Why you hear this Indonesian song everywhere | Bengawan Solo

Bahasa Indonesia subtitles are available! (Ada subtitle Bahasa Indonesia!). Bengawan Solo is a song that you can hear everywhere in Asia, watch this video to learn about the little known history of this song by Indonesian Kroncong musician Gesang Martohartono.
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Written, Directed and Edited by Bondan Syamsu (IG: @bondansyamsu)
Narrated by Sei Violette ( @seiviolette ).
Email: [e-mail]
CREDITS
Originally Based on "Bengawan Solo: How an Indonesian folk song became the post-WWII Asian Zeitgeist" by Bondan Syamsu
Link: broadly-specific.com/2020/01/...
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Becker, J. (1975). Kroncong, Indonesian Popular Music. Asian Music, 7(1), 14. doi:10.2307/833923
Kartomi, M. (1998). The Pan-East/Southeast Asian and National Indonesian Song Bengawan Solo and Its Javanese Composer. Yearbook for Traditional Music, 30, 85. doi:10.2307/768555
Steele, P. (2012). Memorializing Colonialism: Images of the Japanese Occupation of Indonesia in Japanese Popular Theatre. Asian Theatre
Journal, 29(2), 528-549. www.jstor.org/stable/23359528
Imperial Japan Map Credits:
David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries.
MUSIC (Order of Appearance)
Bengawan Solo - Gesang Martohartono (Kroncong Asli)
Bengawan Solo - Rebecca Pan (Hong Kong)
ブンガワン・ソロ - Toshi Matsuda (Film Version)
Beunga Van Solo - Aok Sokunkanha (Cambodia)
Bengawan Solo (Nederbeat) - Young Savages (Netherlands)
Soulful - Nicolas Boscovic
Memory in Time - Tom Fox
Waroom huil je toch Nonah Manis (Dutch East Indies)
Bengawan Solo in Original Keroncong Duet - Gesang Martohartono, Asti Dewi Christiana
Farewell Broadmoor (Piano Improvisation) Tom Fox
Bengawan Solo in Pop Bossa Nova - Hendri Rotinsulu
ブンガワン・ソロ - Toshi Matsuda (Original)
Love on the Solo River - Pan Xiuqiong (Singapore)
Quizás, quizás, quizás - Bobby Capo
Quizás, quizás, quizás - Nat King Cole
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Doris Day
The Girl From Ipanema - Frank Sinatra, Antônio Carlos Jobim
Bengawan Solo - Chan Yung Yung
FILMS SHOWN (Order of Appearance)
River Solo Flows (1951) Dir. Kon Ichikawa (In the intro)
Stray Dog (1949) Dir. Akira Kurosawa
The Quiet Duel (1949) Dir. Akira Kurosawa
An Autumn Afternoon (1962) Dir. Yasujiro Ozu
In the Mood for Love (2000) Dir. Wong Kar-wai
THANK YOU TO OUR PATRONS
OFFICIAL SPONSORS
Sei Violette
In my element
PATRONS
Jordan Walters
Andhika Pielaat
Zed Orchard
Umi Hoshii
Keywords:
Video Essay, Bengawan Solo, Gesang Martohartono, Kroncong Music, Indonesia History, Indonesia Culture, Colonization, Music History, Southeast Asia, Pan-Asian Identity
#Gesang #bengawansolo #videoessay #indonesiahistory #indonesiamusic #southeastasia
DISCLAIMER
The use of film scenes and music in this video is fair use for commentary, criticism and analysis. I do not own the rights to any of the footage shown. All rights go to the copyright owners and no infringement is intended.
All Images & historical footage are sourced from Wikimedia Commons, Internet Archive, Google & KZbin. All rights belong to the respective license holders. This video is fair use and for educational purposes.
A special thanks to @potolawas on Instagram for some of the photos!

[@broadlyspecific]

Bahasa Indonesia subtitles are available! (Ada subtitle Bahasa Indonesia!). Thank you for watching, consider subscribing as well! This is my first time editing a video of this sort using After Effects, so the quality is a work-in-progress! Also, Sei Violette, the narrator, is British and she did her best trying to pronounce all the foreign and local words so definitely give her a round of applause! Please do comment if you have read the original website article in the past! Finally, if you have more to add about the history of Indonesia or the song, please do comment. We try to keep it digestible for the video so we probably missed a lot of history! Thank you again for watching! broadly-specific.com Follow us Instagram: @broadly_specific Twitter: @broadlycinema Support us on Patreon.com/broadly_specific -Bondan Syamsu

[@lapizaini5218]

Why include Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei in Netherlands East Indies??

[@broadlyspecific]

@@lapizaini5218 was just the illustration! Didn't mean it to be an accurate drawing. Apologies if that upsets you

[@lapizaini5218]

ya... like 9 dash line by Chinese.... i afraid it will be misleading@@broadlyspecific

[@broadlyspecific]

@@lapizaini5218 wasn't the intention at all. And I don't think that's a good comparison seeing that you're discussing something China is doing right now as a government and affects current geopolitics and I'm just one dude who drew on After Effects on a time period before neither nation existed. It was my mistake regardless, my apologies.

