It was exactly a fortnight ago ... that I, MD, mayotly, wrote of Loloq and Awan Yang Terpilu, knowing full well then, as I know today, that it would not make Juara at Juara Lagu because, it was cerebral, may be too cerebral to some. As we all found out Gemilang was juara. I had wanted to say my piece simply because the lyrics were poetic. And in this day and age, poems only get lauded based on who is the individual – not necessarily based on the poem itself. I did not expect to add to this subject.
Browsing through today’s copy of Pancaindera (Sunday, Feb 19, 2006), an article entitled “Lagu Terbaik atau Melodi Terbaik” had Loloq, the lyricist for Awan Yang Terpilu (and Aduh Saliha) discussing the importance of lyrics in determining the best song, and not the best melody.
Certain quarters disputed the quality of Gemilang (the winner of Juara Lagu) on the account of its lyrics. It was argued that in this instance, it has been an accepted fact that its poor lyrics had been submerged by consideration of its melody for the song to emerge the winner. Whilst many other lyricists were taking this snub quietly, Loloq preferred to be up-front, although he did remark that he was already “letih” and this would be the last time (I suppose for now) to be fighting for the Malay language through lyrics. He had hoped for lyric-writing to be a medium to promote the high literary value of the Malay language. He termed quality lyrics to be “Lirik yang merintis zaman, mendahului zaman”. In this instance, he felt that if a song were to be chosen based on melody, then the competition should be re-named “Juara Melodi”.
Hey, I do not know whether the above is the only complaint. After all, Gemilang could also be juxtaposed for the sheer fact that it was a Malaysian Idol anthem (TV3). Let’s not go there.
I respect Loloq for coming out with his view point, even if it may not change much of the landscape. But it proves a point that there is still a segment of our artistes and entertainment industry which is interested in dishing out high quality fare. And for us to take note that there are still gems of Malay culture in our highly commercialized entertainment industry.
Ditto Loloq!
TV3 should indeed take note of Loloq's suggestions. In an age where communication is instantaneous and words are compressed to keep up with the speed of technology, we do need people like Loloq (and of course, dedicated bloggers like MD) to make sure that the art and beauty of expressions through the medium of language are preserved in their uppermost forms.