| Iwan Fals |
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Iwan Fals (born
Virgiawan Listanto; September 3, 1961 in
Jakarta) is an
Indonesian singer–
songwriter. In 2002,
Time magazine named him as a Great Asian Hero.
Early life
Iwan was born Virgiawan Listanto in Jakarta, on September 3, 1961 to Harsoyo, a soldier,
[1]
and Lies Suudijah. He studied at SMP 5 Bandung and SMAK BPK Bandung. He
continued his studies at Sekolah Tinggi Publisistik and then Jakarta
Arts Institute. At the age of thirteen, he performed as a street
performer at wedding ceremonies and other social events.
[2]
Personal life
On 1 January 1982, his first son, Galang Rambu Anarki was born. One
of his best-known songs, Galang Rambu Anarki, was written for his birth
and released on 1982's Opini (Opinion) album. Galang was a guitarist who
became a folk musician in his own right, and he died on 25 April 1997
of a suspected
morphine overdose. 'Galang Rambu Anarki' translates to "support the sign of anarchy" in English.
[3]
Three years later, his first daughter Anissa Cikal Rambu Basae was born.
[4] His third child is Rayya Rambu Robbani.
[5] He and Rosanna, his wife live in
Cibubur,
West Java.
[6]
Galang Rambu Anarki had started to follow in his father's footsteps,
playing in a band from a young age, but died in 1997, aged 16, either of
asthma, or from a drug overdose.
[7]
Career
Aged 18, Iwan Fals, Toto Gunarto, Helmi and Bambang Bule formed a
group named Amburadul. The group released the album 'Perjalanan' in
1979, which was not successful, but was re-released with the added track
'3 Bulan' as '3 Bulan' (1980) in 1980. The group disbanded and played
no further role in Iwan Fals' career.
As part of his early career, Iwan Fals also recorded some comedy
albums, after winning a comedy country singing contest. He sang of comic
situations and themes, and his first release was on 'Canda Dalam Nada'
(the A-side featured five songs by Iwan: Generasi Frustrasi, Dongeng
Tidur, Imitasi, Kisah Sepeda Motorku (aka. Kopral), and Joni Kesiangan
while the B-side consisted of songs by Tom Slepe and Pusaka Jaya). The
songs Dongeng Tidur, Joni Kesiangan and Kisah Sepeda Motorku were
released, with one new song, Ambulance Zig Zag, on the Iwan Fals
mini-album Canda Dalam Nada, while Generasi Frustrasi and Imitasi were
also included on the 'Yang Muda Yang Bercanda II' multiartist comedy
compilation.
During this time, Iwan supported himself by busking.
1981 saw Iwan Fals' breakthrough, when he signed to Musica Studio to record his first solo album,
Sarjana Muda.
This album shows Iwan Fals' signature country music style, with the
protest song "Guru Oemar Bakrie", which talks of how a teacher is poorly
paid but still responsible for educating future well-paid and
successful people. 'Guru Oemar Bakrie' became very well known and
popular in Indonesia, and helped established Iwan's name. The album also
contains several ballads. It benefited from considerable investment by
Musica Studio, who used high-quality musicians and producer for the
album.
1982's Opini, also on Musica Studio, cemented Iwan's reputation as a
protest singer, but also as a balladeer. 'Galang Rambu Anarki', for his
newborn son, combined both elements, commenting on both the happy event
of the birth of his first child, but also commenting on rising prices,
saying that perhaps his child would be malnourished if they could not
afford to buy milk.
1983 saw the release of
Sumbang, while 1984's album releases were
Barang Antik and
Sugali.
In April 1984, Iwan was arrested and questioned for two weeks after performing the songs 'Demokrasi Nasi' and
Mbak Tini, both songs never recorded on album, in
Pekanbaru. The song Mbak Tini was about a prostitute with a road-side coffee shop, married to 'Soeharyo' (
Suharto).
[8] The events were retold on the song '14-4-84' on 1986's Ethiopia.
Iwan Fals continued to release albums throughout the 1980s, while in 1989 he formed the group
Swami, which released two albums
Swami I in 1989, and
Swami II in 1991. A similar grouping was
Kantata Takwa, which contained several Swami personnel. The musical style was "rebana rock", a blend of
Jimi Hendrix and
Rick Wakeman, to a Betawi rebana.
[9] The album
Kantata
Takwa' was released in 1990, featuring songs such as "Bento" and
"Bongkar" ("Rip It Down"), two of several songs which they sang during a
demonstration by college students.[6]
Up to the release
Orang Gila in 1994, Iwan had released
approximately two new albums per year for 15 years. Since 1994, he has
greatly reduced his release schedule, releasing two singles only in
1995, and one in 1996, while in 1998 Kantata Samsara, the second and
final album by Kantata Takwa, was released.
To make up for the lack of new content, a number of Iwan Fals compilations were released in the 1990s and 2000s, including
Best Of The Best,
Akustik (3 volumes), and
Salam Reformasi ("Greetings Reformation"), which sold more than 50,000 copies.
[10]
In 2002, Iwan Fals released his first new solo album since 1994,
Suara Hati.
