Like most of the readers here, I love listening to music. I listen to many forms of music from Indian classical to hindustani to Jazz to blues to hiphop and reggae. While this post isnt about all of them, its about the one form that I listen to the most of the lot: Indian film music. Indian film music has a charm of its own that fuses the best from the aforesaid and many more styles and comes up with an amalgam thats unique in very many ways. Sometimes its inspired and sometimes its blatantly lifted. Sometimes its completely original and sometimes its a mix of all the mentioned. Whatever be the case, film music enthralls the listener to an entirely different level from where he or she is.
I listen to a *LOT* of film music: hindi, tamil, and occasionally telugu and malayalam. Out of the lot of songs, there are some that have a retentive quality thats quite fascinating. I call these "complete songs". A complete song by my definition has all that you expect from a song and more of the same: an addictive and immensely hummable tune, captivating voices singing it for you, likeable and situationally suitable lyrics and as an added feature, nice visuals that pop in front of your eyes, when you listen to the song. If ones inspects these criteria carefully, you can note that there are but only a few songs that will fit the bill. I am in the process of making a list of such songs in the hope of creating a personal "Complete Songs Collection". Any suggestions are very welcome. Some examples to start with are:
1. Chayya Chayya - Dil Se ( ARR, Gulzar, Sukhwinder Singh, Swapna Awasthi, Manirathnam , SRK, Malaika - anything more you can ask for?)
2. Engeyum eppodhum - Ninaithale Inikkum (MSV, Kamalhassan, Rajinikanth, SPB, Kannadasan, KB and the disco fever of the 70s)
3. Ilamai Idho Idho-Sagalakalavallavan (Ilayaraja, Kamalhassan, SPB and the power of dance, I can listen to this one piece all day without getting tired)
4. Chandralekha -Thiruda Thiruda (ARR, Anupama, Vairamuthu, Manirathnam and a whole new meaning to music that rocks)
5. Mettu podu - Duet (ARR, SPB, Susheela, Kadri, Vairamuthu, and KB - if only the marriage of carnatic music and film music is always so good)
6. Thakida Thathumi-Salangai Oli (Ilayaraja, SPB, Vali(?),Vishwanath- the complete song featuring the best of the complete actor)
I have a few more almost there songs but these really are the benchmarks against which I can measure the rest. Any more you can think of ?
35 comments:
just blog hopping :) cheers
i love music too.ur not alone
LadyWhiteSprit
Thanks for stopping by. I guess my latest post might not have made too much sense to you since it was a lot to do with Indian music..but hey, music is universal and I am glad you like music too.
here are some that I hum all the time --
1. En Iniya Pon Nilave - Moodu Pani
2. Ilaya Nila - Payanangal Mudivathillai
3. Ilamayenum Poongaatru
4. Paruvame Pudhiya Paadal Paadi Va
5. Senthaazham Poovil - Mullum Malarum
6. Poove Sem Poove
7. Theeradha Vilayattu Pillai - Netrikann
8. Poon Thalir Aada
9. Maanguyile Poonguyile - Karakkattakkaran
10. Keeravani
11. Keladi Kanmani - Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal
these are just some that I can type right away. not all of them have good visuals... but undoubtedly these are some of the best.
Saranyan
Good bunch of songs you have named. But see I have all these in my Ilayaraja collection. I love them and listen to them relegiously on a very regular basis. I was listening to some of them in my car today. But many of these, sadly, were marred by very amateurish picturisation which puts it a step below complete. You get what I am saying ?
The need of the hour are songs, that fill that last part of the void.
Chinna Chinna Aasai - Roja (esp the visuals that accompany the start-the golden sunrise, and humming in the middle of the song. I am biased to this cuz it reminds me of my native village in Nellai district)
Jallantha Kavvintha - Geethanjali (Aathadi Ammadi - Idhayathai Thirudathae in Tamil). Love the visuals of Girija dancing as seen through one end of a 5' diameter water pipe, and an interesting dance number by a guy during the interlude between the first and second charanam.
Beat in Heart - Gulabi (another telugu song!). A road song, its very fittingly videographed with some jerky visuals to boot..makes quite an impact.
Yunhi Chala Chal - Swades. Energy-laden beat, subtle lyrics, and though I have not seen the entire video of this song, the parts I've seen are pretty good.
