Nostalgia

I was reading an edition of Outlook magazine and I found a very lovely article on Hindi film songs. Top singers, musicians and music directors named their top 20 songs and those songs were listed in the book. Having grown up on a staple diet of hindi movies and songs, I can say safely that I loved all the songs featured there. But there were many that were left out which I felt, could have made the list. Still it was theirs and so I cannot have a say in it right? So I decided to make my list of top hindi songs. I started with my top 20 but fickle minded that I am I decided to relax that to top 25 songs and I am still not satisfied. If I could I would probably have top 100 but I am sure I would feel as if I had left out a song or two. Before I start my list I would love to put on record that I had a great time reaching the top songs in this list. A big hug and a huge thanks to my sweet friend P for helping out with the titles, song lyrics… not to say the song itself (don’t even ask… we had a certain USP in this. Either she or I would have a song in mind. We would describe the song to the other and voila! we were able to guess the songs)
My top 25 old Hindi songs
Just a few things you would note when you go through this blog…
1. Adjectives like lovely, excellent, beautiful… in galore.
2. My predilection to the years 1960, 70 and 80s.
3. Some silly yet heartfelt reasons for liking a particular song.
The songs are not listed in the order of my preference, as that would have been impossible. So I decided to list them in the alphabetical order of the movies they featured in. Here goes…

Ø Piya bina piya bina (Abhimaan – 1973) S D BurmanSung beautifully by Lata Mangeshkar this song shows a wife’s confusion and sadness over her husband’s jealousy. Best to play during those lazy afternoons when you feel alienated with the world.

Ø Pal pal dil ke paas (Blackmail – 1973) Vijay AnandHow can one forget this beautiful song with the handsome Dharmender and the very pretty Rakhi? Blackmail movie was class apart from the movies made at that time. It was one of the first of its kinds, with the hero’s being a one- sided love and with the heroine being very obviously in love with the villain (brilliantly played by Shatrugan). Not wanting it to remain secret he very bravely shows her the letters (yeah the now forgotten love letters!) he had written to her but never given. Full marks to this lovely song with good picturisation and excellent rendition by Kishore da. Not to forget the hummable music by Vijay Anand.

Ø Aja piya tohe pyaar doon ( Baharoun ke sapne – 1967) R D BurmanRemix version, original version, however you hear it there is no doubt that this song evokes certain hmmm er... emotions. I mean my first reaction was if there was anybody at all who felt this way towards his or her lover these days? Lines like – sukh mera le le, main dukh teri le loon. Tu bhi jiye main bi jiyun… are not written these days… sigh.

Ø Yeh raath beegi beegi (Chori chori – 1965) Shankar JaikishenThis is an all time night song… I didn’t mean it as a seduction song or as the vamp trying to impress the hero kind of song. This is one that brings to mind the perfect nightfall. The round full moon hanging in the black sky with a host of stars and the wind flowing steadily enough to ruffle the hair… hmmm. I am falling asleep just thinking about it.

Ø Tere bina jiya jaayen na (Ghar – 1978) R D BurmanThis movie was released the year I was born! But no that’s not the only reason I love this song so much. This song is one of the harbingers of the 80s. The printed silk saris, lovely elegant women (like Rekha of course), good family subjects and a movie which proves that run of the mill heros like Vinod Mehra could make a movie work.

Ø Din dal jaaye (Guide -)
Absolutely no words needed to write about this song where Md Rafi is at his yearning best. And how can I forget the eye candy! I’ll let you dwell on this song for your own special reasons.

Ø Phoolon ka taaron ka (Hare Rama Hare Krishna – 1971)This is the ultimate brother sister song as far as I am concerned. A big bow to all the brothers who feel this song is good including my very own rogue brothers.

Ø Main zindagi ka saath (Hum dono – 1961) JaidevYeah I know you don’t need me to tell you why this features in my list. So I shall keep my peace and move on.

Ø Hoke majboor mujhe usne ( Haqeeqat – 1964) Madan Mohan
There are certain songs which one likes just because some one close also likes it. This one is one of mum’s favorite songs. It is a little gut wrenching especially for a person like me who likes happy sunny tunes. Maybe the reason I still like the song is that the lyrics is the only give away of the mood of the song, which otherwise is quite peppy.

Ø Mera kuch saaman hai (Ijaazat – 1988)
I don’t know how many of you have heard this song leave alone making it one of your favorites. Hoping not to sound very ancient I would like to say that the 1960s, 70s and 80s have had the best lot of songs to their credit... I mean good songs that one would enjoy anytime. This song has certain poignancy and a certain feel to it, which makes me want to listen to again and again. I simply love Asha Bhosle’s voice in this song. Superb!