[11] In 2003 the album 'In Collaboration With' was released consisting of performances with other Indonesia artists.
Manusia Setengah Dewa, in 2004, was a solo album.
In 2005, he released
Iwan Fals In Love, essentially a
compilation of existing Iwan Fals romantic reocrdings, but with the new
song "Ijinkan Aku Menyayangimu" ("Let Me Love You") as the main single,
and five re-recordings of old songs.
[5] Two songs, in collaboration with Indra Lesmana,
Haruskah Pergi, and
Selancar, were released as digital download in 2006.
In 2007,
50:50 was released by Musica Studios. The album's
themes were romance and social criticism. One single of the album,
"Pulanglah" ("Go Home"), tells about the death of
Munir.
[12] Six singles were written by himself and other six singles were written by his fellow musicians.
[5] Two songs were released in 2009 as
Untukmu Terkasih.
In 2010, he released
Keseimbangan, and in 2011 he released new album titled "tergila-gila" with 4 new songs inside.
he has a large fans club which called OI (Orang Indonesia).
Lyrical themes
Iwan Fals has been compared with Bob Dylan, who was one of his key
influences, both on his early style, which made heavy use of the
harmonica, and on his lyrics, which have frequently been in the
protest song genre.
For instance, "Kamu Sudah Gila" ("You've Gone Crazy") and "Apa Kamu Sudah Jadi Tuhan?" ("Have You Become God?") criticized the
New Order regime.
Other songs are more observational, but still could be seen as
political. For instance, his song Galang Rambu Anarki, written for his
newborn son, talks of being too poor to raise his son, while "Kembang
Pete" ("Stinkbean Flower") tells the story of the underestimated poor.
[1]
"Aku Bosan" ("I'm Bored") is about a child protesting to his parents
because they left him alone at home. While "Hura-Hura Huru-Hara" ("Fake
Riot") compares moneylender to blood-sucking vampires.
[13]
The 1988 song (and album) '1910', which could be interpreted as
referring to the year 1910, was actually a reference to the date 19
October, the date, in 1987, of the
Bintaro train crash,
a disaster the song documents in observational style. "Celoteh Camar
Tolol dan Cemar", on 1983's Sumbang, documented the sinking of the
Tampomas II ship in
Masalembu.
Aside from his observational protest songs, Iwan Fals is known for
his love songs, which include "Yang Terlupakan" ("The Forgotten"), "Mata
Indah Bola Pingpong" ("Beautiful Pingpong Ball Eyes"), "Antara Kau,
Aku, dan Bekas Pacarmu" ("Among You, Me, and Your ex-Boyfriend"), and
"Pesawat Tempurku" ("My Jet Fighter").
Although a songwriter, Iwan Fals' status as one of Indonesia's
leading rock/pop performers has led to his recording material from
numerous other song writers. Some of his most notable hits written by
others include Barang Antik ("Antique"), "Kemesraan" ("Intimacy"),
"Kumenanti Seorang Kekasih" ("I'm Waiting for a Lover"), "Aku Bukan
Pilihan" ("I'm Not an Option") and "Ijinkan Aku Menyayangimu" ("Let Me
Love You").
[14]
Discography
- Perjalanan (as part of Amburadul group) (1979)
- Canda Dalam Nada (1979) - comedy album, Iwan has the A-sde only
- Canda Dalam Ronda (1980) - comedy mini-album of four tracks, contains one new track 'Ambulance Zig Zag'
- 3 Bulan (consists of Perjalanan plus the new track 3 Bulan) (1980)
- Sarjana Muda (1981) - Musica debut
- Opini (1982)
- Sumbang (1983)
- Barang Antik (1984)
- Sugali (1984)
- Kelompok Penyanyi Jalanan (KPJ) - as part of KPJ, or Street Singers Group, Iwan Fals sings on 3 songs (1985)
- Sore Tugu Pancoran (1985)
- Aku Sayang Kamu (1986)
- Ethiopia (1986)
- Lancar (1987)
- Wakil Rakyat (1987)
- 1910 (1988)
- Kemesraan (1988) - single, with Betharia Sonata, Chrisye, Rafika Duri, Itang, Jamal Mirdad, Etrie, Nani
- Mata Dewa (1989)
- Swami I (as part of the group Swami) (1989)
- Kantata Takwa (as part of the group Kantata) (1990)
- Cikal (1991)
- Swami II (as part of the group Swami) (1991)
- Belum Ada Judul (1992)
- Hijau (1992)
- Dalbo (1993)
- Anak Wayang (1994)
- Orang Gila (1994)
- Kantata Samsara (as part of the group Kantata) (1998)
- Suara Hati (2002)
- In Collaboration with (2003)
- Manusia Setengah Dewa (2004)
- In Love (2005) (contains only one new song, and four re-recordings)
- 50:50 (2007)
- Untukmu Terkasih (2009) - Mini-album - two songs only
- Keseimbangan (2010)
- Tergila-gila (2011)
- Raya (2013)
Awards
In 2002, he was named as Great Asian Hero by
Time magazine.
[11] In 2011, he received "Satyalancana", the highest government awards from
Jero Wacik, Culture and Tourism Minister of Indonesia.
[15]
Indonesia