[@wenderis]

She did excellent-excellent job! Also, for a british I can hear some peculiar accent especially during the 'ng' sound. Japanese or Vietnamese?

[@notusneo]

As Indonesian this is actually the first time hearing that Bengawan Solo has mulitple version overseas

[@orangbelanda984]

Kmn ajeeeeee

[@deedee2455]

sama :D

[@cefrinaldi8060]

Sama

[@indonesianbassbooster5167]

Being a Wong Kar Wai movie enjoyer, this isn't *exactly* my first time, but my first time discovering that it's not just in Indonesia nor in Hong Kong.

[@khamdani.r]

​@@orangbelanda984I believe many Indonesians didn't know about this as well

[@wawanmuldiantoro7159]

Wow.. As an Indonesian, I didn't know the song was this popular and has many versions. I agree the melody has a hint of colonialism, nostalgic, mellow and a bit sad.

[@yudapratama4298]

No problem with those hint, bro......they make the keroncong having strong character and more classy.....sadly, the popularity of keroncong is beaten by koplo and dj remix douyin which is so annoying and wacky.....i can say this is comparable with the such latino/ cuban/ north korean music

[@toastedprocastinator]

same, it's forever since i've heard this

[@sayyidahhanik]

Btw yg punya notasi asli tuh lagu bengawan solo apa lagu luar yaa? Soalnya kaya lagu kopi dangdut yg kukira orisinil ternyata pake notasi lagu amerika latin dan baahsa lain juga bikin versinya sendiri2.

[@Balangair1]

It does allude to an era where the restless spirit of young Asians collided with the waning years of Western colonialism.

[@Do2mifasol-nh3lq]

​@@sayyidahhanik Sampai hari ini Tidak ada lagu lain dengan notasi atau nada yang lebih dahulu daripada lagu bengawan solo ciptaan gesang di tahun 1940. Jangan samakan dengan kopi dangdut, yang dari awal rasa pun bukan ciri lagu daerah di Indonesia. Lagi bengawan solo kalau lo dengar dalam versi bahasa Jawa maka akan mirip sekali dengan ciri khas lagu daerah Jawa lainnya.

[@seiviolette]

Hey all! I'm the narrator of this video, Sei Violette! ^^ Some people seem to think I'm AI, so I just wanted to assure you that I am real! xD Enjoy the video!

[@broadlyspecific]

She's real guys! Also check out her channel for gaming stuff!

[@ahmarsel]

What a coincidence, 'sei' in Malay language means river :)

[@AD-dj9zq]

Ure not an AI, ure an IP, Intelligent Person ❤

[@noahjuanjuneau9598]

Great job Sis! I would not have thought you were AI - bcoz you have much more creative inflection and expression. Thank you from Jakarta.

[@Alinis91]

Seems like what AI will say about herself....

[@LeeJcc]

I'm from Singapore, and thank you so much for explaining how this song has become so meaningful to the ASEAN countries and Japan.

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you!

[@uwuowo4856]

Bengawan solo is a bakery company store

[@uwuowo4856]

Oh nvm it’s mentioned In the vid

[@BigBenAdv]

If you're old enough, you'll understand when I mention: Solvil et Titus

[@entgay3767]

bro im singaporean and ive lived in singapore my entire life and ive never heard this song (atleast in sembawang)

[@kilanspeaks]

I’m glad that you didn’t translate “Bengawan Solo” to Bengawan Solo River, because the word bengawan (Javanese: ꦧꦼꦔꦮꦤ꧀) itself means “river” but specifically a large one. Unfortunately, despite the popularity of his song, Gesang didn’t really become “wealthy” as you might have it. Thank you for this important history lesson, especially for East and Southeast Asian nations.

[@KF-zb6gi]

Why didn't he became wealthy?

[@danielch6662]

Didn't he die with an estate worth US$20 million?

[@yogi_gs]

​@@danielch6662and he can be more wealthy if many people that use his song pay the royalty

[@rizkyaldi5698]

​@@KF-zb6giactually, license is something that complex in our country. In his ends, yes, finally gesang own his license for the song, but for most of his life, Gesang was unable to enjoy the proceeds from licensing his songs. Some people claim Gesang was just singing the song. His alleged involvement with Lekra, the artistic underbow of the PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) makes his rights even more difficult Even though it has never been proven in the slightest that Gesang was involved with the PKI, political policies that strongly discriminated against the Communist party made life difficult for anyone suspected of being involved.

[@sitinowak]

My favorite Indonesian song, also I was born in Solo (1946).

[@netllcn]

This song is also very popular in China. Its Chinese version is titled as "美丽的梭罗河" (literally it means "beautiful Solo river"")

[@Spaceshps]

How?

[@humnaset]

In early 2000's I took a classical vocal lesson from a soprano in Jakarta. My vocal teacher has massive colletions of songs from various composers. One of her collection is a compilation book of world's greatest songs. The book contains famous songs from around the world, and as you can guess it, Bengawan Solo is in that book, and it's the only one from Indonesia

[@sidepunch]

Can you please share more songs from that book?

