Trip down memory lane on popular 'Tembang Kenangan'

Trip down memory lane on popular 'Tembang Kenangan'

Tembang Kenangan

9 p.m., Sunday

Indosiar

Host: Bob Tutupoly

JAKARTA (JP): Old hit tunes sung by popular singers of the
past stick in our minds, dredging up memories of memorable times
when we were young.

So if you enjoy listening to old songs sung by such onetime
hitmakers as Koes Ploes, a popular Indonesian group of the 1970s,
and Elvis Presley, then Tembang Kenangan (literally "nostalgic
melodies") may be for you.

One of the attractions of the show is seeing singers of
yesteryear and finding out how their golden voices, and looks,
have fared over the years. The audience is invited to sing and
dance along with the tunes, often moving audience members to
tears.

Popular Indonesian singers who have appeared on the show
include Dewi Yull, Harvey Malaiholo, Rafika Duri, Yuni Shara,
Ruth Sahanaya, Koes Ploes and Bimbo Group.

Another attraction of the program is that the songs are a
variety (slow and rock), which were popular from the 1960s
through to the mid-1980s. The presenter of the program, Bob
Tutupoly, will explain to the audience when the song was a hit,
who sang it and what events, if any, occurred along with the
song.

Bob plays an important role in sharing this information with
the audience. Bob, a top singer in the 1970s best known for his
song Widuri, communicates well with the singers and the studio
audience as well as TV viewers to make the program entertaining
and attractive.

Born in Surabaya, East Java, on Nov. 13, 1939, Bob invariably
sings a song by one of his singing idols -- Elvis Presley, Dean
Martin, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra -- when kicking off the
program. And he still has his golden voice and attractive stage
style of the 1970s.

Bob, with his experience of performing in Hong Kong and
Bangkok, is shrewd in gauging what is needed for. He knows when
to turn the atmosphere romantic and merry, and how to keep things
relaxed.

Viewers of Tembang Kenangan can sing along with the singer on
the stage as the lyrics are presented on the screen. It's even
more festive when members of the studio audience get up to dance,
and the years seem to slip away.

The studio is in a cafe setting, with round tables adorned
with drinks, snacks and flowers in vases. There is only a short
distance between the stage and the audience, further fostering
the familial, relaxed feeling of the show.

When Tembang Kenangan was aired from 1995 to April 2000, the
audience did not sing and dance. Unlike Bob, the then presenters,
Nunu and Eva Marlia, didn't stand on stage, let alone sing a
song. Although the show has survived through the years, it was
not as interesting as it used to be.

Tembang Kenangan competes well in the ratings with other music
programs like Layar BNI (BNI Screen) on SCTV, which is aired at
the same time on Sunday but with a younger target audience. (Sri
Ramadani)