Luk thung
Luk thung (
Thai ลูกทุ่ง), literally "child of the fields", is the most popular form of
Thai country
music. The term is short for
pleng luk thung (Thai เพลงลูกทุ่ง- song of a child of the fields). The 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.
The form developed in the first half of the
20th century, although the term
luk thung was first used in the
1960s.
Ponsri Woranut and
Suraphol Sombatcharoen were the genre's first big stars, incorporating influences from
Latin America,
Japan,
Indonesia,
Malaysia and, especially, American film
soundtracks and
country music (including
yodelling). Many of the most popular
luk thung stars have come from the central city of
Suphanburi, including megastar
Pumpuang Duangjan, who adapted it to
1980s string (Thai pop) music by making a
dance-ready form called
electronic luk thung. When Pompuang died in
1992, many observers felt that
luk thung would die with her. It survived, however, and with the advent of the first all
luk thung radio station in
1997 soon saw a major revival.
Since the
1990s there has been much cross-fertilisation between
luk thung, string and
mor lam music. String artists have taken to singing
luk thung songs, while
luk thung singers have increasingly been promoted like pop singers, with an emphasis on youth and looks. The
mor lam influence has produced a new genre called
luk thung Isan or
luk thung prayuk, which incorporates the faster
rhythms of
mor lam.
Audio sample (Ogg format) from Motorcy Hang by Rock Salaeng (luk thung prayuk)
