What I miss in the new songs is the honesty of the old lyrics and the simplicity of their music. The more I listen to new songs, the more I find myself going back to the older ones for their straight, stark poetry, the confidence with which an emotion was talked about and the poise with which an instrument was experimented with.
Even philosophy was unapologetic then. What can be more philosophical and preachy than sajan re jhoot mat bolo, khuda ke paas jaana hai, or nanhe munhe rahi teri mutthi mei kya hai? Mutthi me hai takdeer meri. And yet, it is just that, saying just that much and saying it clear and loud without any distracting, computerized music. I listen and I marvel.
Sad songs, of late, are so philosophical. But pure sadness…I wonder…when I listen to unapologetically sad songs like jaane wo kaise log the jinke pyaar ko pyaar mila, or ek akela is sheher main, or dil ke arman aansoonon mein beh gaye, or badi sooni sooni hai zindagi ye zindagi, or yeh duniya, ye mehfil mere kaam ki nahin… I cannot help but be surprised at how straight and to the point they are. These are intensely personal songs, sung from a subjective point of view, without ascribing a wider meaning to an individual’s grief.
And joy and attraction and a plethora of madness…I cannot help laughing everytime I listen to pag ghungru baandh meera naachi thi, and what the hell does kishore kumar do right before singing thodi si jo pee lee hai, chori to nahin kee hai…??? and the total chaos of mere bhole balam, and ek chatur naar, and if you haven’t heard In haathon se sabki gaadi chal rahi hai, wah wah, you absolutely have to because it is crazy!
And the sexiness of songs like paan khaye saiyan hamar, saavli suratiya aur hooth lal lal, hai hai malmal ka kurta, malmal ke kurte pe cheet lal lal !!!
What is as sexy as badan pe sitare lapete hue
What compliments better than ae meri Zohar Jabeen
What more energetic than chalat musaafir moh liya re or kajra mohabbat wala ankhiyon me aisa daala
The list could go on forever…I just discovered hum bekhudi mei from Kala Paani and have been humming, humming and humming!
Friday, September 22, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)