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)