[@humnaset]

@@sidepunch Sorry I quit the lesson many years ago and I don't have the book

[@sidepunch]

@@humnaset it's alright buddy, thanks for replying tho Take care

[@Fadzi2342]

The reverse of this would be "Kopi Dangdut", a song that some Indonesians would consider as "quintessentially Indonesian" and a "dangdut classic" but is in fact an adaptation of the Venezuelan song Moliendo Café.

[@Joparrr]

​@@sahrulaprizamenolak fakta wkakakaakakak

[@Engineeredengineer]

@@sahrulapriza wkwk moliendo cafe itu udh populer dari 1951 menurut wiki, dan udah banyak ditranslate ke banyak bahasa juga.. malu atuh omongan ga etis gitu..

[@binthashim7354]

​@@sahrulaprizakoq komenmu malu2in sih... aku indonesian. Tapi tahu malaysia itu emang turunan indonesia. Mereka bukan claim, tapi moyang mereka memang indonesian. Dulu indonesian kan dijadikan budak dimana².. makanya banyak turunan indonesian dimana². Bukan hanya malaysia, tp ada suriname, madagaskar dan sebagian keturunan budak di afrika selatan. Negeri sembilan misalnya merupakan keturunan minang, johor keturunan jawa dsb. Kalo mau ngomongin negara bangkrut. Heloo,, indonesia juga pelan2 bangkrut APBN udah jadi agunan utang ke china. Kita belum mampu bayar bunganya.. bunganya saja enggak mampu. Utang buat apa?? Buat bangun jalanan, transportasi biar pemerintah keliatan kerja n maju. Thats not cool

[@bcs1014]

terus mau lu itu di apain duit apbn ? buat bansos ke semua penduduk indo? itu tolol namanya, udh bagus di bangun infrastruktur, jalan dll. untuk berkepanjangan, yg enak nanti cucu lu coba berfikir maju kedepan jangan kebelakang mulu. lu kira orang yang masuk di perintahan itu bego semua sampe gk mampu memperhitungkan hutang mampu ke bayar apa gk, mau kelihatan pinter tapi sayangnya tong kosong nyaring bunyi nya. btw malu udh tua tpi masih tll. @@binthashim7354

[@anturanggatantra2154]

​@@sahrulaprizabroo, gwe Indonesia juga, tapi ya gak gitu juga laaah. Ada pepatah kecil, "lebih baik diam meski orang berpikir kau bodoh daripada membuka mulutmu (beropini, mengetik, memberi komen kurang pinter juga termasuk) dan menghapus segala keraguan"

[@robbygeosandi]

Much respect for pronouncing "Java" as "Jawa" as it is in Bahasa Indonesia. This is a great breakdown, I learned a lot as Indonesian myself. Thank you!

[@lismyname7389]

I love how the narrator said "Jawa" instead of "Java"😂❤

[@thireachreth]

As a Cambodian, I've heard this song ever since I was little. Didn't know about its history and origin until now. Much love to Indonesia for such a beautiful song 🇰🇭 ❤ 🇮🇩

[@antotravchan2230]

Me too hear this song when child inb1970an era, feel so peace, i stay in east java

[@satriyanto6741]

tanah air is a specific phrase. In Indonesia language, there are some phrases would shift its meaning from its root words. Like Tanah = Soil, and Air = Water. but as a phrase, Tanah Air means Homeland. You can't simply translate Tanah Air separatedly and turn it into "Soil" and "Water". Because this is an "idiomatic phrase". It may consisted of two words, but it has one meaning as a unique unit, which means "homeland". Another example of idiomatic phrase in Indonesia is Buah = Fruit Bibir = Lips Buah Bibir = An Object to be gossipped.

[@Baxter_parxie]

Yes, pin it!!

[@shadowtrooper262]

I always thought as a Singaporean that Bengawan Solo was just a popular bakery brand. Now I know how important this name and its song is especially its rich history and associations with WW2.

[@afihaileywibowo1095]

Thank you! 😊

[@bennysamuelkoh9463]

The lady boss was an Indonesian now based in SG

[@liatariwidodo3674]

its a name of a river actually.

[@egimufa5100]

Bakery lol 😂

[@kkhalifah1019]

In the late 80s, the Sultan of Selangor's palace in Shah Alam used to play this tune to mark the hour. As a high school kid I grew up listening to it, not even knowing what it was until I grew up many years later.

[@broadlyspecific]

That's fascinating! Thanks for the anecdote!

[@teknoid5878]

Is like my father bombard me with Isabela adalaaaaah.... every morning to wake me up.

[@arel4333]

@@teknoid5878😂

[@mjpMALIK]

@@teknoid5878 tiap lorong pasti ada tetangga yang begini

[@ignatiusryd2031]

That's interesting because closest relatives from Javanese monarch in malaysia is the family member from Sultan Johor.

[@dzakydanendra4304]

This song is still remembered in its city of origin, solo, as the departure tune in stations all across solo, everytime i went there and heard the tune, i always feel the sense of nationalism and pride of what my ancestors have done to reach the independence of our country.

