Representasi Kritik Sosial Lagu “Bayar-bayar-bayar” Karya Sukatani: Analisis Wacana Kritis

Abstract

This study examines how the lyrics of the song “Bayar-bayar-bayar” by the punk band Sukatani represent social criticism; the song became a phenomenon because its lyrics explicitly highlight the practice of illegal levies by law enforcement officials. The research focuses on how law enforcement officials are represented, how power relations are constructed discursively, and how the song functions as a counter-discourse to the dominant discourse. The method used is descriptive qualitative analysis employing Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis model, which encompasses three dimensions: text analysis, discursive practices, and sociocultural practices. The analysis is enriched by Jacques Rancière’s perspective on the “distribution of the sensible” to uncover the political dimensions within the lyrics. The study reveals three main findings. First, at the textual level, the repetition of the phrase “pay the police” and the parallel sentence structure function not only as stylistic devices but also as discursive strategies to dismantle the normalization of corruption within the bureaucracy. Second, in terms of discursive practices, this song undergoes complex dynamics of production, distribution, and consumption, transforming from a work of art into a symbol of resistance during demonstrations, and ultimately becoming the subject of legal controversy. Third, in the sociocultural sphere, this song acts as a sensory intervention that reconfigures the way society perceives injustice, while simultaneously dismantling the sensory divisions that normalize transactional practices in public services.