By Ben&Ben delivers a love song that is unapologetically bare in its messaging on “Dear”
After bagging five wins including Album of the Year at the recently concluded Awit Awards 2022, Ben&Ben returns with a new single that captures the essence of romantic love without forcing or expecting anything in return.
Setting itself apart from the conventional themes often associated with the subject, the nine-piece band encapsulates love that is earned through perfect timing and experience.
On “Dear,” Ben&Ben interprets a love song that is unapologetically bare in its messaging.
“We think it’s equally important to drop any notion of wanting to deliberately steer clear of potential sounds and themes we may have already done when being unapologetic and honest in songwriting and arranging,” the folk-pop collective says in a statement. “Like in love, the more you fight the feeling, the more one might feel internally dissonant.”
Penned by Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin, “Dear” serves as a reflection of the band’s collective and individual experiences with love so far and how one becomes stronger after going through bittersweet lessons in life. The song was recorded at A.R. Rahman’s Firdaus Studio during their time at Expo 2020 Dubai.
“Dear is a song that tries to capture the feeling of a deeper kind of romantic love; one that begins when a person surrenders the pursuit of a lover itself to a higher power,” reveals Ben&Ben.
From a production standpoint, “Dear” evokes the timeless feeling of nostalgia and earnestness, while capturing the sound of a generation drawn into ‘70s singer-songwriter calm and pop-rock vigor.
“Not only were we able to use their world class studio space and equipment, but we also had the pleasure of working with the stellar team at Firdaus Studio, including Peter El Khoury, Alexander Theux, Theodore Danso, and Ali Hassan,” says the multi-award-winning band. “Unlike most of our tracks that we record individually in the studio, we decided to record this one together as a full band, and we feel the final track really reflects that more ‘old-school’ feeling of looseness and authenticity.”
Ben&Ben hopes that music fans will connect instantly with the song and get a very valid answer to the question, “How do I know when I’m sure about somebody?” As the Paninindigan Kita act puts it, “We also just really hope this song connects people together in a way that they remember the people in their lives whom they can really call ‘Dear’ as well.”
Ben&Ben’s “Dear” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment. Watch the recorded live version here.
Watch Ben&Ben’s “Dear” Official Video Here
Dear by Ben&Ben Lyrics
Dear, I know you’re not the type
To verbalize your thoughts
But know that I see you
The wonder within you
Dear, we come from different times
Like sunrise and moonlight
So how’d we arrive at
The mountain we’re climbing to the peak
[Chorus]
Only the two of us can understand
The sureness of our love
I promise you that I will hold your hand
No matter what may come, my dear
Ooh, ooh
[Verse 2]
Dear, we’ve been to hell and back
But if anyone might ask
I’d choose to go through the fire again with you
Certainly
[Pre-Chorus]
There will be times when we don’t see
Beyond our differences
And the things we don’t agree on
Get on each other’s nerves
With careless words we throw
In the height of strong emotions
But know that I will stay
I’m with you all the way
[Chorus]
Only the two of us can understand
The sureness of our love
I promise you that I will hold your hand
No matter what may come, my dear
[Bridge]
Won’t you spend a little while with me?
I can wait for eternity
Just for a second of your time, my dear
[Chorus]
Only the two of us can understand
The sureness of our love
I promise you that I will hold your hand
No matter what may come
Within the beautiful and captivating
Strangeness of our love
I’ve found a sense of peace
And clarity that I had once dreamed of
My dear, my dear, my dear
Ooh
