added two more songs in Tamil....
For all the blue (detail oriented people like the one at home who asked me "what is the tag about?"): What is the tag about? 10 favourite songs - write 10 favourite songs in any two languages. I picked 3 languages since I find Tamil is a beautifully musical language.
Knowing my craze for music she tagged me... When she first forgot to tag I was happy that she "decided" not to. She also knows my problem with decision making - so this is double torture - I even have to make decisions and choose between songs... I think she is taking revenge for the days when I brought the tape recorder to the bathroom in hostel - we used to drive away the other girls by singing loudly when showering and talking over the partitions of the shower. No idea what we used to talk about - well... I am sure Wannabe remembers every word even 12 years later.
So here goes... amongst the infinite ones I like I will put down the ones I remember (and since I have a bad memory that narrows down the possibilities).
Poocho Na Yaar Kya Hua (Dear friend, ask me what has happened): I love the peppiness in the songs and the perkiness - all inflections in the song are quite nice. I do not like the picturisation though - I think I liked the context - there was something mysterious about the hero-heroine interaction in that song. I would love to see the movie to see what it was all about. I heard the male version first and I prefer Mohd Rafi version and could never find it back. I like Hoga Tumse Pyara Kaun too...
Kathra Kathra main pi hain (I have drunk danger ...): The song from Ijaazat - what a lovely movie, lovely song... Again R.D Burman song. I love the songs. A story of two people (Mahendra and Sudha) who connect instantaneouly when they meet years after their separation. Sudha's insecurities about his previous love (Maya) breaks their marriage and yet, there seems something unfinished unsaid between them and a thread running through them. Even the song Mera Kuch Saamaan is lovely - Lyrics by Gulzar tugs at your heart and even now it powerfully squeezes my heart. The poetry Maya sends to Mahendra when Sudha sends back Maya's things from their house after the marriage:
Mera Kuch Saamaan tumhare paas pada hain (Some of my things are still lying with you)
Saawan ke kuch bheege bheege din rakhe hain (You have kept some of the wet days of monsoon with you)
Aur mere ik khat mein lipti raath padi hain (There is a night you spent wrapped in one of my letters)
Won raat bujha do mera woh saamaan lauta do (Extinguish that night and return to me those things)
The poetry in Gulzar's songs cannot be matched.
Naina Barse Rim Jhim Rim Jhim (I do not know how to translate this): My first ghost song... and the first song I saw of Sadhna. I always stayed in my mind.
Aap Yunhi Agar Humse Milte rahen (If you keep meeting me, look out one day we will fall in love): Only problem in the song is Joy Mukherjee - however he used to get the best songs of Mohd Rafi.
Palkon Ke peeche se kya tumne keh dala phirse tho pharmana(please express whatever you said from behind your eyelashes): Another one who got all the nice songs and I did not like his acting!!!! Mohd Rafi has given some of my favourite songs
Main Yahan Tu Wahan (I am here you are there): A new song but so soulful and melodious.
Bheeni Bheeni: A new song I was surprised by... and I have been listening to the song for the last 2 weeks without a break. I loved the movie for the way the village in India is pictured.... There was one more in the movie that I really loved (Jhalke Palkon ke peeche).
Ab Kya misaal dun mein tumhare: Lovely is all I can say....Pradeep Kumar sang a lot of Mohd Rafi's good songs too...
Aise To Na Dekho ki humko nasha ho jaaye (Do not look at me like that I will become addicted): is another very nice one.
Hum Bekhudi mein tumko pukare: Filled with pain, Mohd Rafi's song brings out pain even from Dev Anand....
Dekho Rutha Na Karo: well... siggghhhh..... they do not write such songs anymore and neither do they sing anymore like that.
welll... and another hundred songs are weighing to get onto the last one I can mention...Kaali ghata chhaye aur jiya, Hum Aapke Aakhon mein and many other from Guru Dutt movies also need mention - there are so many with so much pain and hurt in his movies - Na Jaao Saiyyaan or the happy ones like Piyo Aiso Jiya besides fun ones by Johny Walker like Sar Jo Tera ... yet I think I will give it to:
Waqt Ne Kiya kya haseen sitam tum rahe na tum hum rahe na hum (): from a movie, that always made me cry, that explored the relationship between two lonely people and how they separate causing him to turn to alcohol and leads to his destruction - even she is unable to help him.
It is more difficult with Malayalam songs - unlike Hindi songs there are many songs from each decade that I like and yet it goes faster:
Iru Hrudayangalil from Maymaasapulariyil: I love the use of claps and train sound besides the song itself... and I also love the other song Pularkaala Sundara. I loved the movie itself too... Saari's best movie. I wish I could get this movie to show my husband.
Poongaatunodum Kilikalodum
Onnaam Ragam Paadi: There were many songs by M G Sreekumar - though I did not like the singer, the songs were very nice.
Unnikale Oru Kadha Parayaam: I love this movie... Like all Malayalam movies of the time the depth in the movie is touching.
Kannaam Thumbi Poramo: A movie which always made me protective about my sister and worried all the time. Listening to this song still gives me goose pimples.
Neela Kurinjikal
Sarabindu Malardeepa: probably one of the few Jayachandran songs
Ponpulariyil Poovithariya: Rahman was a favourite of my best friend and we used to discuss him for hours together.
Gopike Nin Viral: A movie which I saw when very young in a place called Tellichery where we lived for just a year...
... ok I cannot stop... someone stop me please... Deva Dhundhubi... most songs of Sargam... Kshanakathu (except Aakashadeepam which I know is the most famous - I used to see her many times near Thampanoor in Trivandrum) and in Kudumbha Sametham.
Tamil:
Kuzhaloothum Kannanuku:
Ilaya Nila:
Chippi Irukkathu:
Valayosai:
Ninnu Kori: most songs of Agninatchithram other than Raja Rajadhi... My sister and I used to dance to this song at home with each other... and we always wanted to decorate our house the way Amla did her room in this song.
Anthi Mazhai Pozhikirathu:
Oh Butterfly:
Oru Kadhal Devathai:
Chinna Chinna Aasai: It first appeared on TV at the same time as we moved to Chennai. It captured our heart and imagination - perhaps some of that love spilled over to Chennai - I still love Chennai as a place I would like to move to when I am back in India and if I have to work (if I do not there is no doubt about where I am going...)
Besides these, there is Endhan Nenjil and Dilbar Jaane from Kalaignan - first my favourite, second the favourite of those in the hostel etc etc...
A lot of songs have strong memories associated with them - of family, happy times with family in different places (Kuzhaloothum of Ooty - listening to the songs from one of the theatres in the valley on speaker - our house was on the top of the hill), Trivandrum, holidays somewhere and a lot of it has heavy influence of what my father liked - our interests were most often shaped by his. Some of these songs he would not like but now he does sing a lot that he did not like before.
I will not add the English ones. Taste for English/Western songs are something I am just beginning to develop... They still cannot match these - either in memories or in poetry yet (exceptions to what was a rule are becoming more and more common now that I am exposed more).
Thank You Wannabe for taking me on a memory trip this evening - I miss the time we spent together. Some of these trips also make me very nostalgic and reflective too.
more songs I want to keep the links of: