Titiek's enduring tunes get to heart of the matter

Titiek's enduring tunes get to heart of the matter

JAKARTA (JP): Titiek Puspa has come full circle in the music
world from her early days of projecting simple emotions through
her songs.

In the 1960s, she documented the turbulent decade and its
effect on the life of the man on the street. Since then, the
songs she has written for herself and for others have evidenced
her growing maturity.

Most notable among her early compositions were Hidupku Untuk
Cinta (My Life is for Love), Si Hitam (The Black Man), Bertemu
Seorang ABRI (Meeting an Officer), Minah Gadis Dusun (Minah, the
Village Girl), Doa Ibu (Mother's Prayer), Kuingin Jadi Srikandi
(I want to be Srikandi, a heroine in the Mahabrata legend).

Titiek tried to convey through songs that love means give-and-
take. Her lyrics were also rich in social parody.

The compositions have been a mirror of the Indonesian music
industry as well as realistic portrayals of the social condition
of Indonesian people in recent eras.

Her songs of the 1960s depicted the social, economic and
political upheaval.

The patriotic Pantang Mundur (Never Retreat, 1964) was
dedicated to the country's heroes who went to Irian Barat, (now
Irian Jaya), to wrest the province from the Dutch troops.

Adikku Arief Rachman Hakim (My brother, Arief Rachman Hakim)
was written in honor of a University of Indonesia student who
died in a 1966 political clash.

Gang Kelinci (Rabbit Alley), performed by Lilies Suryani, told
of a poor, big family living in a cramped house in a narrow
alley.

Titiek took the sting out of the family's pitiful condition,
which actually represented the life of many Jakartans, through
her humorous lyrics.

Minah Gadis Dusun told of the impact of modernization on rural
people. Minah was a naive girl drawn to glittering Jakarta. Her
strong affection for her boyfriend back in her village kept her
from remaining in the capital.

For many in the 1960s, listening to their AM radio station,
Titiek's songs were a brief escape from their problems.

Titiek's works changed with the times.

Rapid progress of the country's economy influenced the local
music industry. Market forces of the record and entertainment
business have changed dramatically since Titiek began her career.

Music is now composed to meet the demands of the market.
Titiek was the ideal crossover artist. She continued to write
high-quality songs which were commercially viable.

Titiek also looked beyond music. She starred in a number of
hit movies such as Inem Pelayan Sexy (Inem, the Sexy Maid). She
also produced and directed several operettas with her colleagues
grouped in Papiko, the Association of Jakarta Artists.

They will also stage the upcoming Jakarta Selintas (A Glimpse
of Jakarta).

But Titiek flourished in her familiar territory, writing a
string of hits for younger singers in the first half of the
1970s.

Kupu-Kupu Malam (Butterfly of the Night) showed her compassion
for a less fortunate woman, a prostitute who happened to be one
of her most faithful fans.

She wrote the romantic and melodious songs Adinda (Babe) and
Sendiri (Alone) for Acil of the Bimbo group. These pleased fans
of mainstream pop, who were previously not the group's target
audience.

Bimbi (1978), performed by Bandung-based big band The Rollies,
remained atop the music charts for months. It tells of the wacky
Bimbi who struggles to find a place in the big city, an updating
of Minah Gadis Dusun.

Commercial hit Apanya Dong (What Is It?), made her own by
female rocker Euis Darliah, illustrated Titiek's extraordinary
talent.

She could easily adjust to divergent musical genre --
kroncong, dangdut, pop, blues, swing, bossa nova and rock.

Bing, a hit for melancholic-voiced Grace Simon, touched the
hearts of many. Titiek's intense relationship with the late
comedian-singer Bing Slamet, whom she regarded as her teacher,
was clear from the emotional lyrics. She wrote the song in just
30 minutes after she heard the news of her best friend's death.

By the 1980s and 1990s, Titiek's songs were transformed by a
more mature outlook.

Her most recent work, Nada Cinta, expresses gratitude to the
Creator for giving her a full and contented life for the past 60
years. (raw)