Read the full article on Film Companion, here: http://www.filmcompanion.in/baradwaj-rangans-love-song-list-ten-heart/
In which I use a hi-tech method (okay, not so much) to come up with a list of love songs for Valentine’s Day..
Being asked to make a list (of songs, of films) for an occasion is one of the more nerve-wracking aspects of pop-culture writing. How do you pick a finite (yet somehow representative) set? Do you go with popular choices and risk eye-rolls from “connoisseurs”? Do you select obscure songs and scare away the regular folks? Do you get “logical” about it, say, with a “decade-wise” compilation? Instead, I felt, why not get all digital about it (given that you are reading this on a digital platform), and let YouTube dictate my list? After all, Big Brother does keep his electronic eye on every music video I’ve clicked on in the past, and he does keep nudging me towards recommendations along those lines. Why not bring that element of algorithmic calculation into a random exercise like this one? In that spirit, I plunged in, clicking on a song, and then clicking on something YouTube recommended on the sidebar, and wash, rinse, repeat. This is what I ended up with.
- Tum jo mil gaye ho (Hanste Zakhm, 1973): An uncharacteristic (though characteristically brilliant) Madan Mohan composition, with languorous, bluesy beginnings and a hysterical closing section (see-sawing violins, bongos going crazy) more apt for a Bachchan-era car chase. Mohammad Rafi grounds this apparent bipolarity with his phrasing. The opening lines go: Now that I’ve got you, it’s like I’ve got the world. The word “jahaan” is elongated, held over several beats – it suggests the expanse of the world, which, here, is really the expanse of love.
- Kitne bhi tu kar le sitam (Sanam Teri Kasam, 1982): There’s a rambunctious Kishore Kumar version of this RD Burman hit, but in the hands of Asha Bhosle, the song turns into a sensuous plea for forgiveness. (Let’s just skip the obnoxious opening lines, shall we? However much you ill-treat me, I’ll bear it all smilingly. Whatever!) I love everything about this song. I love the insistent synth, the percussive equivalent of a spoilt child clamouring for attention. I love the surprising ascent to a high note in “yeh pyaar na hoga kam.” I love Asha’s silken caress of the words “sanammmmm teri kasam,” which sounds like the most heavenly chocolate dissolving on the tongue. That’s a lot like love, no?
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2018 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
Anu Warrier
February 14, 2018
He makes us see why so many of today’s love songs seem so anaemic. There’s no swoon anymore.
Oh, so true. Aa jaare aa zara was such an erotically-charged song. Two other romantic songs that have that same erotically charged atmosphere are Aur kuch daer thahar from Aakhri Khat and Tumse kahoon ik baat from Dastak.
Interestingly enough, I was just listening to a Madan Mohan collection yesterday, and replayed Tum jo mil gaye ho about 6 times; that song blows me away because it’s such an unlike-Madan Mohan Madan Mohan composition.
From Aap ki kasam though, I much prefer Karwatein badalte rahe, especially the lines:
Rat bhar bairan nigodi chaandni chhubhti rahi
Aag si jalti rahi girti rahi shabnam, aap ki kasam
…that she was aflame (with desire) even if/when the dew kept falling… Lovely word play, there.
Pukaarta chala hoon main is not really a love song in context, no? It’s more of a ‘searching for love’ song.
Nice to see you making a list, though. 🙂
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chhotesaab
February 14, 2018
As always , a ‘well-thought out, very diverse and explained exquisitely’ list – Like a great wine, you are getting better with age !
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Madan
February 14, 2018
Nice list. Albeit some like Kitni Bhi Tu Karle Sitam are not among my favourites but this sort of list made by YouTube hopping has its charms and I have done that and discovered songs I hadn’t heard before too. By the way, Kersi Lord had once spoken to Big 92.7 FM and mentioned Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho as his favourite from all the songs for which he had done the arrangements…after the obligatory RDB/Aradhana fellato. Later, in some interview, he mentioned it was an unusual arrangement. MM thought of it as a response to what he saw as the increasing ‘noise’ in film music.
If I had to name one favourite love song…can’t name one but it would be a toss up between Jaag Dil E Diwana and Sachcha Hai Agar Pyar Mera Sanam.
