Perfect Dream, Street Version

As the GDP rises, the buskers remain, and so does the music.

A busker paused by the gate. Music slipped through the fence. His guitar, my piano, one Jakarta afternoon. Credit: Kompasiana.

It was a perfect Saturday afternoon. After a heavy rain in humid Jakarta, the air finally turned cool and clean. It felt like the city exhaled. I opened my piano and began to play random pop songs that crossed my mind, both Western and Indonesian, from the 80s to newer hits. I eventually landed on a two-decade-old song, “Mimpi yang Sempurna” (Perfect Dream) by Peterpan, a beloved local band from the early 2000s.

After hitting the first few bars of the song’s melody, a voice joined in outside of the gate, a pengamen (mobile busker) with a guitar to sing the song:

Mungkinkah bila ku bertanya (Could it be if I were to ask)

Pada bintang-bintang (To the stars)

Dan bila ku mulai merasa (And when I begin to feel)

Bahasa kesunyian (The language of silence)

I laughed but didn’t stop playing. My piano could be heard from the street, and he managed to hit the tone perfectly. It turned into an unexpected little jam session.

When we finished “our” song, I handed him a small tip. He smiled and said, “Thank you, Bu Haji”. Bu Haji can be translated as a nickname for women who have been on pilgrimage to Mecca. But for a busker like him, he used it for any middle-aged women…