Radha Kaise Na Jale - Lagaan. Infectious song, peerless Asha Bhonsle and scintillating dance of Gracie Singh, all capturing in a short five minutes the essence of Krishna's playfulness with the gopikas.
Telephone Malarpol - Indian. Even if the beats' inspired by Ace-of-Base's "All that she wants", this is
a gem of a song, especially for Harini's voice. Throw in gorgeous Australia, and little penguins
and koala bears, and you can soar right over the Sydney Harbor bridge.
Pachai Niramae - Alaipayuthey. Spectral colors green, red, yellow, blue, white, black. Spectacular scenery to boot.
Hey, this is interesting!! These are all fab ones. Well, here goes my faves:
Kalyana malai kondadum penne - [Pudhu pudhu arthangal]- i just love the lyrics and spb's voice. it makes a lot of sense now that i am married
malarndhum maralradha - [paasamalargal??]
nila adhu vaanathu mela - i love the play of the words here. and boy, the rustic and heavy-base voice of ilayaraja
kannathil muthamittal - i like the male version better
valai osai - [sathya] - kamal looks so handsome and sexy!!
raasathi unna kanadha nenju
mandram vandha thenralukku - [mouna raagam]
well, the list is very long:)
and then, the list of hindi songs...u r right, indian film music is a class by itself!
Ramesh
Nice picks. Esp the Swades song. I had it in my mind but forgot to mention it when I wrote the post. Very natural song and the lyrics are very good too.
Anonymous
Whoever you are, thanks for stopping by. Some nice selections from you. I think Valai Osai is a class pick. A very different Kamal, Ilayaraja, Lata and SPB create an amazing song. The tune is vey likeable and the lyrics are great too.
Hi ranga,
nice post - responding to the post actually made me go back to those songs - i suppose that was the unintenionally intentional!! ;-) anyway thanks for the memories - and below are a few of my favourites that fall into ur description - and not in any order...ofcourse!! :-)
Chinna Chinnathai pennae, Mounam Pesiyadhe
Ale ale, Boys
Thimsu kattai, Thirumalai
Aasai Aasai, Dhool
mandram vandha thendralukku, mouna raagam
thottu thottu, kaadhal kondein
konjum mainaakalae, kandokondein kandokondein
Chennai Senthamizh, M. Kumaran
azhagooril poothavalei, thirumalai (decent, sensible picturisation)
kan pesum vaarthaigal, 7G
Irupathu kodi nilavugal koodi penmai aanadho, Thulladha manamum thullum (not particularly for its video, but a very good song)
I don't have any pre defined set of songs. I like different songs at different times (Moods).
Atlast found a post in your blog on which I can comment on :)
thats right, most of the songs have bad picturisation . enna panna, paattu nalla irukkey :)
that swades song is really good, its probably a complete song that I have seen recently.
Here's a couple-
Thendral vandu theendum podu - Avatharam - music Ilayaraja. Sung by Ilayaraja, Janaki. Dir: Naser
Thenpandi Seemayile - Nayagan - music Ilayaraja. Sung by Ilayaraja, Kamalhassan. Dir: Manirathnam
"aasai nooru vagai" from my side, has a very good picturization to go with it.
a complete song to me, can't just stop listening to it once.
Kaalam Kaalamagha Vaazhum Kaadhallukku [Punnaghai Mannan]
Aasa adhigam vachu [Marupadiyum]
Aasaiya kaathulla thoodhu vittu [Jaani]
Kaadhalin dheepam onru [thambhikku entha ooru[
Theendai mei theendai [En suvasa katrae]
Ennavo ennavo ennvasam naan illai..
Narumugayae narumugayae [iruvar]
Ennavale adi ennavalae [Kaadhalan]
Kuzhal oothum kannanukku [Mella thiranthathu kadhavu]
Pani vizhum malar vanam [Ninaivellam Nithya]....the list goes on....
Renuka
Surprisingly, I havent seen many of the songs you have mentioned. I have heard a few of them but not all. Ill take your word and give them a hear and maybe a view if possible.
ME
Glad that you finally found a post to comment on. Ill take your response and try to put in more common topics. Thanks for the feedback.
Saran
Sadly, many of Ilayaraja's masterpieces had awful visuals to go with it. In those times, visuals werent as important as they are today. Maybe thats why.
Ammani
Thanks for stopping by. Avatharam song is a good choice. The song is raw with IRs rendering of it and the lyrics are beautiful. Added to this are striking visuals that encompass as much color as color can afford.