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Vivek narain
February 14, 2018
‘can’t claim to be a connoisseur but after decades of listening to rafi, i had to arrive at some formula. And the formula is, any great figure needs a jockey to explore his full potential. And the jockeys for rafi were young dharmendra and joy mukherjee, the names that were nowhere neart to cult figures like Dev Shammi Rajender. My choice: 1 door bahut mat jaiye le ke karar. 2 in baharo me akele na phiro raah me kali ghata. 3 dil beqarar sa hai humko khumar sa hai. 4 panchi re o panchi ud ja re o panchi. The songs are strictly audiophilic so i have not given the youtube link.
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Naveen
February 14, 2018
Anu, this reminds me of the Guide song Piya Tu Se Naina laga re
“Raat Ko Jab Chand Chamke Jal Uthe tan mera,
Main Kahoon Mat Karo Yeh Chanda Is Gali ka Fera
Aana Mora Saiya Jab Aayee
Chamakna Us Raat ko jab, Milenge Tan Man, Milenge Tan
….”
and more i love is from Anand
‘Naa Jiya Jaaye Na, tere bina, mera kahin jiya laage na”
this kind of a list is going to be a personal one, each will have their own.
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Shalini
February 14, 2018
The inclusion of “tum jo mil gaye ho” saves your list from being a complete disgrace, but, my, you do try the soul. 🙂
I’m with Anu on the lame tameness of “paas nahi aana door nahi jaana.” “Karwatein badalte” is a better choice. My own preference in the arena of erotically-charged songs is for that gleefully, sexy ode to the pleasures of pain, “dilruba dil pe tu yeh sitam kiya jaa” (Oh darling keep inflicting these wounds on my heart) from Raajkumar(1964). Everyone involved in the song – Rafi, Asha, Sadhana, Shammi – seem to be having such a good time.
Sample:
ang-ang mein meetha dard hai chhatapataaye mera dil
sweet pain courses through my body, my heart is writhing
Indeed. 😀
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Shankar
February 14, 2018
Baddy, can you please come up with a tamil list too? It will be interesting to see the list you come up with…
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Swati
February 14, 2018
jeez. this list is of romantic or sad romantic songs?
My all time fav:
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Rahul
February 15, 2018
Regarding Jaag Dil E Diwana , I sometimes wonder what good deeds Feeroz Khan may have done so that he got this divine voice as playback for him.
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sanjana
February 15, 2018
Tu nahin to ye bahaar kya bahaar hai Gul nahin khile ke tera intajaar hai
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Naveen
February 15, 2018
@BR, // I love Asha’s silken caress of the words “sanammmmm teri kasam,”//
i just love her “I laav you…” from
“O Meri Soni, meri tammanna, jhoot nahi hai mera pyar, diwani se ho gayi galti jaane do yaaar…” song. i rhymes perfectly with jaane do yaaar…
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Vidya Ramesh
February 15, 2018
Ok the pink macaroon metaphor made me watch that song BR 🙂 you is craving for some serious carbs it looks like.
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The Ghost Who Walks
February 15, 2018
I have no complaints about the life I lead without you, but then, without you, life isn’t much of a life either
Wow! I always understood it as I have no complaints about the life I lead except you,but then, without you, life isn’t much of a life either
But then that’s the thing about great lyrics, they read more than one way.
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Bharathi Shevgoor
February 15, 2018
Don’t really see much in a few of the songs you’ve put up, but the prose was wow. Lovely reading. Thank you .That pink macaroon, though…um….cheesy much?
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Srinivas R
February 15, 2018
Nice list, Tere Bina Zindagi se is my favorite from the list. My all time favorite love song is Mera kuch Saaman, what imagery… Gulzar’s magic at it’s peak.
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Pavan
February 15, 2018
Not entirely relevant, but because the theme is about songs that sound like Valentine’s Day material, felt like sharing this song from Sukumar’s Rangasthalam:
It feels good to see DSP stepping out of his comfort zone and trying to sound subtle as a music director. But I wonder how this film would end up being, as it is a Sukumar’s directorial.
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Sutheesh Kumar
February 16, 2018
One of my favourites is Tere Mere sapne ab ek rang hai.
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Sifter
February 16, 2018
Tum Jo mil gaye ho is the only one from your list I happily agree with. It is indescribably haunting and lively!
One of my all-time favourite is Khwaab bankar koi aayega (Lata/Jan Nisar Akthar/Khyyam)
Baat jo sirf nigaahon se kahi jaati hai/Koi honthon se sunaayega (or imagine it as sulaayega 🙂 ) toh neend aayegi
Narm zulfon ki mahak garm badan ki khushabu
These next words and the way it is sung just slays!
Jism haathon ki haraarat se pighal jaayega/Aag rag rag mein lagaayega to neend aayegi
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