Tuesday 14 February 2006

Not a Valentine piece, konon

Different situations and different things tend to trigger off different lyrics in my head. Being able to vocalise them is another question of course. Thus, I need my own space, like the kitchen or preferably the bathroom. The bathroom is certainly the best place, with the perfect ambience and acoustics, shower head in hand, I am always transformed into Tony Braxton with Unbreak My Heart. And such lovely lyrics too.

Lyrics for love songs are not supposed to be logical. How do you unbreak a heart, or uncry the tears? But aaaah, so so beautiful. Can you imagine if someone uncry the tears for you? I'd die and undie several times over!

I do marvel at people who come up with such beautiful words and string them together to make songs that play on our lips and remain in the deep recesses of our minds until something; a smell, a gesture, a word, triggers it off into a full blown song...in tune or out of tune, it doesn’t really matter.

Anyway, there are times in our life, during our vulnerable moments that we think certain songs, certain lyrics must have been penned just for us only, or for us and our loved ones, be it sad or soppy.

The song Devoted to You by Olivia Newton John never fails to transport me back to Cafe De Paris or commonly known as Ho Peng cafe in Light Street. See here. Sitting there. reading my love letters for the umpteenth ttime under the big tree while sipping my coffee. Danny, the office boy would stand by for the next command to put another penny in the juke box – Play It again, Danny. Ah, isnt love a many splendoured thing? hmmm, I feel another song coming up.

Malay songs have beautiful and unforgettable lyrics too. R Azmi is certainly long gone but his songs, ahhh the lyrics!!! Can you imagine someone singing to you...”Lemah terasa seluruh tubuhku, Mleihat tanda di jari manis mu....” (This translation is for Beautiful Stranger) My whole body feels weak, Looking at the symbol on your finger.)
I can almost feel the hurt in that voice, feel the crush of his heart as it went into pieces on the flloor, just at the sight of an engagement ring on his lover’s finger?

P Ramlee, needless to say, was a genius at provoking all kinds of emotions. His Istana Cinta which he wrote with S Sudarmaji is just mindblowing.

Dengan cinta ku bina istana
Kau sentuh runtuh jadi pusara
Cahaya hidup ku jadi gerhana
Bisa jiwa menanggung derita
Ku semai benih kasih sejati
Ku pupuk dengan baja nan asli
Ngapa kau siram racun yang pedih
Ku tuai kini hanya rasa yang sedih
Ku impikan istana janji mu
Ku hias cantik dalam angan-angan
Sebab bencana datang mengganggu
Kini hancur musnah istana impian


But somehow, in some of his songs, P Ramlee could not be serious. Not a hundred percent. Just when you are up in cloud eight and berjiwang habis, he became his comical self again. Look at this :

Diingatan ku terbayang wajah
Abang ku yang gagah,
Baik budi serta ramah tamah,
Handsome macam gajah...


Ish ish ish...ada ke pulak macam gajah? Spoil saja!

And yes..before I forget. How do you reconcile the lyrics of this song? Benci Tapi Rindu? I guess it is possible to hate someone and yest miss him or her. But what a wicked song for a karaoke session! Never mind if you can’t hit the note!

Anyway, am writing this in a rush and many more songs and beautiful lyrics come to mind, such as Masquerade – how on earth did anyone come up with...

Thoughts of leaving disappear, each time I see your eyes
And no matter how hard, I try
To undertand the reason, why we carry on this way,
we’re lost in this masquarade.

Was rushing off to this fashion show and did not have enough time to check typos. Sorry! Will blog abt the Fashion Week later.

Posted by Picasa

PS -

38 comments:

Bergen said...

Whaddaya think Paula, Simon?

You are going to Hollywood, girl!

Lollies said...

are harmony and melody can make me cry.

one time i cried when i heard a song...but then i knew the lyrics so that's not surprising. but my son cried too. the song was so harmonious

melayudilondon said...

kakZ,shikin here. alamak i baca your old entry on 14.2.05. ceh! lomantik loh.. don't worry, i won't tell h,r,n and batman. hahahaahaha

may said...

oh, them tunes! those words!
"killing me softly with his song, killing me softly..."

bibliobibuli said...

love malay/indonesian songs. my karaoke was always 'si jantung hati' which translates, doesn't it as 'oh my heart liver'. romantic indeed.

