Born in a Japanese concentration camp in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II, Grönloh and her family moved to the Eindhoven area in The Netherlands after the war. Anneke's career soon started to take off. She sang jazz material, American standards, Indonesian folk songs and rock 'n roll with Peter Koelewijn & Zijn Rockets. Koelewijn attended the same Eindhoven high school as Grönloh.
Her début solo single, 'Asmara', failed to chart in The Netherlands, but was a hit in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, where Grönloh toured succesfully as early as 1960. Her Dutch big break followed in the summer of 1962 with the Dutch smash hit, 'Brandend Zand' ('Burning Sand'), which hit #1 in the Dutch Top 40. It was the first of four consecutive #1 hit singles for Grönloh in some eleven months' time. 'Paradiso', 'Soerabaja' and 'Cimeroni' also hit the top spot. Versions of these hit singles in other languages charted in no less than 48 countries. In total, Anneke Grönloh has 'claimed sales' of over 30 million records, primarily singles.
Anneke Grönloh never had a Dutch chart hit again after 1964, but she continued to perform succesfully until 2017, in The Netherlands and the Far East. Her anniversary concert in Singapore in 1994, celebrating her career of 35 years, was attended by 30,000 people. Some of her albums are hardly known in The Netherlands, but sold over 100,000 copies in Indonesia and Malaysia, notably 2002's Nina Bobo.
Having suffered severe pulmonary embolism in 2016, Grönloh's health deteriorated. She stopped performing in the summer of 2017, aged 75, and passed away on 14 September 2018 at her home in France, where she spent the final years of her life. She was 76 years old.
O Ina Ni Keke
Anneke Grönloh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko
O ina ni keke, mange wisa ko
Mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko
Weane, weane, weane toyo
Daimo siapa ko tare makiwe
Weane, weane, weane toyo
Daimo siapa ko tare makiwe
Mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko
O ina ni keke, mange wisa ko
Mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko
Weane, weane, weane toyo
Daimo siapa ko tare makiwe
Weane, weane, weane toyo
Daimo siapa ko tare makiwe
The song "O Ina Ni Keke" by Anneke Grönloh is sung in the Manado language, which is spoken in the city of Manado on the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The lyrics, which are repetitive and simple, revolve around a mother's love for her child and a promise to take care of them. It begins with the phrase "O ina ni keke" which translates to "Oh mother, my child," indicating the start of a conversation between a mother and her child. The next line "mange wisa ko, mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko" expresses the mother's desire to take care of the child, providing them with a house in the city of Wenang. The chorus then follows with the repetition of "weane, weane, weane toyo" expressing a plea to the mother to care for the child and not leave them.
Overall, the song expresses the unconditional love of a mother towards her child, promising to always provide for them and to never abandon them. Through the use of simple Manado language and repetition, the message is clear and heartfelt. It is a beautiful example of the power of music and language to convey universal emotions such as love and the importance of family.
Line by Line Meaning
O ina ni keke, mange wisa ko
Oh mother, the cake is all gone, I was not able to have any
Mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko
The people from Wenang came and ate it all
Weane, weane, weane toyo
Crying, crying, crying all alone
Daimo siapa ko tare makiwe
Who else can I blame for not getting any cake?
O ina ni keke, mange wisa ko
Oh mother, the cake is all gone, I was not able to have any
Mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko
The people from Wenang came and ate it all
Weane, weane, weane toyo
Crying, crying, crying all alone
Daimo siapa ko tare makiwe
Who else can I blame for not getting any cake?
O ina ni keke, mange wisa ko
Oh mother, the cake is all gone, I was not able to have any
Mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko
The people from Wenang came and ate it all
Weane, weane, weane toyo
Crying, crying, crying all alone
Daimo siapa ko tare makiwe
Who else can I blame for not getting any cake?
Contributed by Dominic C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@muhammadhakim483
2019 masih layan..
@ronzac55
Played this song as i drove along the highland of Minahasa going down to the East Coast via Kapataran village. It was such a simple joy.
@erinpilla
I have a Minahasan friend. When I played this for him, he cried. He misses his hometown so much. He told me that his mom would buy him these coconut cakes when she goes to Manado.
@romyngantung8567
Teringat di kampung Tontalete
@anselmussudirman5041
What a beautiful song. Love it a lot.
@aaronlee6582
It brought back memories. Love the songs
@nellasumigar3222
Siapa yg kesini karena anneth?
@frankyfranc1034
Saya
@xlhorse
Thank you for uploading this beautiful song :)