Rasa Sayang

"Rasa Sayang" (pronounced [ˈrasa 'sajaŋ], literally "loving feeling") or "Rasa Sayange" is a folk song in Malay language,[1][2][3][4] popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The basis of "Rasa Sayang" is similar to Dondang Sayang and other Malay folk songs, which take their form from the pantun, a traditional ethnic Malay poetic form.[5]

Some people in Indonesia have claimed that the song originated in the Maluku Islands with the composer Paulus Pea (born in 1907),[6] but such claims are disputed. The origin of the song was the subject of debate among certain circles in Indonesia and Malaysia. Nevertheless, the Malaysian Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Rais Yatim, recognize that Rasa Sayang is a shared property, between Indonesia and Malaysia.[7]

Lyrics
Malay lyrics[8][9][10] English translation Poetic English Translation

Rasa sayang, hey!
Rasa sayang sayang, hey!
Hey, lihat nona jauh,
Rasa sayang sayang, hey!

Buah cempedak di luar pagar,
Ambil galah tolong jolokkan;
Saya budak baru belajar,
Kalau salah tolong tunjukkan.

Pulau pandan jauh ke tengah,
Gunung daik bercabang tiga;
Hancur badan di kandung tanah,
Budi yang baik dikenang juga.

Dua tiga kucing berlari,
Mana sama si kucing belang;
Dua tiga boleh ku cari,
Mana sama adik seorang.

Pisang emas dibawa berlayar,
Masak sebiji di atas peti;
Hutang emas boleh dibayar,
Hutang budi dibawa mati.

I've got that loving feeling, hey!
I've got that loving feeling, hey!
See that girl in the distance,
I've got that loving feeling hey!

The cempedak fruit is outside the fence,
Take a pole and poke it down;
I'm just a child trying to learn,
So if i'm wrong then please tell me.

Pandan Island far in midst,
With the three peaked Mount Daik;
While the body decomposes in earth,
Good deeds remain to be remembered.

Two or three cats are running around,
With the striped one which can vie;
Two or three I can find,
Which girl can compare with you.

Pisang emas brought on a sailing trip,
One ripens on a box;
If gold is owed, it can be repaid,
But if it is gratitude, it is carried to the grave.

I've got that loving feeling, hey!
I've got that loving feeling, hey!
See that girl in the distance,
I've got that loving feeling hey!

Where cempedak tree grows without the fence,
Go prod them gently with a stake;
A youthful learner I, so hence,
Be please to point out each mistake.

The Pandan Isle is far from land,
Have three peaks does the Daik Mountain;
Though the self has rot in the sand,
The good deeds are never forgotten.

Two or three cats are running around,
The cat with stripes is the one superior;
Two or three (gals) can be easily found,
But not the same as having you, my dear.

With golden plantains sail away,
Whilst on a chest lies one that’s ripe;
The debts of gold we can repay,
But debts of kindness last through life.

Because this song is in pantun form, for each quatrain, there is no relevance of the first two lines to the message conveyed by the last two except to provide the rhyming scheme. There are a number of versions of the lyrics of "Rasa Sayang", but it usually starts with this refrain:

Rasa sayang, hey!
Rasa sayang-sayang hey,
Lihat nona dari jauh,
Rasa sayang-sayang, hey

The refrain is then followed by a wide variety of popular Malay pantun

Ambonese Malay

Rasa sayange
Rasa sayang sayange
Eee lihat dari jauh,
Rasa sayang sayange

Kalau ada sumur di ladang
Boleh kita menumpang mandi
Kalau ada umurku panjang
Boleh kita bertemu lagi

Controversy

Controversy over the song's provenance came to a head in 2007 when the Malaysian Tourism Board released the Rasa Sayang Commercial, an advertisement used as part of Malaysia's "Truly Asia" tourism campaign.[11] Some Indonesians have accused Malaysia of heritage theft. Malaysia in return claimed that the song belongs to people of Malay archipelago, Malaysians and Indonesians alike.[12] Malaysian Tourism Minister Adnan Mansor stated, "It is a folk song from the Nusantara (Malay archipelago) and we are part of the Nusantara.".[11]

The Malaysian Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Rais Yatim, recognize that Rasa Sayange is a shared property, between Indonesia and Malaysia.[7]

