Overproduction and problems with Hindi music

I have always wondered what makes a good song? Is it music or lyrics or production or tune or beats ? I feel the combination of all these things makes a good song. But recently I have been thinking there is something not correct in the songs I'm listening.  And then it clicked !! I'm hearing a lot of extra sounds and music. This extra stuff is actually not required. This is overproduction!! If you are making a song with good lyrics and good singers, you should not overpower this with the overproduced music. Right orchestration is really important. With wrong orchestration and overproduction songs become very tough to enjoy. A fairly new song with minimum production is Pani da rang from Vicki Donor. It has nice lyrics and voice. And the music is just there in the background to help the voice to shine. 

Afreen Afreen ...

In 1996 a rare thing happened. Two great personalities from two countries India and Pakistan came together to produce an album which would gladly be named as Sangam. A confluence of music talents from both countries. And it produced a gem of Afreen Afreen.

Afreen Afreen has a great poetry of Javed Akhtar. He is one of the important lyricist from India. Afreen Afreen means the beautiful one. It's a song of praise to that beautiful one who has the divine beauty. The first stanza praises impeccable body (Jism), the second stanza praises the alluring face (Chehra), the third stanza tells the story of those enchanting eyes (Aankhe), and the final stanza praises pristine silky black hair (Zulfen). The whole structure is just Afreen - very beautiful. Javed Akhtar, in his poetry, paints an attractive and exquisite picture of this beautiful one that has captured the imagination of the poet. Is it real, or is it just a mirage ? It doesn't matter because it's really beautiful.

And Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has done the real justice to this poetry with his euphonious voice and music. He has sung this song with great passion. He guides you to observe the beauty of that lyrical painting. He has produced two versions of the song, an extended version with harmonious music and the more famous remix version with only two stanzas. The music video was made only for the remix version which featured Lisa Ray. It was one of the famous videos in 1996. Very recently Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sang a modified version for Coke Studio. And is sounded melodious with the soothing voice of Rahat. I am adding all three versions here. Compare and see which one is your favorite.


Original Album Version




Extended Version




Coke Studio Version





Enjoy !

Kannathil Muthamittal - Nenjil Jil Jil

Some songs are enchanted! When you listen them, when you see them they  perform the magic on your mind and your eyes start watering. These songs are special and very few songs get this status. Kannathil Muthamittal - Nenjil Jil Jil is one of such songs - when I start listening I become emotional.

Maniratnam and A. R. Rahman  duo made some great songs together. Some of them reached Hindi and some of them didn't. Nenjil Jil Jil did not get translated in Hindi so you have to listen it in Tamil. But the song and voices are so powerful that event though you don't understand the language, you will still find it very touching.

This is a two part song. One song is in female voice and picturized on Simran and  child artist P. S. Keerthana. Chinmay has sung this version. Maniratnam shows relationship between a mother and her daughter. They play on sandy beach, they play in water, they play in abandoned boat, they are very happy together. But there is still something in mother's mind - lyrics explain that something is hidden there.

Male version opens in Sri Lanka where daughter is sitting under a waterfall and then you see a big lake with Buddha statue. In this whole song Maniratnam shows the other side of relationship - a father daughter love. At the same time daughter's journey to find her roots. P. Jayachandran made this version magical with his soothing voice. His voice touches your heart and makes you feel loved.

Enjoy!

Humma Humma ... हम्मा हम्मा

Following post is based on my comments about new (2016) Humma Humma song from OK Jaanu and nostalgia about original 1995 movie Bombay.

First watch new song.





The music is recreated by Badshah & Tanishk Bagchi. A nice touch of rap and dubsteb. But on screen pair and picturization doesn't show the passion between leading pair. According to me it fails flat. For the same situation Maniratnam creates magic in his original movie OK Kanmani. You can see chemistry between hero and heroin.




Now some comments in Marathi.

ओ जानू शाद अली ने बनवलेला आहे त्यामुळे थोडाफार बघण्यालायक असावा  साथिया पेक्षा मला अलैपयुते मधल्या गाण्यांचं टेकींग जास्ती आवडलेलं. अर्थात मणिरत्नम तो मणिरत्नम आणि शाद अली तो शाद अली. 

डब स्टब मध्ये कन्व्हर्ट मस्त जमलंय. पण पडद्यावर अजिबात केमिस्ट्री दिसत नाही. वरूण वगैरे कोणीतरी दुसरा पाहिजे होता. अदित्य रॉय कपूर गाणं किंवा श्रद्धा कपूरला एंजॉय करतोय असं वाटतच नाही. त्याच्या चेहर्‍यावर त्रासलेले भाव वाटतात. परवाच के३जी चा रीरन चालू असताना सुरज हुआ मधम पाहिलं त्यात दोघेही किती पॅशनेट वाटतात. या गाण्यात तर अजून तसे वाटायला हवे होते. इव्हन ए उडीउडी मध्ये विवेक ओबेराय चांगलाय मग 

