I recently came across this vintage music video, which popped up on my timeline. This film holds quite a historical significance for Bali and its music scene.
According to my amateur investigation, the song is called “Mela Mela” by the Japanese band The Spiders (other versions state “Mella Mella”/”Mera Mera”/”Merah Merah”). The music video is from the film Road to Bali, which was released in August 1968 to mark The Spiders’ 7th anniversary of formation.
“Mela Mela” was mostly shot at two locations: Ngurah Rai Airport and the Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur. You can find on YouTube a trailer for the movie Road to Bali; the scenes were set in Bali and Jakarta.
The Spiders were a Japanese garage rock band formed in Tokyo in 1961 as one of the leading groups of the Group Sounds genre, drawing substantial inspiration from 1960s British Merseybeat, particularly The Beatles.
The Spiders had many hit singles, made feature films, and were popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Japan. They toured Europe in 1966 and the United States, including Hawaii, in 1967. Most of the band members are still active in the music industry, with the exception of Monsieur, who died in March 2017, and Takayuki Inoue, who died in May 2018. Oh, there’s a rumour that one of the members either resides or previously resided in Nusa Dua, Bali.
The Spiders’ biggest selling record was “Yuhiganaiteiru,” which sold over 1.2 million copies and was awarded a gold disc.
If any of you have additional info about this music video, please elaborate!
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