[@alvyandana]

*arrival tune, not departure

[@ImingCiloning]

In Cilacap it is also the train arrival time. Bengawan Solo will definitely welcome you

[@ameiliaerna687]

Same here

[@kyorikusagami84]

No it's not.....don't be norak and overproud

[@nanokert9191]

​@@ameiliaerna687not in Jogja, there's song that have same sentimental and nostalgia but made in 80's not 40's. That one by KLa

[@x22y44]

I'm from Paraguay, and an enthusiast of Indonesian culture. I love kroncong, being Bengawan Solo one of my favorite songs, as well as Waktu Potong Padi and quite a few others. So good to know about the history of Bengawan Solo! Terima kasih!

[@comradekenobi6908]

You know South American and South East Asians share a lot of similarities

[@x22y44]

Yes... Ethnically many indigenous South Americans are very much alike Indonesians.

[@cloudydike5268]

As a Cambodian, I've never thought it originated from Indonesia and surprised there're many other versions too. Very interesting.

[@kdamprae4236]

Same it is very fascinating lol

[@norctwofoursixzeroone828]

2:32 Gesang was born in Surakarta. This is another name for the city of "Solo The first Japanese restaurant in Jakarta is "Kikugawa", owned by an ex-Japanese soldier who married locally. His other restaurant was "Bengawan Solo" in Japan.

[@Vusiuz]

eh, culture exchange of Kiku River on Indonesia and Solo River on Japan?

[@norctwofoursixzeroone828]

@@Vusiuz exactly! The owner, Mr. Terutake Kikuchi wanted both businesses to flow beautifully and endlessly like their namesake rivers although, sadly the Bengawan Solo had to close shop most probably because of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

[@damdidum277]

Waaaa, Kikugawa is my top notch japanese restaurant.. Secluded and delicious.

[@taxol2]

This is similar to the song Tian Mimi which was popularized by the late Teresa Teng. The original song tittled Dayung Sampan, was actually from Banten province in Indonesia.

[@charlottechoo]

Oh! I never made the connection till you mentioned it. Like twinkle twinkle and the ABC song never noticed it till I grew up too.

[@cheris5868]

wow, as a tionghoa i always knew about tian mimi but never know its indonesian origin. it's amazing just how talented indonesians are

[@sadmochineko]

from singapore! i feel like we all know this tune but never the history, so im glad i came across this video

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you for watching! We're glad that the video was a little bit educational 😁

[@childishglover7889]

Didn’t know that Bengawan Solo was this popular back then 🤔🤔

[@user-ub9uw3yb2m]

Ketulusan & emosi Gesang mempengaruhi nada2 yg tersusun, mampu menembus segala perbedaan budaya.

[@bardloe5714]

As a filipino, i'd like to thank this channel for introducing me to a part of Indonesian culture. The way I describe our relationship is that we are neighbours, but i feel like we are so distant from each other. We used to study kingdoms and empires of indonesia, but that's just it. I genuinely wanted to know and appreciate indonesian culture more, and im happy that i get to know more througj these videos haha.

[@reigenlucilfer6154]

you describe it perfectly. we are neighbors but we feel so distant. i guess because our countries produce less and consume more, we either try to be western or east asian. i wish there is something that could makes us closer. i love asean ❤

[@willa8720]

as an indonesian i feel like we are so distant from each other because u guys lost a lot of ur culture during colonialism

[@joselitofilipino9618]

@@willa8720Okay this idea just has to stop, we did not lose our culture, it still survives to this day, just look at our languages, customs, practices, mythologies & stories. Just because we have a Hispanic influence doesn’t mean we lost our culture. We are still Austronesian through and through. Take for example our dances and festivals like tinikling, Ibalong Festival in Bicol (based on the Ibalong Epic that ultimately came from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata), also the famous Sinulog festival in Cebu (they dance with the statue of Santo Niño, but if you know Philippine History well, many Visayans before Catholicism danced with their gods’ statues during many occassions). Take a look at a very common practice called pagmamano where a younger person takes the hand of their elders to their forehead as a sign of respect when meeting them. The root word of pagmamano is “mano” which is Spanish for “hand” but the ritual itself is very Southeast Asian. You see we are superficially Western, but in actuality we are quite Austronesian. You just have to look beyond the “Western influences” and when you do you’ll be very surprised at how related we are.

[@firmanimad]

My interactions with Filipinos are usually limited to cursing in video games, but I'd love to visit there somewhere!

[@asterborealis1417]

​@@willa8720we never lost our culture, we just integrated our original austronesian roots with heavy spanish influences and made a new, more modern culture out of it

[@arel4333]

Bengawan Solo and Nyiur Melambai, Rayuan Pulau Kelapa are some examples of (seemed) simple but actually finesse composition.

[@luxent]

Though not mentioned, the song is also popular in Malaysia among the Chinese community.

[@broadlyspecific]

That would make sense with the many Chinese singers covering it!

[@dabwayy4822]

my dad and family are dutch-indonesian that left Indonesia to go to the netherlands in 1956.. we sing bengawan solo when we come together! thank you for this video!!

[@MichaelHarto]

I'm almost 40. My father used to sing this song every morning and evening when he was tending to his plants. He passed away dec last year. This song is deeply ingrained in my memory.

[@Ahmad_Suhairi]

I am from Indonesia, my neighbor's grandfather was a soldier who was assigned as a peacekeeper in Congo. He once said that when he was serving in Africa, he was given African music cassettes by his ex-girlfriend, who was a native African woman, and one of them had the song Bengawan Solo.