Ø Ehsaan tera hoga mujh par (Junglee – 1961) Shankar JaikishenIf at all one needed the perfect words to disclose one’s love, then this is it this is it this is it! I was not a Shammi Kapoor fan until I happened to watch one of the numerous reruns of this movie on Doordarshan when I was about 12 years old. Yeah I know… what a waste of time. But post Junglee I am not complaining. Better late than never right?

Ø Jab koi bath bigad jaye (Jurm – 1990)I like this song only for Kumar Sanu’s voice. I made the mistake of watching the song on TV and got the biggest disappointment of my life. It was bad enough to see a middle aged Vinod Khanna romancing Meenakshi Seshadri in a dimly lit ballroom… what made it worse was the total clash between the feel of the song and the way it was picturised. The mental picture I had of cool nights and a long stretch of the beach was sadly replaced by the image of overly made up bunch of oldies. Still, the song is good.

Ø Tujse naraz nahi zindagi (Masoom – 1983) R D BurmanFor the tune…Oh yeah! Very pleasant… Not to say the bonding between the father and his illegitimate son.

Ø Rahen na rahen hum (Mamta – 1966) RoshanYes! Tune in to your Radios or Worldspace. This is a charmer through and through. I can just about imagine sitting in a nice easy chair with a dog at my feet and a cup of tea in hand… Ah bliss! Do songs create good moods or do good moods lead to creating amazing songs? Sigh

Ø Chupke chupke raat din (Nikaah – 1982) RaviThe fifteenth song! Are you with me still? Good. Then I can continue my ramblings. This song I like for its lyrics… aakhir ghazal hai bhai. Yeah me intelligent soul….see? But seriously, this song reminds me of days gone by. The school and college crushes, first love, very recent relation… etc etc. So yeah this has a place on my list.

Ø Mere bhole balam (Padosan – 1968) R D BurmanThe bindu re bindu song… how can I not feature that on my list. This is one song that brings a grin on the face just listening to it. Kishore Kumar’s paan stained face and way ward locks come to mind. I love the remix version too…the animated version that is. Most of all… I like it. Period.

Ø Aap jaisa koi meri (Qurbani - ) Kalyanji AnandjiThe ultimate bar song! The techno music, the gentle gyration of Zeenat Aman, the oomp – sexy (definitely not vulgar) dress and the sassy bar… not the dim lit formidable bar rooms you get to see in movies these days. So aren’t these reasons enough?

Ø Saagar kinare (Saagar – 1985) R D BurmanAs if I need to tell you… One look at Dimple’s svelte body romping on the beach is enough to send the Urmilas of the world scuttling away. But of course we were not discussing Dimple's body. So this song figures in my list for the er...the excellent tune…no not only the visual appeal but the tune too. Lata’s lilting voice is a perfect foil to Kishoreda’s full-bodied voice. Hmm Marina seems very inviting right now.

Ø Dekha ek kwaab (Silsila) Shiv HariThe pair of the century featured in this beautiful song and I would not miss this for the world. I simply love the lyrics in this song and feel all nice and happy right until the song reaches its rightful end…complete with Kishore Kumar’s delightful humming and the loving couple walking away with arms around each other.

Ø Jeevan ki bagiya (Tere mere sapne – 1971) S D BurmanA song of dreams and hope, sung beautifully. I can’t express enough the freshness and simplicity of this song.

Ø Tu kahan yeh bata (Tere ghar ke saamne –1963) S D Burman
I love the night I told you. This is one of the songs that strengthen that feeling. In a typical homely setting we see Dev Anand going in search of ladylove and all these people sitting at their doorstep and smiling into the misty night. Hmmm.

Ø Kis liye maine pyaar kiya (The train – 1979) R D BurmanI happened to hear this song only recently and got hooked to Lata’s voice instantly. Wonder how I had let all these years pass by without hearing this gem. As I had said earlier… better late than never right?

Ø Tumne mujhe dekha (Teesri Manzil – 1966)This song had to contend with its more popular counterpart oh mere sona re sona re from the same movie. But I love this song for the soulful nature of it and for the fact that the tears in Shammi Kapoor’s eyes were probably real.

Ø Lag ja gale se phir yeh (Woh kaun thi – 1964) Madan MohanThe haunting music remains to haunt me after all these years. Here too I felt naina barse was a worthy contender but the lyrics of this song simply won it for me. No doubt this song, which was ahead of its time, is one of my top favorite songs.

Ø Chookar mere man ko (Yaarana – 1981) Rajesh RoshanThere are many songs of Rajesh Roshan that I like but this one is personal favorite. Just like the words choo kar mere man ko… Surely a befitting song to end my rather long list. If you are still with me, then am sure you are a music freak like me. Cheers to our great Hindi music without which life would sure seem less colourful not to say dull! So heres to many more great movies that would make many such lists possible.... Ciao!
Psst: If you want to listen to any of the above songs and more, you could log on to http://www.musicindiaonline.com/