Indonesian media reported to have in possession the oldest recording of the song. "Rasa Sayange" is known to be recorded first at the 1962 Lokananta Solo record company on November 11, 2007. The LPs were distributed as souvenirs to participants of the 4th Asian Games in 1962 in Jakarta, and the song "Rasa Sayange" was one of the Indonesian folk songs on the dish, along with other Indonesian ethnic songs such as Cheers for Joy, O Ina ni Keke, and Sengko Dainang.[13][14]

Earlier in 1959, a comedy film in Malay language titled Rasa Sayang Eh was produced by Cathay Keris in Singapore.[15] The song also appeared in the Japanese film Marai no Tora in 1943, depicting the exploits of a Japanese secret agent Tani Yutaka in Malaya during the World War II.[16]

In 1954 and 1950, Indonesia launched films entitled Lewat Djam Malam and Darah dan Doa by director Usmar Ismail, which included the song "Rasa Sayange". But long before that, the Dutch East Indies now (Indonesia) had made promotional recordings using this song before World War II. This film, titled Insulinde zooals het leeft en werkt, was published between 1927 and 1940, and is described as a silent film (not talking). A copy of this digital film was distributed via YouTube by multimedia expert Roy Suryo, who claimed to have found this digital film, but admitted that he had not yet found the original film. The rhythm of the song Rasa Sayang that was heard in the film Insulinde, a film that portrays the Dutch East Indies from 1927-1940, can be watched in Rasa Sayang Sayange in the Dutch film. The original footage of this film is stored in the Gedung Arsip Nasional, Jakarta.[17] In addition, this film also once existed under the title Insulinde (1925) which was directed by Max Hauschild.[18]

Trivia
  • The Rasa Sayange song is used as the opening title of a Cooking program with same title, Rasa Sayange which broadcast by MNCTV

See also

References
  1. Jonathan H. X. Lee & Kathleen M. Nadeau (2010). Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife. ABC-CLIO. pp. 769. ISBN 978-0-313-35066-5.
  2. Shirley Geok-lin Lim (Editor), Larry E Smith (Editor), Wimal Dissanayake (Editor) (1999). Transnational Asia Pacific: Gender, Culture, and the Public Sphere. University of Illinois Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-252-06809-6.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  3. Koichi Iwabuchi (Editor), Stephen Muecke (Editor), Mandy Thomas (Editor) (2004). Rogue Flows: Trans-Asian Cultural Traffic. University of Washington Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-962-209-699-8.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  4. Gerwyn Elidor David Lewis (1992). Out East in the Malay Peninsula. OUP South East Asia. p. 142. ISBN 978-967-65-1594-0.
  5. L. F. Brakel, M. Balfas, M. Taib Bin Osman, J. Gonda, B. Rangkuti, B. Lumbera, H. Kahler (1976). Handbuch der Orientalistik: Literaturen, Abschn. 1. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers. p. 135. ISBN 90-04-04331-4.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Antara News: "The Governor of Maluku Insists that the Song 'Rasa Sayange' Belongs to Indonesia"
  7. "Malaysia Akhirnya Akui Rasa Sayange Milik Bersama". antaranews.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  8. "The Rasa Sayang Song". Rasa Sayang USA. Archived from the original on 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  9. "Koleksi Lirik Lagu Rakyat". Imnogman. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  10. "Pantun Rumpun Melayu". Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  11. "Folk song sparks row between Indonesia, Malaysia." Tourism Indonesia. 3 October 2007.
  12. "'Rasa Sayang' belongs to everybody, says minister". The Star. 12 January 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2008.
  13. "Pemusik Maluku Bahas Lagu Rasa Sayange dengan Gubenur". Detik.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  14. "Ditemukan Bukti Lagu "Rasa Sayange" Asli Indonesia". Tempo.co (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  15. Rasa Sayang Eh, Singapore Film Locations Archive, retrieved 2020-07-11
  16. "Tiger of Malaya": The Body Remembers What the Archive Cannot, Asian Arts Media Roundtable, retrieved 2020-07-11
  17. "Malaysia Merebut Kekayaan Indonesia". Liputan6.com (in Indonesian). 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  18. (1925), Insulinde. "Insulinde (1925)". Retrieved 14 August 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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