Love Of Joy began with a simple guitar riff in November 1999. I was playing acoustic guitar when I found a riff I liked, started singing along, and the song gradually took shape.
The original version featured my friend Robert C. Drilon, who contributed the lyrics and vocals. We recorded it in a bedroom at my wife’s family’s home in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It was a lot of fun, and Robert has a very distinctive voice. However, his pronunciation made some of the lyrics difficult to understand.
More than 25 years later, I decided to bring the song back. My friend Paul Vincent Camoro from Cebu, Philippines, rewrote the lyrics and recorded new vocals while keeping the spirit and feeling of the original song.
I particularly like Paul’s voice on this version. He has a very different voice from Robert, but both interpretations have their own character. Paul is also an experienced live performer, performing with Abyss and his own three-piece band, Pavel Camaro.
The recording was finalized in the Philippines on 27 November 2025. For me, Love Of Joy has something special about it — a smooth, almost ballad-like feeling that makes it a natural love song and an easy-listening track.
The 2025 version appears on my 7th Z CAR M album.
YouTube Music Video Clip LINK: