Suraphol Sombatcharoen
Encyclopedia
Suraphol Sombatcharoen (Thai
: สุรพล สมบัติเจริญ, also Surapon Sombatjalern) was a Thai
luk thung
singer. Dubbed the "King of Luk Thung", he was one of the first major stars of Thailand's own country music
genre. He was fatally shot
after a live performance in Nakhon Pathom
.
, a Thai counterpart to such crooning styles as Japanese
enka
and Indonesian
kroncong, and embodied such influences as Hollywood film music, American country music
, Malay
pop and Afro-Cuban
rhythms.
Enjoying popularity at the same time when Elvis Presley
and The Beatles
were popular in Western world
, Suraphol was sometimes referred to as the "Thai Elvis".
Suraphol composed more than 100 songs. Among his most well-known numbers are "Sao Suan Taeng" ("The Girl from the Cucumber Orchard"), "Mong" ("Look"), "Nam Ta Ja Tho" ("The Tears of a Corporal"), "Khong Plom" ("Fake Stuff") and "Muai Cham" ("Broken-Hearted Chinese Girl").
Shortly before he was killed, he released his last and most memorable song, "Siphok Pi Haeng Khuam Lang" ("สิบหกปีแห่งความหลัง" or "16 Years of Our Past"), in which he wrote sadly about the end of his 16-year marriage, reflecting on the happiness and bitterness of the union.
Another one of his songs, the mournful "Mai Luem" ("Forget Not"), was featured as a poignant refrain in Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
's 2001 film, Monrak Transistor
.
in Bangkok to rural markets.
Whenever Suraphol is commemorated on radio, the song that's inevitably played is his "16 Years of Our Past", and the 16-year period has become symbolic for numerologically
minded Thai people.
And so it came to pass that on the 33rd anniversary of Suraphol's death in 2001, the third generation of the Sombatcharoen family luk thung singers made his debut. The son of Surachai Sombacharoen (and grandson of Suraphol), Surabodin sang in front of a packed hall at the Thailand Cultural Centre
on August 16, 2001. He was 16 years old, and of course sang "16 Years of Our Past".
Thai alphabet
Thai script , is used to write the Thai language and other, minority, languages in Thailand. It has forty-four consonants , fifteen vowel symbols that combine into at least twenty-eight vowel forms, and four tone marks ....
: สุรพล สมบัติเจริญ, also Surapon Sombatjalern) was a Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
luk thung
Luk thung
Luk Thung refers to the most popular form of a style of music found in Thailand. The term is short for pleng luk thung .Luk Thung songs typically reflect the hardship of everyday life among the rural poor. Tempos tend to be slow, and singers use an expressive singing style with a lot of vibrato...
singer. Dubbed the "King of Luk Thung", he was one of the first major stars of Thailand's own country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
genre. He was fatally shot
Gunshot
A gunshot is the discharge of a firearm, producing a mechanical sound effect and a chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a gunshot wound caused by such a discharge. Multiple discharges of a firearm or firearms are referred to as gunfire. The word can connotate either the sound of a...
after a live performance in Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom is a city in central Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Pathom Province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathom Chedi...
.
Biography
Born Lamduan Sombatcharoen in Suphan Buri Province, he took the name Suraphol as a stage name. His first hit was in 1952 with "Nam Da Sow Vienne" ("Tears of a Lao Girl"). It marked the emergence of luk thungLuk thung
Luk Thung refers to the most popular form of a style of music found in Thailand. The term is short for pleng luk thung .Luk Thung songs typically reflect the hardship of everyday life among the rural poor. Tempos tend to be slow, and singers use an expressive singing style with a lot of vibrato...
, a Thai counterpart to such crooning styles as Japanese
Music of Japan
The music of Japan includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles both traditional and modern. The word for music in Japanese is 音楽 , combining the kanji 音 with the kanji 楽...
enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
and Indonesian
Music of Indonesia
The music of Indonesia demonstrates its cultural diversity, the local musical creativity, as well as subsequent foreign musical influences that shaped contemporary music scenes of Indonesia. Nearly thousands of Indonesian islands having its own cultural and artistic history and character. This...
kroncong, and embodied such influences as Hollywood film music, American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, Malay
Music of Malaysia
Music of Malaysia is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Malaysia. A great variety of genres in Malaysian music reflect the specific ethnic groups of multiracial Malaysian society consisting of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Dayak, Kadazandusun, Eurasians and other...
pop and Afro-Cuban
Afro-Cuban
The term Afro-Cuban refers to Cubans of Sub Saharan African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community...
rhythms.
Enjoying popularity at the same time when Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
were popular in Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, Suraphol was sometimes referred to as the "Thai Elvis".
Suraphol composed more than 100 songs. Among his most well-known numbers are "Sao Suan Taeng" ("The Girl from the Cucumber Orchard"), "Mong" ("Look"), "Nam Ta Ja Tho" ("The Tears of a Corporal"), "Khong Plom" ("Fake Stuff") and "Muai Cham" ("Broken-Hearted Chinese Girl").
Shortly before he was killed, he released his last and most memorable song, "Siphok Pi Haeng Khuam Lang" ("สิบหกปีแห่งความหลัง" or "16 Years of Our Past"), in which he wrote sadly about the end of his 16-year marriage, reflecting on the happiness and bitterness of the union.
Another one of his songs, the mournful "Mai Luem" ("Forget Not"), was featured as a poignant refrain in Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Pen-Ek Ratanaruang is a Thai film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his arthouse work, Last Life in the Universe, and is considered to be one of Thai cinema's leading "new wave" auteurs, alongside Wisit Sasanatieng and Apichatpong Weerasethakul...
's 2001 film, Monrak Transistor
Monrak Transistor
Monrak Transistor is a 2001 Thai film directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. Blending several genres, including comedy, romance, musical and crime, it is the story of a young man named Pan and his odyssey after he goes AWOL from the army and tries to make it as a luk thung singing star.-Plot:The story...
.
Legacy
Suraphol's recordings are widely available in Thailand, from shopping malls such as MBK CenterMBK Center
MBK Center, also known as Mahboonkrong , is a large shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. At eight stories high, the center hosts around 2,000 stores and services, including the 4-story Tokyu department store, restaurants and entertainment....
in Bangkok to rural markets.
Whenever Suraphol is commemorated on radio, the song that's inevitably played is his "16 Years of Our Past", and the 16-year period has become symbolic for numerologically
Numerology
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...
minded Thai people.
And so it came to pass that on the 33rd anniversary of Suraphol's death in 2001, the third generation of the Sombatcharoen family luk thung singers made his debut. The son of Surachai Sombacharoen (and grandson of Suraphol), Surabodin sang in front of a packed hall at the Thailand Cultural Centre
Thailand Cultural Centre
Thailand Cultural Centre is a performing-arts venue in Bangkok, Thailand.-History:Built with a grant from Japan, the Thailand Cultural Centre opened on October 9, 1987 as part of celebrations for King Bhumibol's 60th birthday.-Facilities:The venue consists of two auditoriums and one...
on August 16, 2001. He was 16 years old, and of course sang "16 Years of Our Past".
Further reading
External links
- LukTungFM.com (ThaiThai languageThai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
) - Suraphol Sombatcharoen CDs