Monkey to Millionaire: “Merah”

Song #01 for 30-Day Song Challenge

Day 01: A song you like with a color in the title

Merah

by Monkey to Millionaire; from the album Lantai Merah (2009).

Isn’t it weird that some of the best Indonesian indie anthems are in fact, titled after colors? Like, there’s “Kuning” by Rumahsakit, “Biru” by Efek Rumah Kaca, “Coklat” by Pure Saturday, and just a couple of years ago, Barefood added “Hitam” to the list. My favorite is probably the one I mentioned first, though I don’t think I have anything much to say about the track except that there’s a myth saying the title literally refers to the medical condition Jaundice.

Now, talking about the Indonesian music scene and colors, there’s one particular band that is always associated with a particular color. What I’m talking about here is Monkey to Millionaire and the color Red (Merah). There has always been a red color in every release they put out or are involved in, including the famous LA Indiefest Compilation Vol. 2, which was probably everyone’s first introduction to M2M. The most iconic one, though, is its use on M2M’s debut effort and the highly regarded Lantai Merah (2009).

Released via Sinjitos Records (former shelter to some of my favorite local acts, e.g., Black Mustangs, Teenage Death Star, Ghaust, The Porno), Lantai Merah was probably Indonesia’s best response to the British post-punk/garage rock revival trend that emerged in the early millennium, particularly in New York. At the core of the album, lies “Merah”, a depressing indie rock tune that hit me so hard on my first listen.

The song kicks off with this tense bassline, followed by a steady, loose drum pattern, and guitar riffing that all bring to mind the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind,” as if played in reverse. I love the fuzzy slides and bends in the guitar play during the verse, as well as the chunky chords throughout the entire song. The modulated guitar riff in the chorus injects a haunting chill into the song’s most crushing moment: when Wisnu sings “mereka yang kita sayangi, yang paling mampu melukai” — a bitter reality that some people unfortunately have to experience.

I believe the song overall delves into the narrator’s struggles with suicidal thoughts, envisioning an ideal world where no one experiences pain and sadness. My favorite wordplay occurs during the second verse: “Di sini, ku bebas mewarnai. Dan biru, untuk rumput itu. Dan hijau, untuk langit itu.” However, I’m uncertain about the lyrical passage in the pre-chorus. Is the ‘ideal world’ he repeatedly mentions referring to the afterlife, or is it the altered reality he enters when using substances? The latter interpretation makes more sense to me, despite the band’s explanation of the song.

The passage concludes with “tapi hanya sementara, kembali ke lantai lama,” indicating that it is not the reality after all (the band suggests that if someone is attempting suicide, they will end up on the floor). To be honest, listening to this song while pondering the lyrics somehow evokes a feeling of uneasiness in me.

The previously mentioned songs, Kuning, Biru, and Hitam, are examples in which colors are employed to depict abstract symbolism of certain attributes, whereas M2M uses Merah more as a direct reference to the physical color of blood (a concrete symbol of suicide). After all, “Merah” by Monkey to Millionaire is unquestionably one of the most important indie rock ballads in Indonesian music history.