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Rico Blanco, one of '90s Filipino rock music icons, recently ended speculations that have lingered for decades, about what the song title of Rivermaya's hit "214" really means.

In his most recent vlog, Rico, or Corics, indulged in nostalgia and recounted the interesting story of how he joined Rivermaya, and how they ended up with "214" as a song title for one of their greatest hits in the '90s.

Auditioning for Rivermaya

The chief songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist of Rivermaya narrated in detail how he got wind of the audition for the band.

“One night, natutulog ako. Naka-on 'yung radio. Ganun talaga, nakikinig ako ng music kahit sa sleep. I guess I heard an announcement na may isang banda na naghahanap ng rhythm guitar player at saka keyboard player. Tapos may auditions, may telephone number.

"Middle of the day, bigla kong naalala na kagabi nga pala may narinig akong ad sa radyo, 'di ko alam kung panaginip ba o totoo.

"Nahanap ko 'yung number, nakasulat sa isang resibo ng McDo. Tinawagan ko 'yung number na 'yon. 'Yung audition na 'yon ay sa Makati, sa Concertech.”

He also detailed what transpired during his first audition for RIvermaya. He confessed that he was extremely intimidated by other auditionees, and even told himself, “Mukhang magagaling masyado 'to.”

Rico eventually passed the audition and became one of the founding members of Rivermaya. He fondly recalled what their reaction was when he played for them for the first time. He said, “Noong pag-jam ko medyo si Nathan natuwa, tapos tinanong ano'ng susunod (kong tutugtugin).

Tinugtog ko yung "Plush" (by the Stone Temple Pilots). Tinginan lahat sila sa akin. Eh kakalabas lang ng "Plush." Kakatugtog lang sa radio two days ago.

So, nung tinugtog ko 'yon, parang 'Hanep 'to ah. Alam niya 'yung bago. Cool guy! 'Yung payat na maraming tigyawat.' (laughs) Ako 'yon.”

The birth of the song 214

Rico had written the song even before he met his Rivermaya bandmates. He did a mini-tour of their home in Laguna, where he grew up and penned the '90s hit song. He revealed, “Nasulat ko 'yung 214 noong 18 ako. That means dito ko siya nasulat. Dito mismo sa kwartong 'to.”

He also visited The Atrium in Makati, which plays a significant part in the band's history and the song "214." He recounted, “Noong first audition, puro covers at free jams lang yung nangyari. Itong callback, sa dulo ng second jam they asked, 'Does anyone of you have original songs?' And I played a couple of mine. No one else did.

“So, I played "20 million" and "214." So dito nila unang narinig 'yon. Noong marinig daw niya (Nathan) 'yung 214, nagtinginan daw sila ng manager, tapos parang may [narinig silang] kaching.”

What does 214 mean?

Rico made a big revelation in his vlog, saying that "214" was originally titled "The Proposal." He even found the original copy of the song lyrics, when he rummaged through his old files.

He then explained why he didn't settle for the original title. He said, “Parang working title lang 'yon and I found it really cheesy. I couldn't find anything in the lyrics. Forever by your side was (also) too cheesy.

"'The world could die,' which by the way, pinapapalit sa akin ng manager ko dati 'yung word na 'die' kasi morbid daw, or hindi raw 'pop'. "Am I real" was the best bet, but I wasn't so sold.”

Rico then sought the help of his bandmates and one of them, Nathan, listed a few title studies for the song. He later approached Rico and said, “Nandoon na. May title na.”

Rico then read the title that Nathan was proposing. He vividly recalled, “Meron siyang 2 tapos slash 14. Tapos tumatawa siya, sabi niya, 'Pare, Valentine's!' Tumawa siya tapos tumawa 'yung bandmates (namin).

"Hindi siya seryoso, pero tinitingnan ko…2 slash 14 sa title, tapos 'yung first line is Am I real…na-notice ko na two letters 'yung “am”, 1 letter yung “I”, four letters yung “real”. So baka pwede.

"So 'yon muna 'yung working title niya, 214/Am I Real, (hanggang sa) na-print na 'yung album namin at 'di na kami nakaisip ng better title.”

Discover more interesting facts about Rico, their band Rivermaya, and mind-blowing fan theories about 214's meaning in his vlog:

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