Hellboy
Aasai Nooru vagai is worth a pick just for Thalaivar.
Krish
Thanks for stopping by. I definitely forgot to add "Theendai| in my list. The song is very eye candy with the stars adding to the beauty of things. The entire costume design dept did a great job with the song too. Added to this is SPB and Chitr's wonderful voices singing to ARRs tune. Very good choice.
I dunno much abt Tamil songs, but I can list a few of my favourite Hindi numbers.
- Mai to raste se jaa raha tha (Jussssst Kidding:))
- Chura liya
-Ankiyon ke zharokhon se
- Do labjon ki hai dil ki kahani
and cant think of more rt now
Sangeeta
Thanks for stopping by. Chura Liya, is an awesome, probably my all time favorite in Hindi.
Jagan
Glad the list is useful to you. It is to me too. Madai thirandu really outlines the life of Raja until that point in one song. Extremely intelligent. Its said that SPB, Ilayaraja and Bharatiraja used to live together when they were scouting for film opportunities and this song really shows how well they understood each others struggle.
I think "Raja Raja" from Agni Nakasthiram just rocked. I also liked Balu Mahendra's picturization of "Kanne Kalaimaane" from Moondram Pirai.
The worssttest picturization for a good song has to be "Vassegrara" in Minnale. It was such a letdown.
Sudarshan
Raja is indeed a good song. At that time, the lighting was pathbreaking and the Maestro's voice has never sounded better.
And yes, Vaseegara was a nightmare I had a hard time getting over.
Manoj
"Vazhavaikkum Kadhalukku" is a really fantastic situation piece and serves as that rare song where the entire song actually takes the story forward. Not to mention, it was considered a hot song then :)
I thought of couple of more good additions to the list:
1. "Madathile Kanni Madathile" from Veera. Nice song. Very well picturised with lyrics to go with the picturisation and Thalaivar at his best.
2. "Sathrangi Re"(Dil Se) - "En Uyire"(Uyire).. I havent to date seen a more grandiose picturisation for a song. The lyrics are top notch and ARR brings in a whole new meaning to experimentation. Most of all, Mani's touch is visible all over the song.
Hey Jagan - I havent event seen thirumalai for tht matter - but i took quite some time to prepare the list that i ve posted here, as a comment. i thot it will be quite a complete song - i mean for the lyrics, music, sequence, rendition and expressions.
ranga - what are the songs that you havent seen?
:Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Excellent uptempo song with some amazing folk dance from the Bhuj/Kutch area.
:Nimbooda from the same movie. Of course having Aishwarya Rai show off scintillating moves adds an immeasurable "it" factor to the song.
A few desi-pop ones (probably doesnt belong in this list): Vande Mataram, Afreen Afreen (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), Sunoh (Lucky Ali)
"Mel Isaye" from Mr. Romeo
I have been wanting to get a hold of the mp3 version of this song since a long time but I have never been able to find it anywhere. Any of you have this?
AP
Ill be glad to oblige and give you the song over the weekend. A while back there was a discussion on the Mellisaye song is someone's blog. Really nice song. Great beats. But too much of *^& shaking, was the general consensus.:)
Ramesh
Doli tharo is a good choice. Very uptempo and enjoyable piece. Which reminds me to add "Dola Re" from Devdas to the list. Well picturised and great beats too. What about "Ramta Jogi" from Taal ?
Renuka
Thanks for taking the time to create the list. It means a lot. In response to what I have seen and heard in your list:
Chinna Chinnathai pennae, Mounam Pesiyadhe : Remember havinmg heard it once or twice. Havent seen it.
Ale ale, Boys : Good song. Bad picturisation. I mean, the stop motion camera thing got too much.
Thimsu kattai, Thirumalai: Have heard it. Not a fan. Never seen it.
Aasai Aasai, Dhool: Not my type of a song. I like the Koduva meesai song. Havent seen it.
mandram vandha thendralukku, mouna raagam: Awesome song. Great lyrics. No visuals to talk about but for once, it isnt needed. The song does it for you.
thottu thottu, kaadhal kondein: Havent seen song. Havent heard it.
konjum mainaakalae, kandokondein kandokondein- Nice song. But doesnt thrill me as much. My fave from the movie is the Yesudas/Chitra duet of Kannampoochi. Very likeable.
