Songs of the Yesteryears (a.k.a. butir bicara menjadi untaian puisi)

I could sometimes, be quite melodramatic. A simple example would be, sniveling over the PETRONAS adverts. How pathetic could that be.

More to that, I was also (previously) attributed wonderful songs to the current vista I was in. Let me share some of the songs of my yesteryears.

Kalau Ku Bayangkan (J Mizan): The year was 1974. I was too small. I heard this song during a seemingly endless open-air bus journey from Bagan Serai to my hometown Sitiawan. “Kalau ku bayangkan dirimu jauh dari ku …”

Ku Cari Penawar Luka (Black Dog Bones): Maybe in 1978. I could still sing this song, especially while sautéing Agaricus Bisporus (cendawan butang) alone in the kitchen. “Bila aku pergi menjauh, menghilangkan diri darimu …”

Selamat Pagi Sayang (Noor Kumalasari): 1980. I woke up to this song on one fine cool morning in the Sick Bay at STAR. “… engkau datang membawa, sekuntum mawar merah, pagi menjadi indah …”

Nilai Cinta Mu (Sudirman): I was sneak-peeking my own identity in the early teens. The year was 1981. This song got nothing to do with that. “Pernah dulu kufikirkan, tanpa cinta tak mengapa, bila kau pergi kurasakan, sunyinya di hati …”

Akukah Terlewat (Royston Sta Maria): Me … in my adolescencies. Year 1982. Donno why the lyrics moved me, a lot. “Akukah terlewat, atau mungkin waktu yang tercepat …”

Lagu Dari Kamar (Noor Kumalasari): The earliest song dedicated to me by a friend. Yeap, those days, we did that. Maybe she wrote it in her room (dorm). Circa 1983. Started to sing it. Welcome to my life. I have lots of secrets to share, dreams to reveal and stories to tell. “Rindu mengajakku, renungi lembaranmu, kuulang membaca, surat bermakna …”

Careless Whispers (Wham!): I loved this song. Nope, I’m nuts over it. It’s 1985 CE. Someone asked me to empathise the lyrics, but I could care less. What’s she implying? I was naïved about the complexity of woman’s heart (and for the record, still am). “To the heart and mind, ignorance is kind, there's no comfort in the truth, pain is all you'll find …”

Akulah Kekasih Mu (Francessca): I was in SEMESTI. Year 1986. It got nothing to do whatsoever with anybody, except that I was full of glam as the Headboy. “Di pertemuan semusim yang lalu, harumnya suasana …”

Doa Buat Kekasih (Ramli Sarip & Khatijah Ibrahim): Still in 1986. This song, OMG, this very song. “Yang dulu usah dirindu, hilangkanlah dari hatimu …”

Kehebatan Cinta (Francessca & Jamal): Nineteen eighty seven. Love’s great, but won’t normally stay. Funny though, even now when I’m alone, if I heard this song, I would stop the car and would sing along. With a company, I’d lipped-sync. “Hatiku masih seperti dulu, tidak pernah pun berubah cintanya …”

Pelangi Petang (Sudirman): Still in 1987. This was about a cute pet-sis named Rose (where in the world is she now?). She scribbled the para “Engkau tiba bagaikan pelangi, tak bercahaya namun kau berseri …” in a really nice pink card. I became her rainbow, and she became my rose.

Bila Rindu Kusebut Namamu (Siti Fairuz): Summer hols 1988 in Glasgow. I was like bored-like-hell, because had to stay put while most of my friends have gone to Europe. “Bila ku resah ingin rasa ku bertemu, aku jadi tak menentu …”

Foolish Beat (Debbie Gibson): Cold. Lonesome. One dark forlorn Autumn. Year 1988. Cycling via the cycleway to Loch Lomond. Missed you. “I could never cry again like I did when I left you, and when we said goodbye …”

Srikandi Cinta Ku (Bloodshed): Still in 1988. Imagine an endless mid-Winter night. “Terciptalah rimba kehidupan, percintaan dalam perjuangan …”

Sejati (Wings): Glasgow West End. Circa 1989. Those hundreds of letters, red cards in February, that cute beagle (that Snoopy), after that rain in Taiping. “Gagal segala impian, tinggal bertanya erti sejati …”

Sentuhan Kecundang (Ekamatra): Early 1990 CE. Gone, everything. No explanation to offer. “Kita telah mencuba segala, namun tewas akhirnya …”

Lovely Day (Bill Whithers): Think of a bright Sunday morning in Spring. The year was 1990. How I wish the lovely morning breeze could convey my warm wishes. “Just one look at you and I know it's gonna be a lovely day …”

Losing My Religion (REM): Which I won’t, even I had to die. Early Summer 1991. Losing myself. Fallen apart. “What if all these fantasies, come flailing around …”

Asma ul Husna (anonymous): Summer 1991. The mosques were the only place.

Rush Rush (Paula Abdul): The Final Degree Exam Summer of ’91 was over. Tagging along with a friend and his old car trekking the beautiful castles, ruins, islands, highlands, glens, trossachs and lochs in one really pleasant Summer in Scotland. The lengthy daylight gave a little hope, if only I could ever again realise the meaning of longing, I’ll be rushing back. I’m dreaming, a wonderful mid-summer daydream. “You're the whisper of a Summer breeze, you're the kiss that puts my soul at ease …”

Kembalilah (Amy Mastura): Back to the tanahair and to the reality. And it bites. Year 1992. But this one made-in-the-UK drama swasta Melayu lingers me on. “Hanya engkau yang mengerti tentang aku, ku rasa hari-hari sepiku tanpa canda tawa bersamamu …”

Bukan Kemahuan Fikiran (Gee): The year was 1993. My heart was very much full of glee. I was in the southernmost tip of the Peninsula. Whatever happened here … bukan kemahuan fikiran. “Di perasaan tersimpan segalanya rahsia, dan tiada dapat ku tahankan rindu itu …

That’s it. No more songs after that.