The King of Dangdut

Evolution of Dangdut: From Urban Roots to Glamorous Heights:

Dangdut was embraced by the urban lower class in Jakarta in 1965 and subsequently spread to other cities. It initially featured flirtatious or poverty-themed lyrics with a musical blend of Indian and Malaysian influences in a ‘Melayu orchestra. According to Philip Yampolsky et al. (2001), this art was formerly performed by tabla (drum) that features a low sound preceding the robust beat, and then a higher pitch appears immediately, which can be mimicked using syllables as ‘dang-DUT;’ the reason behind its name. However, according to Jeff Titon (2017), it was recently performed on an electric guitar and trap set. Overall, while dangdut initially represented the music of the urban poor, it evolved into a more glamorous genre, with its stars achieving significant wealth.

 

 

Rhoma Irama: the influencer:

Rhoma Irama (b 1947) is an influential Indonesian musician who was known as the “king of dangdut” from the 1970s to the 1990s. He initially embraced Western rock but later sought to create a modern yet distinctly Indonesian musical style. He succeeded commercially by developing a unique mix of Eastern and Western features, minimizing the impact of Indian and Malaysian styles while incorporating some Middle­ Eastern touches and American rock music. For instance, he used a robust method rather than the coy dialogues of dangdut songs to perform a social protest song, e.g., The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. The strict criticism method led to the banning of some of his music, such as Hak Azasi (1977), which focused on human rights. Moreover, his innovative approach enabled him to be influential in various musical themes, including environment, love, country, and especially religion (spreading Islam). 

• Spring Water song by Rhoma Irama

 

Rhoma Irama’s Artful Language:

Rhoma Irama attempted to pique the audience’s attention using environmental-themed songs that incorporated a variety of word meanings, including lexical, figurative, grammatical, connotative, denotative, and associative meanings. The lexical meaning is observed in words like “forest,” “drought,” and “water,” where the words carry their literal definitions. Also, lexical meanings can be found in Irama’s song regarding synonyms, antonyms, hypony, hypernym, and other terms. In contrast to the lexical style, he uses figurative meanings. Delving into the song Di Tepi Pantai, we find figurative meanings expre­ssions like “Dancing white waves bear witness.” Grammatical meanings arise through processes like duplication, as seen in phrases like “all kinds of catastrophes” and “dry-arid earth.” Also, Irama used connotations to add depth to the meaning, much like idioms such as “waiting for the rain to water,” which can be found in a song called Kemarau. In the same song, he uses denotative meanings to illustrate an all-year drought through the verses. To complement the depth, Irama uses associative meanings to symbolize concepts. For instance, in the song Mata Air dan Air Mata, the term “jerit” (screams) represents the idea that the famine problem has spread worldwide. In essence­, Roma Irama’s tunes express his mindful se­lection of phrases and design of e­nvironmental themes, enhancing the emotional impact on listeners.

• Kemarau song: (the drought)

https://youtu.be/xQaoZjJiawM?si=V2K18nFLXr5Qx99h

• full album of Rhoma Irama

 

 

Reference:

Ariyanti, E. S., Febriyanti, M. I., & Amin, M. F. (2022). Choice of words based on meaning in rhoma irama songs with environmental themes. E3s Web of Conferences, 359. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202235903021

 

Farihul Amin, M., Sifa Ariyanti, E., & Ivana Febriyanti, M. (2022). Lexical diction in the lyrics of songs rhoma irama with the theme of the environment. E3s Web of Conferences, 359. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202235903026

 

Frederick, W. H. (1982). Rhoma irama and the dangdut style: aspects of contemporary indonesian popular culture. Indonesia, 34(34), 103–130. https://doi.org/10.2307/3350952

 

Titon, J. T. (2017). Worlds of Music. MindTap – Cengage Learning. https://ng.cengage.com/static/nb/ui/evo/index.html?snapshotId=3550394&id=1837927220&deploymentId=5390012051518358095425149492&eISBN=9781305664142 

 

Yampolsky, P., Sumarsam, Gold, L., Seebass, T., Brinner, B., Crawford, M., Cook, S., Perlman, M., Kartomi, M. J., Gorlinski, V., & Raden, F. (2001). Indonesia. Shibboleth authentication request. https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/grovemusic/display/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000042890