12 OPM Wishclusives to Send You Back to the 2000s

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Sometimes, one song is all it takes to make us feel wistful and sentimental. Once we hit the play button, that specific track can send us adrift to musical bliss, rewinding all the memories we associate with it.

If you want to relive the good, old days of the 2000s, we’re inviting you to indulge in the ultimate nostalgia-fest with these OPM Wishclusives!

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Sandwich - “Sugod”

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Sugod mga kapatid
Tayo ay magsama-sama
Iwagayway na ang bandera
Rakenrol hanggang umaga

Pinoy rock powerhouse Sandwich couldn’t have chosen a better opener for their “Five on the Floor” album than “Sugod.” With its infectious riffs and uncomplicated lyrics bursting with zest and love for rock and roll, the song successfully meets its intent of providing an anthem for the new generation of rock music aficionados -- like what Juan Dela Cruz Band has offered through their ‘80s opus, “Kahit Anong Mangyari.”

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Orange and Lemons - “Hanggang Kailan”

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Umuwi ka na baby
Hindi na ako sanay ng wala ka
Mahirap ang mag-isa

Over 10 years since Orange and Lemons’ career-defining album “Strike Whilst The Iron is Hot” was launched, the magic of the hits it produced -- including “Hanggang Kailan” -- still resonates until today. Whether it’s the original studio version or their Wishclusive rendition (which they performed as a newly-reformed indie-rock trio), this particular tender tune about longing for your special someone never fails to hit that emotional sweet spot.

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Callalily - “Magbalik”

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Tulad ng mundong hindi
Tumitigil sa pag-ikot
Pagibig ‘di mapapagod

At one point in the mid-2000s, the quiet opening bass line, the sudden wailing of guitars, and the remorse-tinged vocals of Callalily frontman Kean Cipriano in “Magbalik” were the most distinct sounds you’ve probably heard inside a classroom or across the hallway. An anthem for the brokenhearted, most ex-campus sweethearts and even hopeless romantics played this song on repeat -- as if they have already tasted the biggest heartache of their lives.

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Hale - “The Day You Said Goodnight”

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I'm freezing in the sun
I'm burning in the rain
The silence, I’m screaming
Calling out your name

Champ Lui Pio and the rest of Hale are the alt-rock poets responsible for elegantly-crafted OPM songs that punctuated the 2000s, including “Blue Sky,” “Broken Sonnet,” “Sandali Na Lang” and “The Day You Said Goodnight” -- which is arguably their most iconic hit. This song, embroidered with ironies evoking a certain sense of despondency, brought the band to mainstream success in the country and in Southeast Asia.

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Sponge Cola - “Gemini”

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Let me know if I'm doing this right
Let me know if my grip's too tight
Let me know if I could stay all of my life

Showcasing a post-grunge sound that’s uniquely Sponge Cola’s, “Gemini” is the kind of song you’d love more deeply the more you listen to it; a perfect go-to track for the infatuated. The way vocalist Yael Yuzon penned this “Palabas” (2004) cut is heavily inspired by Shakesperean literature, as evidently backed up by the song’s Romeo and Juliet-themed music video.

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Mayonnaise - “Jopay”

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Jopay, kamusta na ba?
Buti ka pa, palagi kang masaya
Jopay, buti na lang
Nariyan ka, hindi na ako nag-iisa

The 2000s was an interesting decade for Pinoy music and pop culture. Alongside the emergence of a new breed of OPM bands, the country has also seen the ubiquity of sing-and-dance groups like the SexBomb Girls. Jopay, one of the said ensemble’s member, even became the muse of the eponymous Mayonnaise classic that’s still well-loved by fans until today.

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Itchyworms - “Akin Ka Na Lang”

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Akin ka na lang
Liligaya ka sa pag-ibig ko
Akin ka na lang
Wala nang hihigit pa sa'yo

“Akin Ka Na Lang” is playful, bouncy, and absurdly catchy. The fresh-sounding OPM tune, lifted off The Itchyworms’ “Noontime Show” effort, cleverly and effectively mixes straightforward lyrics with comic, sarcastically-written lines, reorienting the way serenade songs are made.

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Soapdish - “Pwede Ba”

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Pwede bang sabihin mong
"Maghihintay ako sa'yo"
Kasi medyo naiinip na 'ko
Sa ikot ng mundo

Pop-rock quartet Soapdish was launched into the mainstream music scene with their self-titled debut album released back in 2003. “Pwede Ba,” one of the record’s stand-out tracks, found its way to the hearts of many youngsters after it was used as the official soundtrack of the tagalized Taiwanese rom-com TV series, “It Started With A Kiss.”

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Mojofly - “Tumatakbo”

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Tumatakbo ang oras
Naiiwan na ako ng panahon
Di na nagbago bawat araw
Pare-pareho parang kahapon

One of the most prominent female-fronted acts of the 2000s, Mojofly made a mark in the local music scene with hits like “Mata” and “Tumatakbo.” The latter pulled at the heartstrings of listeners with its relatable narrative of desperately longing to finally be with the one. And just a tidbit of trivia, did you know that the song’s music video made history as the first of its kind to feature a full 3D animation?

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Aia De Leon - “Sundo”

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Kay tagal kong sinusuyod ang buong mundo
Para hanapin, para hanapin ka
Nilibot ang distrito ng iyong lumbay
Pupulutin, pupulutin ka

The imagery and metaphors presented by Aia De Leon in “Sundo” are nothing short of exquisite. An original included in the album “Blush” by Imago (the band she used to front), the song is a tale of an enduring kind of love; a story of a person fervently wishing to save someone who’s long been stuck in the alleys of gloom and ache.

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Moonstar88 - “Migraine”

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Oo nga pala
Hindi nga pala tayo
Hanggang dito lang ako
nangangarap na mapa-sa'yo

If you’ve ever been hurt by getting yourself involved in a hazy kind of romantic relationship, it’s hard not to be able to relate with Moonstar88’s “Migraine.” The opening verse of the song itself -- as stated above -- is enough to rub salt in your confused and painfully wounded heart.

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Kitchie Nadal - “Same Ground/Bulong”

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My love, it's been a long time since I cried
And left you out of the blue
It's hard leaving you that way
When I never wanted to

In this Wishclusive, acclaimed singer-songwriter Kitchie Nadal showcases her timeless trills and treats OPM lovers with a medley of her hits, “Same Ground” and “Bulong.” Both songs -- an anthem in their own right -- are taken from her self-titled debut solo record. The album, which also spawned the smash “Wag Na Wag Mong Sasabihin,” established her as one of the most important female figures in recent Pinoy rock memory.