Chennai Senthamizh, M. Kumaran
- Havent seen, havent heard.
azhagooril poothavalei, thirumalai (decent, sensible picturisation)- Nope. No hear, No see.
kan pesum vaarthaigal, 7G - I like the song as much but the movie was very revolting and the visuals didnt help.:(
Irupathu kodi nilavugal koodi penmai aanadho, Thulladha manamum thullum (not particularly for its video, but a very good song)- Good song. I like the song too.
Ramta Jogi - Superb song, but somehow not much impressed with the video. Give me the video of Taal Se Taal Mila from the same movie anyday..loved the visuals in the rain.
I agree totally on your estimation of the Kannamoochi Yenada song..wish though that Rajeev Menon had shot the video outdoors instead of a stage.
In the tradition of carnatic fusion into film music, add En Veetu Thottathil from Gentleman..Sujatha's exemplary singing and a pretty good video to boot..
Ranga, thanks ... it will be awesome if you can give me the song tonight, or tomorrow AM. I will call you later in the evening. I am spinning music tomorrow at a local club and I am looking to use parts of this song.
If mixed in the right sense, it is so pleasently surprising at the warm response of non-Indian audiences to Indian songs.
here is one more to the list
"Dhom Dhom Dhom" from Sindu Bhairavi. the picturization was good in this song.
Dei Ranga, as Manoj said, get a SUN TV connection :) I tried hard but when I realised that I have to either dig a hole in the backyard or buy concrete and pour in a bucket, I gave up instantly :)
Add some more,
Azhagan - "Sangeetha Swarangal aezhae kannakka"
May Maadam - "Minnalae nee vandadhaen adi"
Agni Nakshathiram - "Thoonghaatha vizhikal rendu" , "Ninukkori Varnam"
Varumaiyin Niram Sighappu - "Sippi irrukuthu muthum irrukkuthu"
Mounam Sammatham - "Kalyana thaen nilla"
Adimai Pen - "Oodum Megangalae oru sol"
"Germaniyin senthaen malare"- < forgot the Film name>
Ramesh
En Veetu Thottathil does serve as an early proof for ARRs class when he gets the right mood going. Very nice blend of carnatic and conventional film music.
Manoj/ Saran
While its tempting, I think Ill pass. As Jagan says, for the 30 odd minutes of SunTGV that I can bear to watch, I dont intend having the dish and the 15 odd dollars a month to pay.
Arun
Best of luck with the spinning. Let us know the response, good or bad.
Krish
Some nice songs there. And more importantly, and surprisingly, until your post, none of us had suggested the very old songs in tamil or hindi at all. Not sure why, since there are some gems there.
Ill add my all time favorites to that list,
"Waqt ne kiya"- the immortal Guru Dutt in Kagaz ke Phool, the lyrics are worth their weight in platinum and more.
"Hum Aapki Aankhon mein"- Guru Dutt in the classic Pyaasa.
Note the aforesaid songs have the cinematography that subsequently inspired Mani to all greatness.
"Rasik Balma"- Nargis/ Lata Mangeshkar and Shankar Jaikishen for Chori Chori.
Yeah...I was wondering why there is no mention of oldiees...then i thought of that song...and one song that everyone has seem to miss is...
Kadhal Rojavae....Roja...how can neonow forget that song...so, thats my all time, all season, all mood, all everything favourite...
Nice collection TLB, most of those listed are my favourites too.
Krish
"Kadhal Rojave" is indeed a top class song. Everything comes together just beautifully for that song. In fact, Id be willing to put in "Pudhu Vellai Mazhai" since it is one such complete song too.
PVS
Thanks for dropping by.
To all those who contributed their favorite songs list for the purpose of greater enjoyment, thanks so much. I hope that each one of you now has a list, like your own, but with some good new additions to make the musical enjoyment process, complete.
Afterall, the joy of listening to good music (read tfm or hfm or xfm) does transcend a whole lot of boundaries and makes us just ecstatic.
Happy listening !
Why on earth do you listen to hip hop or jaz? Are you calling banghra hip hop? WTF do the indians think? Y the hell r they copying western music? Oh please go and get a life! Y can't the ondians keep it with their own music. Saray logon ga dhmag hrab muth carro. Stay outta hollywood. Bollywood don't even bother to try and get in to hollywood do your own thing. I don't like bollywood so stay away and leave hollywood the only original thing alone. All the hindus can do is copY ! Suckers!
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