[@hooraayy]

As an Indonesian, i have never thought about how powerful this song is to other countries. I hear it everywhere and becomes so casual with it. Thank you for bringing up the history and the how amazing the song is. Such a timeless and beautiful song.

[@mangetak2783]

That was a great video. I learned a lot. Few Japanese people after the war thought “Bungawan Solo” was a Japanese song, but understood it to be an old Indonesian folk song. It was already sung in the original language in 1951 by a singer named Asami Kuji 久慈あさみ. I also think that Bungawan Solo was accepted by the Japanese people not as a military song, but in the context of “South Sea Fantasy''「南洋幻想」. The "South Sea Fantasy" was established by Shiga Shigeaki 志賀重昂, an early 20th century geographer, and later played a role in Japan's war of aggression against the Oceanian nations and Southeast Asia but not necessarily limited to militant ideology. Since the end of the 19th century in Japan, there has been a fascination with the southern islands. the “South Seas,'' 南洋 a utopia different from “Orient” = 東洋,Eastern sea countries'' and “West” = 西洋,Western sea countries''. The mandate of the South Sea Islands after World War I led to increased interest in Oceania and neighboring Southeast Asia. around the end of 1030s, recordings of Hawaiian music and Latin music from the United States, as well as music of Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries through Europe, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, began to be imported and heard on the radio and on records. These were Westernized and exotic music that was consumed in the West. These music matched Japan's “South Sea Fantasy.'' After the war, some Japanese people may have felt nostalgia for the colonies they were unable to occupy during Bungawan Soro, but I think there was also a sense of guilt mixed in. Indonesia's plight was known in post-war Japan, There were news about the military bonds issued by the Japanese army becoming worthless, causing hyperinflation in Indonesia, and news about the Indonesian long and hard independent wars with the Netherlands and Britain. In addition, many of the friends and families of the young soldiers who died on Java Island visited the island after the war and were exposed to Javanese culture. From this connection, Gesang Martohartono was invited to Japan to have concert several times in the 1980s and 90s, then Bungawan Solo in Bahasa Indonesia began to be sung by some Japanese singers. There is a monument of Gesang Martohartono and a small park commemorating his song “Bungawan Solo” next to Taru Jurug Animal Park (TSTJ) in Solo city in Java. This was built by donations from ex Japanese soldiers and families.

[@Ryan-bn4uc]

Me as Indonesian, can't believe how powerful the song is. According to Rolling Stone Indonesia, the songs appeared in the list of greatest Indonesian songs of all time at #11, and Gesang at #2 in the list of greatest Indonesian composers.

[@TwoThreeFour]

Thank you! I didn't know Bengawan Solo exists in various languages! Too bad the composer, Gesang, didn't get the royalties he deserves

[@irsandar10]

And here I am, my dad's fav song brought me to this great video! If I might add, for my grandparent's generation, they may cry after hearing Bengawan Solo for it brings up many mixed feelings of the old days... While for my parent's generation, they know the song for that "nostalgic" nuance, where the existence of the song preceded the hard times, thus the song itself become somewhat a salvation from the old days. It may not be the same for other people, because for my family which came from rural javanese culture, Gesang was (and still) one the hero and maestro for commoners-or what we called it "wong cilik" . Anyway, thank you so much!

[@nr1877]

for anyone who doesn't know, "solo" and "surakarta" (the origin of the singer-songwriter) are the same. after all my life loving this song, i never thought i'd study in this lovely city now 🥰

[@avrianpradiptya7061]

Surakarta refer to the Kasunanan Surakarta (the Kingdom) while Sala (Solo) refer to the city within the Kingdom. CMIIW.

[@daffa4073]

@@avrianpradiptya7061thanks for the information

[@bidm4519]

​@@avrianpradiptya7061well some correction, as the official name of the city government is "Pemerintah Kota Surakarta". Sala (or mostly known as Solo), is the name of the village, as the origin of the city in the past. The kingdom / keraton known as Kasunanan. The location changed from Kartasura to Surakarta following the riot that happens before.

[@justyuyun1557]

Kroncong is great , but forgotten and refused by most nowadays Indonesian people . The indonesian preferred Dangdoet instead ... btw Kroncong has similar Vibe with Enka .

[@coffeesweet1]

As 80s born, i grew up with listening to keroncong that my grandma from my mom's side loves and campursari that my grandparent from my father's side loves. I still have them in my itunes playlist and listening to them every now and then. Recommend to listen to keroncong songs on rainy days, with a cup of coffee... 👍👍👍

[@daffayudono4071]

As that young generation, I would put keroncong in the same place with lofi

[@mhusnulkhuluq306]

As a keroncong singer, I feel down nowadays when I sing keeoncong its just feel off

[@thanosal-titan]

Because "Dangdut is the music of my country"

[@dgmojojojo]

To me itself either or, both have good and bad songs.

[@karinadeandra]

as an indonesian diaspora who lives 28 hrs of flight time from the motherland & constantly experiencing homesickness, i am bawling over this video. thank you!

