Tanging Dahilan - Translation and Anecdotes

Tanging Dahilan

(Reminder: The green colored fonts are actually links to posts or vids where you can find what we are talking about. Click on them for proofs.)

This sweet, sweet song is included in Belle’s first album, Daylight and composed by Gab Tagadtad. The melody of “Tanging Dahilan” is so sweet. The words are just as good. This song shows us that the littlest of things mean a lot if coming from a special person. “Good morning” sounds like I Love You depending on who is sending it. It is a very romantic song for two people in love especially in the initial phases of falling. It talks about love in its early stages when your heart is already falling before the mind knows what is happening. You are already one foot in even before you admit you are falling in love. Isn’t this what almost everyone goes through on the road to love?

This song also has a special place in Bubblies’ hearts because Donny admitted so many times before that despite the album being really good, “Tanging Dahilan” has a soft spot in his heart. When asked during the special screening which line does he like the most, he has difficulty picking one because he says each one has meaning. He did settle for “kahit magkalayo, malapit ang damdamin.” He cited that he is by the beach at that time of the special screening while Belle is in Manila doing work, but he can still feel her presence no matter what. This admission is immortalize in a screen record.

Another favorite revelation, comes from Sir Roxy Liquigan, the head of Star Music. Let us break it down into two. He posted a pic with the caption “may bisita si Belle”. This made the Bubblies ecstatic that it even trended. Rox Santos was even so amazed that the tag landed at the top spot and stayed for a long time. Some say Donny came from a vacation and went straight to the recording studio to visit Belle. A recent revelation added to the kilig and the splendor of this song. A Bubbly asked Mr. Jonathan Manalo, what song was being recorded when Donny dropped by the studio. Mr. Manalo answered that tweet with "Tanging Dahilan". Could that be the reason that this is Donny’s fave? This revelation was enough to lead everyone in a frenzy, though. This is also the song that they sung in the Magandang Buhay guesting along with Wings.

The “Tanging Dahilan”music vid has reached more than a million views on YT to which Donny was ever so proud telling the mumshies in Magandang Buhay while the latter noted how he seems to know a lot of facts about Belinda and how he sounds like the proud friend, as he should. As of this writing, “Tanging Dahilan” MV has 1,254,904 views. The MV has been talked about because of its ethereal quality that fits the sound of the song. The lyric vid on YT has 888,381 at the moment while the karaoke version has 4.3K. As of June 10, 2022, it is on the tenth spot of the One Music Ph. In Spotify, 4,533,903 streams as of this writing. It is truly the favorite of a lot of Bubblies.

The lyrics of the song are included below with a loose English translation to help the many international fans.

Song lyrics of Tanging Dahilan	English Translation
Tanging Dahilan (title)	Only reason
Giliw, lumapit ka sa akin	Dear, Come near me or Dear, come close to me
Mayro'n akong gustong aminin	There is something I want to admit
Bakit ang tamis ng hangin tuwing ika'y nakatingin	Why is the air sweet when you are looking
'Di ko napansing binabalik ko rin ang lambing	Didn’t notice that I was returning your affections

'Di na kayang ipagwalang-bahala	I can’t ignore it anymore
Ang dinadala ng puso ko'y gustong kumawala	What my heart carries wants to break free

Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan sa paggising ko	The only reason for waking up
Biglang may kahulugan	Suddenly there’s meaning
May kahulugan ang pag-ibig sa mundo	There’s meaning for love in the world
Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan na nagmamahal ako	The only reason I am in love or The only reason I love

Tanging dahilan, tanging dahilan	only reason, only reason
Tanging dahilan, tanging dahilan	only reason, only reason
Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan na nagmamahal ako	The only reason I am in love or The only reason I love
Kaya ang puso ko'y sa iyong sa iyo	That is why my heart is all yours

Giliw, salamat sa good mornings	Dear, thank you for your morning greetings or Dear, thank you for greeting me “good morning”
Kahit magkalayo, malapit ang damdamin	Even if we are apart, our feelings are near
Tila katabi paggising, salubong ang mga ngiti	Feels like I am waking up beside you, welcoming me with smiles
'Di ko napansing nasasabik na sa iyong lambing	I didn’t notice that I long for your sweetness

'Di na kayang ipagwalang-bahala	I can’t ignore it anymore
Ang dinadala ng puso ko'y sa iyo ibibigay	I will give you what my heart carries

Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan sa paggising ko	The only reason for waking up
Biglang may kahulugan	Suddenly there’s meaning
May kahulugan ang pag-ibig sa mundo	There’s meaning for love in the world
Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	Ikaw ang tanging dahilan
Tanging dahilan na nagmamahal ako	The only reason I am in love or The only reason I love
Kaya ang puso ko'y sa iyong sa iyo	That is why my heart is all yours

Tanging dahilan, tanging dahilan	only reason, only reason
Tanging dahilan, tanging dahilan	only reason, only reason
Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan na nagmamahal ako	The only reason I am in love or The only reason I love
Kaya ang puso ko'y sa iyo	That is why my heart is all yours

Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan sa paggising ko	The only reason for waking up
Biglang may kahulugan	Suddenly there’s meaning
May kahulugan ang pag-ibig sa mundo	There’s meaning for love in the world
Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan na nagmamahal ako	The only reason I am in love or The only reason I love
Kaya ang puso ko'y sa iyong sa iyo	That is why my heart is all yours

Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan sa paggising ko	The only reason for waking up
Biglang may kahulugan	Suddenly there’s meaning
May kahulugan ang pag-ibig sa mundo	There’s meaning for love in the world
Ikaw ang tanging dahilan	You are the only reason
Tanging dahilan na nagmamahal ako	The only reason I am in love or The only reason I love
Kaya ang puso ko'y sa iyong sa iyo	That is why my heart is all yours

Side note: This was the person I tried to translate because of a Brazilian Fan I came in contact with in Twitter. She and her friends are big DonBelle fans, and they listen to Donny and Belle’s songs even those in Filipino, though, they don’t understand a word.

Here are some links to Belle Mariano singing the song:

Belle singing in the Star Magic Christmas Special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8qq-AIXqGU

Belle singing in the Clover Leaf Mall Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIoZrqNBJLo

Lyrics from:

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bellemariano/tangingdahilan.html

Some news about Tanging Dahilan:

https://nylonmanila.com/belle-mariano-tanging-dahilan-music-video/

https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/03/11/22/belle-marianos-tanging-dahilan-hits-1m-views

More pics from Tweets of Roxy Liquigan:

https://mobile.twitter.com/Roxy_Liquigan/status/1438084930706165760

Credits:

Pics from https://mobile.twitter.com/JonathanManalo/status/1438083353442336769