Eraserheads returned to the studio to record songs for
Circus in 1994, recruiting their former college professor and friend Robin Rivera as producer. They contributed “Wating” to
Ishmael Bernal's 1994 film of the same name as its theme song, with actress
Carmina Villarroel on guest vocals. It was later released as a bonus track for the album's CD release. The album's first single "Kailan" was originally written as part of the musical
Manhid, directed by
Auraeus Solito while the band studied at the
University of the Philippines Diliman in 1991. A
lounge version was also included in the album as a bonus track. The album featured classic hits for the band such as "
With a Smile", "
Magasin", "
Alapaap" and "
Minsan". "Magasin" was based on a friend of
Ely Buendia's who had dated actress Shirley Tesoro, who appeared in
bomba films. "Alapaap" became a subject of controversy for its suggestive imagery, which Senator
Tito Sotto saw as promoting drug use. The band responded with a letter to the senator stating that it was a misinterpretation and that the song was their "ode to freedom", not drug abuse.
Circus features
punk elements found in tracks such as "Bato", "Insomya", and "Alkohol". "Sembreak" refers to
semestral breaks common in Philippine secondary education. "Hey Jay" is about a homosexual named Jay that "manages to humanize gay men", even though Buendia later clarified in a 2012
Esquire article that "it's not strictly about that", continuing: "I also identified with those people who couldn’t express themselves freely." while "Butterscotch" is a song about religious hypocrites. The album also features a three-part series of filler tracks written by
Marcus Adoro: "Punk Zappa", "No Royalty Album Filler No. 9" and "Prof. Banlaoi's Transcendental Medication After Every Six Months or Punk Zappa Three", poking fun at the Philippine alternative scene. ==Artwork==