[@bobamochi2679]

on the exact same boat as you are :')

[@wdyt_21]

This video is interesting. Never knew the song is quite popular abroad. The word "gesang" itself means "alive" in the polite register of Javanese a.k.a krama Javanese, so perhaps the legacy of Alm. Gesang Martohartono is still "gesang" in the form of the song Bengawan Solo.

[@caocaoholdingaplushie6022]

It also means singing in german, it is really a fitting name for him

[@seltinusjulio]

If there is an Indonesian version of the TV series La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), this song would definitely be the most suitable replacement for Bella Ciao.

[@fauziahmad7054]

FR!

[@luxeydaze]

As a Cambodian-American, bengawan solo brings back nostalgic memories of when my parents would listen to this song. Thank you for introducing this beautiful song to the world. ❤

[@freewatch_999]

Wah baru tahu, guru kesenian ku pernah bahas tentang ini lagu tapi aku kira ini lagu seperti lagi keroncong umumnya tapi ternyata ada sejarah panjang dibaliknya.

[@WayneW3st]

I remembered listening bengawan solo for the first time when i was 12 fro a singing competition. My teacher was from indonesia and it felt really special to me. Recently i watched In the mood for love and reconised the melody and got emotional. The song really touched my heart, bringing me back to simpler time when i was a kid with so much little care in the world

[@voaniopalm3209]

As an Indonesian, I'm so proud of our artistic achievements that lasts until today in many countries. Our countries have many great artists from different cultural backgrounds. Our diversity is our wealth!

[@seiviolette]

Thank you so much for having me again! This was a great project to narrate!

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you! Please check her out guys! (Although you might be surprised at what you find 🤣)

[@jiahaotan696]

Great narration.

[@MrTHF]

As a guy in Spain who didn't know anything about this song at all, I ate the entire video up. Great work! It was very informative

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you for watching!

[@muhammadsholifudin597]

tnks

[@ontowiryo4952]

I live in Indonesia in entire life, n never heard about any version about bengawan solo, this new for me thanks alot

[@asukaainun7473]

Wow, I know Singapore has some kind of pastries shop named after the song because I saw one when I was there. But never thought it was that widespread. You learn something astonishing everyday.

[@jiahaotan696]

The pandan cake is apparently quite famous. I heard tourists specifically buy them as souvenirs lol

[@ahmadutama-cd9pb]

Bahasa Indonesia is such beautiful language

[@rifkynda8588]

Indeed

[@hebneh]

I live in Hawaii, and although this is one of the states of the USA, Chinese and Japanese influences have been strong here for over 100 years. Back in the 1970s I used to collect old records from the 1950s and earlier, and I had more than one Japanese version of this song. Until I encountered this video, however, I never knew its history or where it had originated, although its name made it clear that it wasn’t Japanese.

[@pervertt]

Gesang Martohartono's gift to the world. I've been besotted by this song since hearing Rebecca Pan's scratchy version in "In the Mood for love". Film director Wong Kar Wai had great taste in music.

[@mistyleo]

my mother is Indonesian and I try to embrace our culture as much as I can, but I've never heard this song! that's awesome!

[@luni1158]

There's a heartwarming story of how it this song came to Cambodia. Somewhere between 1960's to 1970's, our late king, Norodom Sihanouk, had a state visits to Indonesia. His majesty has a profound love for performing art and is famous for always bringing singers with him abroad for state visits, and this time is not an exception. In the morning, singers selected by the Indonesians government sang this song to welcome us, and in the same day at the evening, singers brought by the late king sang a version of it in Khmer as a response. And till this day, Bengawan Solo is still listened fondly in Cambodia.

[@rith6505]

This song was such a big hit in Cambodia.

[@broadlyspecific]

Is that so? Are you Cambodian? I know that version near the beginning is the Cambodian version!

[@rith6505]

@@broadlyspecific Yes, I am Cambodian. The song is called បឹងកាវ៉ាន់សូឡូ in the Cambodian Language. The most popular version is sang by Chhun Vanna (ឈុន វណ្ណា) who is a popular singer in the golden era of Cambodian music in the 1960s.

[@rith6505]

@@broadlyspecific the Cambodian version in the video is sang by ឱក សុគន្ធកញ្ញា (Aok Sokunkanha). She is a very well known singer and a pioneer in the Cambodian music industry industry.

[@broadlyspecific]

@@rith6505 thank you for the insights!!!

[@user-zv7uw7fx9j]

Thank you friend for inserting the Khmer version at the beginning of this precious documentary. I am now 73 but I surprised myself for singing that song instinctively from time to time 🎉🎉

[@CookayPK]

Bengawan Solo is a true beauty and masterpiece. Every rendition has its own beauty. As a Cambodian, it's nice to see a great art being shared all around SEA

[@mochardiansah7452]

I like to wonder back then, why is this song quite popular across Asian countries. I've heard Khmer, Cantonese, and Japanese version of it (Khmer version is my fav one). Now I know it got a place that it deserves

[@DragonsDream]

Can't believe they used it in Akira Kurosawa's movie too, that's amazing! Love your channel, can't wait to see more videos from you. Greetings from Indonesia.

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you!