आणि शाद अली आणि मणिरत्नम मधला थोडाफार फरक या गाण्याच्या मूळ गाण्यातही दिसून येतो. ओ के कन्मनी मधलं गाणं बघ. त्यात हिरो - हिरॉइन मधली केमिस्ट्री बरोबर दिसतीये. हिरो ला काही तरी करायचंय आणि हिरॉइनला ही ते हवंच आहे पण पुढे जायचा धीर होत नाहीये. त्यामुळे फक्त गाणं म्हणा असा भारी माहौल बनलाय. ओके मधलं मिलेनियल प्रेम बरोबर वाटतं. आयपॅड वर बीट बॉक्स लाऊन धमाल करताना एकमेकांबरोबर चिडवाचिडवी, सूचक बघणं, डोळ्यांत भाव दिसणं असे सगळे दिसते त्यात.

बॉम्बे संध्याकाळचा शो माधव टॉकीज मध्ये पाहिलेला. पोलिस बंदोबस्त होता. रात्री अंधार असतो त्यामुळे बाबांनी एक टॉर्च बरोबर घेतला होता तर तो पूर्ण उघडून पाहिला. फुल लाईन लावून चेकींग चालू होती. ओळखिचे थिएटर समोर राहत असल्याने आरामात तिकीटं मिळाली होती. पण तरी ही लाईन लावायलाच लागली होती. असं थिएटर बाहेर लाईन मध्ये उभे राहून चेकिंग वगैरे बघण्याची पहिलीच वेळ होती त्यामुळे फार वेगळे वाटले. नंतर लाईन मध्ये उभे राहून तिकीट काढताना , स्टॉल करता (तिकीट नंबर नसतात म्हणून) लाईन लावताना अगदी रखवालदाराचे दंडुके पण खाल्ले आहेत. पण हा पहिला अनुभव जाम भारी होता. 

Original Humma Humma

Jolene

Jolene ...

Jolene is a song. It is not a poem. It is a song, a song of begging, a song of a cry, a song of a reason. Dolly Parton created Jolene in 1973 remembering a beautiful woman who used to flirt with her husband. It is a song coming from the heart, she knows that Jolene is really beautiful and she can't beat her in the beauty, but she's still trying to tell her that Jolene can get any other man she wants but this is the man who singer loved and she can't leave her love. Such simple wordings and simple tune but Dolly's voice and may be this rawness is the appeal of this song. Coming from the Country music style, this song still works for pop enthusiasts too. And the song is such popular still that in 2016 Pentatonix a cappella group performed it with Dally herself. I came across Jolene from the series The Blacklist where they used the slowed-down version of Jolene and since then this song is stuck in my head.

Original Jolene




Jolene (Miley Cyrus)




Jolene (Slowed-Down)




Jolene (Pentatonix)





Enjoy

Naino Mein Badara Chhaye ...

Mera Saya (1966), a story of Sunil Dutt and Sadhana in double role, was a thriller directed by Raj Khosala. It was a remake of Marathi film Pathlag. Raj Khosala brought back the hit composer from his previous film, Woh Kaun Thi, for Mera Saya too. And Madan Mohan did not disappoint him. He composed three immensely popular songs of 1966 for Mera Saya. The haunting title song "Tu jahan jahan chalega...", one of Asha's greates hits "Jhoomka gira re..." and "Naino mein badara chhaye".

Naino mein badara chhaye starts with a great Sitar piece played by Madan Mohan himself.  Lata has sung this song with her usual mastery but this becomes one of the great song by the music interludes withing verses and Lata's aalaap. Lyrics also complements this great composition. Raja Mehdi Ali Khan wrote this song with suggestions of surprises in the movie. While watching this song Raj Khosala's direction highlights unease of Sunil Dutt and then transition to the flashback with blurring of screen. The location choice is also unique to have a temple on the hill on the banks of lake. Sunil Dutt and Sadhana  express their emotions fluently to make this song even better to watch.







Enjoy ! 

Miyan ki malhaar ...

We are once again in the territory of Rohail Hyatt - Coke studio. In the sixth season of the coke studio Pakistan, Rohail tried something different. He put forward an ensemble of artists in this song with four singers, a house band, two musicians from Nepal and two guitar players. He transformed this Hindustani Classical song in to a rock performance. The first song of this blog was "Bole re Papihara" from "Guddi" . This song was composed in raag "Miyan ki Malhar". Thus this is very close to me.  

Song starts with a simpler rendition by Ayesh Omar. She says she learned this from her master when she was young so it is simple. The beats catch on with the chorus. We have a break of pace with flute solo and then Fariha Parvez joins in with Umand Ghumand . This raag has a big story behind it. They say Miyan Taansen in the court of Akbar sang this raag and rain came down. Thus it got it's name which had a word Malhar in it which means rain or Monsoon. The dholak behind is played by Babar Ali Khanna. He starts here and continues with the rock. Which is performed by two guitar solos and alapi by Rustam Fateh Ali Khan. The song ends on such a high note that you fell the rain is actually falling !