raining in manila

Imagine this: You’re in the car on a road trip to somewhere you don’t even know. It starts raining heavily and the ride is still long, so you put your earphones on and stare into the window, relapsing about the what ifs and what could have beens.

As if on cue, these are the songs that start playing:

Raining in Manila - Lola Amour

Since its release in 2023, Raining in Manila has been a staple for when the weather starts feeling cold and nostalgic.

This song will make you think about your friends who you’ve lost contact with—whatever the reason may be—and how they’re doing, much like Lola Amour’s Pio Dumayas did when he wrote the song as he thought of his friends who left the country to pursue better lives in other countries.

Heather - Conan Gray

“heather is the kind of song that deserves “heather - conan gray (crying alone in the rain)” edits” — Conan Gray.

The relapse does not end with friends, because as Conan Gray said, we all have a Heather in our lives. Someone we despise, but do not really have a reason to. Heather is for the brokenhearted lads who wish “Heather” was them. If that hit a bit too close to home, we hope you have tissues with you to wipe those tears away.

Rainy Days - V (BTS)

Melancholy and nostalgia, all in one song.

V of BTS perfectly encapsulates the feeling of the rainy season with “Rainy Days,” as he sings of being unable to fall asleep, reminiscing about a relationship that has become a fragment of bittersweet memories. This song will make you vividly remember the happiest times in a relationship, but it will also remind you of a connection forever lost in time.

Basang-Basa Sa Ulan - Aegis

Of course, this playlist won’t be complete without the OG hit song for the rainy weather.

As the pitter pattering sound of the rain transforms into loud thrums over the roof, Basang-Basa Sa Ulan is the perfect song to belt your heart out—as if in a battle for dominance with the droplets of water. This song by Aegis mirrors the hopelessness we face in many setbacks, yet we choose to desperately fight on.

Still With You - Jungkook

“I’m still with you, even if you’re no longer with me”

There’s a certain kind of longing, holding on, and letting go that continuously lingers and whispers in the hush of memories. “Still With You” by Jungkook is a song that encapsulates the emotional in-between—where love still lives vividly in our hearts even after they’re gone, while stillness replays the words left unsaid. The sound of the rainfall, combined with the jazzy R&B instrumental, creates a rhythm of yearning between what ifs and what could have been—still reminiscing, still feeling, and still hoping. For the kind of days when rain drips down the window, this track sounds like a memory you never really moved on from.

I Think I Like When It Rains - WILLIS

While it plays like a cozy rainy day tune, this track hits just right for nostalgia and emotional relapse. “I Think I Like When It Rains” by WILLIS is a soft indie track that is perfect for unraveling thoughts you are not ready to forget. Like the lyrics. “And all that I can do is stop and think about the day”, This track is indeed introspective and conversational–where rain is a metaphor for the feelings that don’t just fall, but remember. This song indeed feels like a smile through the rain because it perfectly hits and sits with you, while it cradles you in a strange kind of comfort.

Isip - Healy After Dark

POV: You said you’re over them, but somehow, their presence still lives rent-free in your mind.

You swore to yourself that you had moved on, deleted all the chat conversations and photos, and suddenly “Isip” by Healy After Dark starts playing, like a memory on shuffle. Like the title of the song, one thing is for sure—they are stuck in your mind as you’re back at square one, mentally reliving your love for them. This track lingers on the thought of why a heart can’t forget what the mind constantly refuses to stop reminiscing. And even though you know that the person you like will never feel the same way anymore, you still think about them like a dream you didn’t want to wake up from.

Umaasa - Calein

“Umaasa” by Calein is the ultimate anthem for every person who still clings to that hope of rekindling the love, even though it tells you to “let go.” Together with the guitar riffs, emotional, nostalgic, and melancholic lyrics and vocals, the song indeed feels like a confession wrapped in pain as you wait for someone who might never return and be with you. This song is the perfect soundtrack for holding on, while it quietly haunts you with all of the memories and heart-fluttering scenes of the past. Kahit alam mong wala na talaga—umaasa at umaasa ka pa rin.

As the last few notes of the last song fade, the sun may already be shining again above the sky. But when the weather turns gloomy once more, let this playlist be your companion, sitting with you through the storm.

Written by Leana Infante, a Communication Arts major in Speech Communication at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and Ana Rufa Padua, a fourth-year Communication student from the Ateneo de Manila University.

Cover art by Leana Infante

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