Chrisye - Legacy

Legacy

Chrisye has been described as "legendary" by several journalists. In their 2007 list of the 150 Best Indonesian Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone Indonesia ranked Badai Pasti Berlalu first. Three of Chrisye's solo albums were also on the list: Sabda Alam at 51, Puspa Indah at 57, and Resesi at 82. Guruh Gipsy was selected as the second-best album of all time. This was followed by the selection of four of his songs ("Lilin-Lilin Kecil" at number 13, "Merpati Putih" at number 43, "Anak Jalanan" at number 72, and "Merepih Alam" at number 90) as some of the best Indonesian songs of all time; Guruh Gipsy's song "Indonesia Maharddhika" placed at number 59. In 2011 they listed Chrisye as the third-greatest Indonesian musician of all time. Eros Djarot described him as having a great voice, but somewhat shy and generally unwilling to discuss social issues.

According to data from the Indonesian Recording Industry Association, the original Badai Pasti Berlalu is the second-best-selling Indonesian album of all time, with nine million copies sold between 1977 and 1993. In 1990 the music video for "Pergilah Kasih" was the first Indonesian music video to be shown on MTV Hong Kong; the video clip for "Sendiri Lagi" was voted the best Indonesian music video of all time in the fifth episode of Video Musik Indonesia.

In 2009 many Indonesian artists, including Vina Panduwinata, Ahmad Albar, D'Cinnamons, and Sherina Munaf, performed 20 of Chrisye's songs as a tribute in the "Chrisye: A Night to Remember" concert at the Ritz Carlton, Jakarta. The sold-out concert also featured testimonials by his wife and children. Another concert, described as Chrisye's fourth, rather than as a tribute concert, was held on 5 April 2012. Entitled Kidung Abadi Chrisye (Chrisye's Eternal Ballad) and held at Plenary Hall in the Jakarta Convention Centre, it featured a holographic representation of the singer performing with Sophia Latjuba, Once Mekel, Vina Panduwinata, and Gutawa's daughter Gita. The concert included a new song, "Kidung Abadi" ("Eternal Ballad"), written by Erwin and Gita Gutawa and made using 246 previously recorded syllables.

Alberthiene Endah has written two biographies of Chrisye. The first, Chrisye: Sebuah Memoar Musikal (Chrisye: a Musical Memoir), was published in 2007 and details his childhood, career, and struggle with cancer. The second, The Last Words of Chrisye, was released in 2010 and covers the final years of his life. Another book, Chrisye, di Mata Media, Sahabat & Fans (Chrisye, in the Eyes of the Media, Friends, & Fans) was released in March 2012.