"Da Coconut Nut" is a song composed by Filipino national artist

Ryan Cayabyab Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab (born May 4, 1954), known professionally as Ryan Cayabyab (), is a Filipino musician, composer and conductor of Original Pilipino Music (OPM). He was the Executive and Artistic Director for several years fo ...

for the band

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in 1991.

Composition

The song's lyrics describe the uses of the different parts of a coconut tree. Cayabyab, in an interview with

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

, said that the song was composed in the novelty style popularized by

Yoyoy Villame Roman Tesorio Villame (November 18, 1932 – May 18, 2007), better known as Yoyoy Villame (), was a Filipino singer, composer, lyricist, actor, politician and comedian. Early life A native of Calape, Bohol Province, Villame was the youngest ...

, whom at times the song was incorrectly attributed to. The song borrows some melodies from

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racing, hydroplane racer whose unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decade ...

's 1944 recording of " It's Love-Love-Love".

Performance

The song became part of the concert programs of choirs in

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after a deal in July 2008 allowed its publication in the choral arrangement in Randy Stenson's Santa Barbara Music Publishing of California catalogue and performed in the American Choral Directors National Convention. Stenson first heard the song performed by a Hawaiian choir. Cayabyab claimed that the song became popular among American choirs ever since. In July 2017, when a video of the Baylor University School of Music Men's Choir performing the song before airline crew and passengers in

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' plane cabin became popular, the choir stated that it had been singing the song since 2010. The song has been licensed for use for promotions featuring the coconut-based Malibu rum.

Reception

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'' described the song as a "whimsical Filipino piece." ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broad ...

'' editor Rito Asilo characterized the song as a "wackily irreverent novelty hit". When the song was performed during

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's visit to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

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described the song as a "classic ditty".

Remakes

"Da Coconut Nut" was

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by the Filipino girl group Bini as their pre-debut single. It was released on November 20, 2020 as a digital single by

Star Music Star Music (also known as Star Records and corporately as Star Recording, Inc.) is a Philippine record label owned and operated by ABS-CBN Corporation. It was formerly a separate company operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corpora ...

. The single was intended to pay homage to Ryan Cayabyab.

References

External links

* {{Bini Bini (group) songs English-language Filipino songs Songs about trees 1991 songs Filipino novelty songs