Angah said...

andainya aku pergi dulu sebelum mu..

hahaha.. ambik tu lagu kucing lorong :-)

Anonymous said...

alamak.. terbayang-bayangkan kakteh mengalunkan suara di dapur dgn senduk dan baju kelawar !! hehe..

MA said...

Kak Tehhhhhhhh !!!

I am also so jiwang today remembering "the way it used to be " - and all the songs in my life.

Masa jiwang kat college " Two Less Lonely People In The World. "

Masa frust : Where Do Broken Hearts Go (Whitney Houston).

macam-macam lagu :-)

Ely said...

alamak kak teh, i could just iamgine u singing those oldies hehehe.

memang betul eh, lyrics can be so unreal but so 'unable' to resist!

happy V day to u and AG!

dith said...

Not a valentine piece konon..hehe that's a good one...alhamdulillah many are aware that we muslims are not supposed to celebrate the valentines...and I see many muslim bloggers are avoiding wishing others the valentine's wish...

So it was another fashion show for you huh? Glamour habis Kak Teh kita!

Atok said...

aiseyman.... bila nak bawa i gi fashion show? dah lama tunggu ni....

~ said...

kak teh...

had a good valentine? well hope ur life is filled with love, loved ones and beautiful things.

those lyrics just made me feel like flying in the cloud 9 lah! nostalgic betul kak teh ni :)

-http://awana.blogspot.com-

Unknown said...

jiwa rasa gelora.....

sambung..sambung..

mama irma said...

Kak Teh, that 'masquerade' by the Carpenters is my all time favourite!!!hum to it every morning in the bathroom.....'are we really happy with this lonely game we play, looking for the right words to say....'

Oreos said...

the title's great, haha. happy val's day kak teh ;)

LifeBloom said...

KT: Benci Tapi Rindu is heart wrenching isnt it??? Songs are the reflection of the human condition and because there are just SO many songs out there, you can always pick one and make it an anthem of what is happening in your life at the moment.

I love all of the late Tan Sri P Ramlee's songs. From achingly happy to sadly tragic - the songs really do stand the test of time and I am sure 7 generations from now will still enjoy the melodies.

Jo Kontan said...

"The bathroom is certainly the best place, with the perfect ambience and acoustics, shower head in hand,......."

Waaah Kak Teh !! But in my case, the best ambience and acoustics is inside the car. Plus nobody is around..

Setahun sudah Berlaaaalu, February muncul kembalii dengaan kehangataaan semalaaaam..

I'm going to my car Now !!

AuntyN said...

Dah jiwang2 tu, mai kita makcik2 tulis lyric lagu Makcik Bloggers OK ka?

"Tanjung Katung Airnya Biru
Tempat mandi nak dara jelita
Sama sekampung hai lagi di rindu
Ini kan lagi hai jau di mata..."

Dari lagu Nak Dara Rindu

ROYAL JESTER said...

HI KT,
Nice piece. Ala..fashion show lagi?Wish I was there..boleh la tag along. malam tu tak jadi kan kita nak tengok Michelle yeoh..bummer!

Nazrah Leopolis said...

nope this is NOT a valentine piece. Hee hee...

u know, when you know people still get mushy over love songs,we know there is hope for us songwriters yet.

Nazrah Leopolis said...

Anak urang.... Sabuik Andaleh... ndeh mamak oi..
Singgah ka rumah... si Sutan mudooooo (nan o-nyo bagaya-gayakan
turun naiak suaro tukang dendangnyo)
Si Sutan Mudo..

Bia abih.., bialah tandeh ndeh tuan oi
Ati den kanai, kabaa juooohoooo ka baa juo...


Indak dapek, musim basiang ndeh tuan oi
Musim manuai..., den nanti juooohoohohoo den nanti juo

Indak dapek.. Katiko Bujang ndeh tuan oi..
Baranak ampek..., den nanti juooohohoooho den nanti juo...

How's that for a love song?

AuntieYan said...

Kak Teh, all the songs mentioned are my favouret...memang jaman kita tuh....:-)

Kak Teh said...

bergen, did u say Simon? am already feeling week at the knees.
Lollies, aaah, lagu dan irama..memang tak dapat dipisahkan.
sriperwira, tolonglah jangaaaaan!
may, yes, that too, killing me softly - a true karaoke song
sharon, oh my heart liver! Love songs tend to use every part of the body! - well almost!
anakmalaya - dont get me started!! Hingaaaa akhir nantiiiiiiiiiii!