[@zhihuiho9364]

This was an incredible video

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@javaborn]

One of the best KZbin videos on Indonesia for a long time. I've been viewing a lot of those this year. I had no idea that the song was popular outside of Indonesia. I was shocked to watch Jokowi's interview where he said that Xi Jin Ping can sing the song! Xi was disappointed that the river wasn't as romantic as the song. And I have to agree with him. My father was born in Solo, so I know. The composer had an "artistic license". Someone should write a song about the seas of Nusantara. Where you mentioned that performers rarely composed their own songs back then until The Beatles was also interesting. Today, we take singer-song writers for granted: Paul Simon, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Sting, Adele. Song writing is really hard. I appreciate Gesang Martohartono more now. Thank you for sharing a real gem.

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you for sharing your insights into it

[@pakde8002]

Sadly many Indonesian rivers are used as trash pits. During the communist purge they became places to dump the bodies, notably in East Java. The people were afraid to take the bodies for fear of being accused as communist sympathizers. It was a brutal period. But to be fair, rivers in China are pretty bad.

[@dheafanansasartika280]

Last month when i was in Shanghai im surprise some restaurant play this song feels like home ❤️

[@rizzofromIndo]

Thank you for creating this essay. As native Indonesian we love this masterpiece of a song to death but most of us (including myself) unaware of its popularity outside Indonesia. This is such a great way to keep the legacy on. Looking forward for another essay from you guys! You got yourself a new subscriber!

[@imambudianto3072]

Terima kasih atas ulasannya yang luar biasa dan mencerahkan, Saya yakin presentasi ini telah melalui proses penelitian yang cermat. Semoga sukses untukmu.

[@fransiskusraymond]

very well researched mas Bondan and Sei, good job never realize the song is known worldwide or at least asia wide you just earned yourself a subs

[@broadlyspecific]

Terima kasih!

[@donskyy]

Cuma pernah dengar 3 versi, Indonesia, Jepang, dan Mandarin. Baru tau ada versi Thai, Tagalog, dll.

[@reggiesoundbox4923]

As a neighbouring Malaysian I roughly knew this song was huge but I never thought it had a lasting impact on the world. Kudos Gesang Martohartono for creating this absolute masterpiece.

[@masrurim.pramoja694]

Why you don't claim this song from Malaysia, that's usually what you do

[@reggiesoundbox4923]

​@@masrurim.pramoja694 I grew up to this song. Even as a child I knew Keroncong originated from Indonesia. ''that's usually what you do''. As a cover musician I never claimed music that I played is mine. Never have I claim this song is from Malaysia in any statement. Assume will only make an ass out of u n me. Brother, don't get caught up in this ''claim'' culture. We are all under the Nusantara Archipelago. This will only brings hatred among us. Not every Malaysian will claim everything as theirs. Be mindful. Peace.

[@scordatura9259]

​@@masrurim.pramoja694bang gausah malu-maluin deh bang. Orang mereka udah muji Indonesia masih pengen rusuhin aja

[@masrurim.pramoja694]

@@reggiesoundbox4923 good thinking, sorry what i said. It seems you ain't that kinda people

[@wan3349]

@@masrurim.pramoja694kejadahnya I never even heard nor know this song exists sheushshs

[@panjimartiandaru3081]

Very well done video. I have nothing to add to this, since this video pretty much covered everything. Also, several commenters before me already pointed out what missing (such as how its popular in Malay Chinese community and some others). The Indonesian names pronunciation is good too, especially for non native speaker. When I was a child, I lived with my grandparents, our house is just several tens of meters from the bank of bengawan Solo. I spent my childhood playing near it, and listening to the song evoke all my childhood memories. The sweet, lilting, sweeping mellow and melancholic melody of the song is what make of its endurance, imho, the song evoking all warm memories of days begone to the listener.

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you! That's a wonderful anecdote

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Wonderful how each singer has added their own personal touch, without betraying it. There is indeed a touch of Portuguese fado in it. Tahnk you!

[@budakbaongsiah]

Keroncong was heavily influenced by Fado

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Thank you for confirming. But Keroncong is original too. Very beautiful. Thank you so much for this post! xx @@budakbaongsiah

[@DeihanDzilky]

*_Bengawan Solo mémang lagu yang sangat melegénda & sangat authentic..._*

[@SokhomPrins]

Yes I have heard this song often growing up in the 70s, 80s, 90s . I feel sad, romantic the same time. Thanks for talking about origins, history

[@rosemariesutanto9500]

Beautiful video, I find myself tearing up as an Indonesian person. You have my subscription ❤

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you!

[@youngalfa8684]

4:44 Tune of song "Terang Bulan" then was adopted as tune of Malaysia National Anthem "Negaraku" The tune is 100% similar

[@egimufa5100]

As indonesia, i didn't have any idea that this song was even famous abroad!!

[@jeslynnktt2990]

I love this song so much.. Such a beautiful song. I sang this in my school choir in the 70'. Still makes me search for it today. Ever green.

[@user-cz6wi6me1n]

The song "Bengawan Solo" is famous among elderly Japanese people but not so much for younger people. I feel a little ashamed as a Japanese of not having the knowledge of its history. It is now assumed to be a symbol of independence from Western countries, but at the same time, it was actually a tool of propaganda that the Japanese military broadcasted to create "the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere." I really hope that this song will be the symbol of peace, independence, and prosperity for Indonesia and other Asian countries.

