Di Manakah Nilai Cintamu

I returned home in early 1986 to this melancholic song of Sudirman.

You know Sudir released the "Orang Kampung" album in that year which turned out to be an excellent album, as always. Really. While I may be biased since I am a fan(atic) - to quote a friend and a staff, there are many songs that are not only listenable, but a few from this album could also be considered as classic. In fact, this album is considered a prophecy of what was to come, albeit six years later with the song many considered to be his farewell song, "Salam Terakhir."

This song can be considered in the same mould as another melancholic song of PRamlee - "Di manakan ku cari ganti" - a song many consider to be the ultimate tribute to death.

Sorry, I digress.

However, as a celebration of his life and work, I thought I want to highlight this particular song that is very close to my heart and chances are you would not find this song in many of his compilation. For the life of me, I don't understand why this is the case. After all, to my ears, it is such a beautiful song worth its place in any compilation.

But I guess there are limited spaces in a CD, and he has tons of pieces to be included, which say a lot of his achivement.

Hence, I would always prefer to listen to the original albums than any compilation. But I can't find Orang Kampung album anywhere anymore. Is there someone out listening? EMI, can you you re-release Orang Kampung please?

Anyway, a prequel to this song, "Nilai Cintamu" was written by the man himself, and I had paid tribute to this song in my entry "The Day the Music Died" posted last year.

A song that would always stop me on my track.

The sequel in the Orang Kampung album, "Di Manakah Nilai Cintamu" was also written by Sudirman himself. He was such a talented song-writer and not many knew that. He wrote great songs for himself and he had given a couple of good songs to his then side-kick Noorkumalasari.

Well, not many could emulate the talent of this man.

After years of listening to the golden era of English music of the 80s signified by the romantic era, I was mesmerized by the sad melody and depresssed lyric - and that made it so beautiful to my ears!

[my eyes are all red now]

Here's part of the lyric:

Hancur hampa terima berita
Kini kau diijabkabulkan
Berbahagia dan sejahtera
Dengan dia itu
Hatiku terharu

Berlinang airmata ini
Keranamu oh kasih
Tak pernah terduga hatiku
Begitu murahnya cintamu padaku

[How could she? I, I...]

Coming home to this song, it was heartbreaking to say the least.

[Give me some tissue please..]

I can feel his pain in singing this song and to pay tribute to Sudir, let's listen to this song as televised on RTM that year (and it was re-ran last year). In fact this song was chosen as the theme song of a popular Filipino TV series shown on our telly during those years.

[No, the whole box, thank you]

Anyway, enjoy this piece.

[Let me wipe way these tears. Will be back when you are done listening.]

isk...isk

Epilogue

So, great song or what? But I must say it was the lousiest introduction that I had ever seen on any show on the local telly.

I thought the musical arrangement could have been better. I didn't enjoy the guitar play that much. But it was music then in the 80s.

Errr, this entry has nothing to do with anyone hidup atau mati.

Purely as a tribute to the genius of Sudirman.