Kak Teh said...

klmuk, yr imagination is spot on!
ely, i trust u had a lovely day too with David.
Jane, romantic? with sniffles and coughs? naaaaaah!
DITH - yes i have limited only two shows this year..malas dah nak pi
atok, gua tersangat terlupa - tak apply pun nak pi tapi dihantar invite - gitulah adanya.
babe, kalau menyanyi and tak ada sapa2 di rumah memang boleh naik cloud nine...perasan sendiri.
jiwa rasa gelora, kasih pada teruunaaaaaa, bukan kerna intan permata, kerna budi bahasa...
mama irma, memang masquerade tu lagu bilik mandi lah!!! Takkisah lah kalau ada orang menunggu kat luar, kan?

Kak Teh said...

oreos , same to you! and thanks for the visit.
Noni!!!! art sings every saturday at mawar and last saturday, iw as waiting for my favourite song - masa nak balik baru dia nyanyi! Melayu di Kota inggeris.
MA: wink wink
Lifebloom, can you track down the song 'Sayang' - an indoensian one - I cant find it at all.
Jokontan, kak teh dalam kereta pun boleh jugak, tapi anak2 habis sembunyi sebab malu!
aunyN, tu nk dara rindu, kita ni apa pulak?
yes, nazrah, i really salute u all songwriters. do u talk like that too in real life?
putri - get the next lane here - the next show is bernard chandran!
Auntie Yan - hahahaha - does reflect our age kan??? lagu zaman dulu2 memang sangat bererti!

demonsinme said...

AKAK TEH,

Love songs and love were never logical. They make sane man insane, turns saint to sinners, etc.

If ever they where made logically by God, than it'll be no fun at all.

Trust me, I'm a pathetic hopeless romantic.

Anonymous said...

Happy Belated Valentines Day Kak Teh!! :) Hope not too late to wish you that!! ;)

Masak spesel dinner ke kak teh?

Ordinary Superhero said...

Too many songs for every part of our lives. Personally, I think Sudirman is one of those singers that could put his heart with his songs. You could 'see' him smiling when he sang 'Balik Kampung' or you could feel his heart bleeding when he sang 'Salam Terakhir'.

Salute to all these creative people.

LifeBloom said...

KT: Okay - consider it done. Will cari the song for you.

Seeking Solace said...

Good to know Art Fazil is still singing in London :)
Me big big fan :)

Count Byron said...

Kak Teh.
This piece was crafted with love.. I can hear the songs wafting in the air.. and read the letters many times over too. The setting is just perfect for Masquerade, Rainy Days and Mondays, Place to Hide Away, Yesterday Once More, Ticket to Ride..
Juke; for now..the Carpenters for me please

Anonymous said...

kak teh, bila saya dengar lagu2 indo (such as dalam rancangan 'indo top ten') saya rasa macam jiwang semacam

Anonymous said...

indo= indonesia

Anonymous said...

Talk about music and beautiful melody! What is life without music! When it comes to one of my favourite lyrics it would be James Ingram's "How Do We Keep the Music Playing." Such deep lyrics..Can't quite remember them right now but I assure you it's quite deep.

Mutiara said...

Well, I got jiwang too with all the oldies that once meant a lot and now just remebering those times. Our weekly meeting at the then Penang merlin's revolving restaurant would always be greeted with "WIDURI". with a special someone then "stuck on you" and my fav was masquerade with the then someone special after a very lengthy relationship.

lacrema said...

Hi Kak teh,

just dropping by to say hello after a long time. I started work with a research institute for about 2 weeks already. Lotsa work. But main source of income is other than this research work. How are you? How's everything going?

Honeytar said...

Pantun untuk Makcik Bloggers:

Makcik bloggers merdu suara
Lagu jiwang dinyanyi bersama
Ingatan pada lagu2 lama
Sentiasa buat ku terasa muda

;-)

Count Byron said...

Pak cik bloggers pun boleh cuba
Ajak Makcik menyanyi bersama
Jangan Honeytar risau, gundah gulana
Memang muda pun tu ha