Two chords and the world
When it comes to matters of art, it is indeed quite baffling how we find beauty in both complexity and simplicity. We, Filipinos, love to clap our hands and let out screams of adoration when a diva hits the high notes of a song after the bridge and just right before the modulated chorus. But then, we also show our love through the constant sharing of Jose Mari Chan memes come the “Ber months”— our way of praising the balladeer’s timeless Christmas hits. Mind you, JMC’s songs are not exactly the most technical pieces out there.
Which brings me to my fascination with the wildly popular pop rock single “Mundo” by IV of Spades. While the whole retro-look branding definitely made the band’s transition into celebrity territory an easier path, the track in itself is one helluva hit maker. There is probably no other musical act in the Philippines right now, who has effectively transcended the labels of what is “cool” or “baduy”—generally speaking—while making a name for itself.
The song “Mundo”—the Filipino word for “world”—is a love song that explores one’s acknowledging of his or her beloved as his or her “safe place,” “home” or “world.” As of writing, the song has 53,062,571 plays on Spotify. Imagine the other views and streams unaccounted for on other official and unofficial accounts online.
What the casual radio listener or fan would probably not know, is that the song mostly just makes use of two chords: C Major and G Major. I say “mostly,” because the song goes through some chord changes as it hits a guitar interlude in the middle part (basically just passing through D major).
(Now, I am writing this from memory. So feel free to correct me if I’m wrong and if there are more chords in the song on @livesunstar).
If we dissect the track to its core, and re-imagine it like some sort of business venture—this would be an example of a windfall. It’s like, spending P15 for an ice cream scoop, but then meeting a deprived, multimillionaire sweet tooth who offered you P1,000,000 to buy it. Something like that.
What cannot be discounted, however, beyond all the marketing smokescreen and the currency of online reactions, is a song’s heart. “Mundo” has that and more—with or without the band’s retrolook. What can songwriters glean from this? A song only needs the bare minimum—two chords— to make a difference in people’s lives. Just as long as it has got heart.