way for me
Then let go
We can journey to a garden no one knows
Life is short, my darling
Tell me that you love me
So we can fade into the night
And you'll know
The world could die
And everything may lie
Still you shan't cry
'Cause time may pass
But everything won't last
I'll be by your side
Forever by your side
I want you to know
The love could lie
And everything may die
Still you shan't cry
'Cause time may pass
And everything won't last
I'll be by your side
Forever by your side
Forever by your side
So you won't cry
The song '214' by Rivermaya is a classic Filipino love song that speaks about the depth and endurance of love. The first lines ask the question, "Am I real?" The singer then asks the listener whether the words they say are enough to convey their love without end. The verses suggest that if the listener looks into the singer's eyes, they'll see that there is nothing to doubt or fear. The singer comforts the listener that they can "lay your questions down" because if they hold each other, they can "fade into the night," and they will know that their love can outlast the world no matter what happens.
The chorus repeats the phrase, "the world could die, and everything may lie, still, you shan't cry" because even if time passes, the singer will always stay by their lover's side forever, and they won't have to cry. There's a sense of emotional safety in the singer's promise to stay by their lover's side no matter what. The song is generally interpreted as a message to a lover, showing the depth of one's love and commitment. The line, "take my hand and gently close your eyes, so you could understand that there's no greater love tonight than what I've for you" is particularly powerful in conveying this message.
Line by Line Meaning
Am I real?
I am asking you whether I am real or not.
Do the words I speak before you
Are the words that I am saying true?
Make you feel
Do they make you feel happy?
That the love I have for you
I want you to know that I love you very much.
Will see no ending?
And my love for you will never end.
Well, if you look into my eyes
If you look into my eyes, you will see that I mean what I say.
Then you should know
And you will understand.
That there is nothing here to doubt
You can trust me.
Nothing to fear
And there is nothing to be afraid of.
And you can lay your questions down
If you have any doubts, you can forget about them.
'Cause if you'll hold me
If you hold me tight,
We can fade into the night
We can enjoy the night together,
And you'll know
And you will understand how much I love you.
The world could die
Even if the world ends.
And everything may lie
And if everything is a lie,
Still you shan't cry
You do not need to cry.
'Cause time may pass
Even if time passes by,
But longer than it'll last
My love for you will last longer than time.
I'll be by your side
And I will always be by your side.
Take my hand
Hold my hand.
And gently close your eyes
Gently close your eyes and listen to me.
So you could understand
So you will understand how much I love you.
That there's no greater love tonight
That there is no greater love than what I have for you tonight.
Than what I've for you
I love you more than anything else.
Well, if you feel the same way for me
If you feel the same way about me,
Then let go
Let's be together and love each other.
We can journey to a garden no one knows
We can go to a secret garden where no one else knows.
Life is short, my darling
Life is short, so let's enjoy it together.
Tell me that you love me
Let me hear you say that you love me too.
So we can fade into the night
So we can enjoy the night together.
And you'll know
And you will know how much I love you.
I want you to know
I want you to understand.
The love could lie
Love can sometimes be fake.
And everything may die
And everything will eventually come to an end.
Still you shan't cry
But you do not need to cry.
'Cause time may pass
Even if time passes by.
And everything won't last
And everything will eventually come to an end.
I'll be by your side
But I will always be by your side.
Forever by your side
Forever, I will be by your side.
So you won't cry
So you will not need to cry.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mark Escueta, Mike Elgar, Nathan Azarcon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ReneBacolod-pp6vd
Perfect song perfect lyrics ever
@Angelasuewilliams
That is really sweet
@thomasalcantara4725
sheeeeshhh
@charlesmckenna712
You're always by my side you're my angel
@animegirl-mt3eu
I llove it 😻 ❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉😮😮😅
@user-tq7ie9yo2e
my favorit love song
@wilsonmolina1735
241 yun lods charot
@norvenmaximo12
Hi to 4 4, please play my song.
@JiJi-ji9je
.
@royihago380
kjj