[@oktabramantio4709]

As an Indonesian myself, I didn't know that we invaded the world with this song 😭

[@blanc6519]

I knew Bengawan Solo such a popular song but never think could be this popular

[@shannychong4522]

my mom kept playing this song and I insisted to her that I've heard either a japanese or a chinese version of this song and while researching, i stumbled upon your video and it's so interesting to learn about the history and context. Thank you for this!

[@iamadit8863]

The fact that lately I started playing the old song like terang Bulan and ofc Bengawan Solo and this video come up, dud it feel like coincidence and feel the world move around and know what you want to hear

[@izzigosa]

I live in Surakarta ( Solo ) and not that far from Bengawan Solo River, I know this song but don't know that this song is so popular in overseas in that era.

[@niele8326]

This is seriously a really well structured and edited video. I read that this is a team do kuddos to you guys!

[@postivkinder5188]

I genuinely did not know this song is popular internationally 😮. And nice video and review, that this song is much more than a catchy old tune, but it has a story, you kosten to this you travelled back to the time where Indonesia’s struggle and story came from. Remembering where we came from, what indonesia used to be like, it has character. Very good video!

[@lerock1310]

One of my fav all time song. I'm not Indonesian by the way, but fall in love with it after listening to the version by Anneke Gronloh. Majestic and stiring melody, beautiful lyrics.

[@nafismudhofar]

Oh wow, what a beautiful documentation about a song that we're not aware of in our everyday life. Indeed the melody sounds so captivatingly calming. Thank you for your hardwork on this. Looking forward for your another great video ❤️

[@rakhalingdum1311]

I naver knew that Sometimes the things we hear or use day to day life could have such a unique and great history

[@Thxgator]

I'm not Asian but I was trying to get into Chinese music and found Rebecca Pan's beautiful rendition. I'm happy I've discovered a much greater part of Asian culture in the process.

[@noxxturnal]

I heard the Japanese and Dutch version sometimes ago, ok..they were here in WW and they loved it, make sense. Never knew this song so popular in all East Asia tho ‘til today..thx to this video. I’m Indonesian btw.

[@slow.painfuldeath]

Wow, this was a cool deep dive into an aspect of Indonesian and pan-Asian culture! More content like this please. Subscribing!

[@Anthony-ie4gz]

Oh my god! I thought I heard this song before, but when you put the movies it was from I didn't expect them all to be some of my favorite movies from some of my favorite directors. When you put Kurosawa I thought that was it, then Ozu blew my mind, then Wong Kar Wai made me convinced that this was specifically targeting me lol.

[@dzxtricks]

This very day, "arisan" in my big family happened on a place over the bengawan solo river and the musician sang Bengawan Solo. I tell my family about how this song is known so much more outside Indonesia and they surprised they didn't know this

[@yourtags4876]

i didnt know about this! thank you for everyone who appreciate our songs! love from indonesia 🥰

[@Blueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]

Thank you for educating us on this important piece of history and music. And as an Indonesian, I am especially thankful for this video. I look forward to more from this channel

[@PrinceArnie]

Needs more views. Thanks for the good work and actually gives me chill and goosebumps.🙏

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you!

[@darwinqpenaflorida3797]

In the Philippines, Bengawan Solo was the first Indonesian song to played in Calabarzon including myself, although there is no Filipino version of this song, the song became popular in Calamba City, because I played that on KZbin since 2018 I started as Indonesian culture enthusiast way back in 2022 when President Bongbong Marcos’ state visit to Indonesia and since then, Indonesia is always on my mind even I’m a Filipino myself, live in Calamba City so I updated news about Indonesia, watching anything Indonesia on documentary and listening Indonesian songs including this one, so that I dreamed to visit Indonesia someday, plus I learned Bahasa Indonesia on my own on Language App, Duolingo and Indonesianpod101 With all my heart, I hope to see you in Indonesia soon and I will be waiting for you 😊😊 Love, Mr. Darwin Penaflorida from Calamba City, Laguna in the Philippines 🇵🇭💕🇮🇩

[@AgrisNicole]

Thank you Mr. Darwin , see u

[@darwinqpenaflorida3797]

@@AgrisNicole Thanks I will be waiting for you to visit Indonesia 😊😊

[@kwpf]

Many thanks for sharing with us about the song's history. I also learned a little bit more about the history of the era along the way.

[@fhrianfz]

thank u sm for making this beautiful video

[@gp2779]

I'm a Malaysian Chinese but absolutely loved Bengawan solo

[@herdyantrikuncoro8703]

I Live 200m from Bengawan Solo river, that song always gave a warmth feeling to your soul

[@simpleman6327]

Thank you for the deep research. I learned something interesting from your video. Greetings from Indonesia.

[@awah4676]

This was a really wonderful video, thank you!

[@bagasdwiseptyan]

This is a good video essay, thoroughly explained yet in simple and uncomplicated way. Instant subscibe!

[@broadlyspecific]

Thank you!

[@GalihRivky]

I dated a historian girl from Solo, she always talk about Indonesian folklore and many other Indonesian history.