The following is not mine. It's from a music fan on another forum. His way of expressing quite impressed me so I thought I would share this with the group.
Art, to me, is conversation. Whether it is a book, a movie or a song, it is about a person talking to me. I don't understand the finesse of music I could never tell a bad composition from a good one or a really good singer from an average one. What matters to me is how the artist connects with me. Does he, through the process of our conversation, help me define myself, or better yet, add some meaning to my life. If I don't connect with him instantly, there is no way in a million years that the song can grow on me. I guess that is why, while everyone took a while to appreciate Swades or TLOBS, I took an instant liking to them- the sensitive lyrics, the appropriately simple music and the vocals all complemented each other to make perfect sense to me. I guess that is where Rang De Basanti scores the most- it's like A.R. Rehman and Prasoon Joshi sat there and decided to make music for Saba Parkar. I have not felt this much fulfillment from a musical piece in such a long time I think the last time was with Black Friday's album. Each song covers a different aspect of my existence to eventually have the whole album satisfy me. (great, now it sounds like I'm talking about sex or sth ) Anyway, now for the songs individually let me tell you, I'm not writing a review. These are just reflections. Lalkaar: Bhagat Singh has always been my most favorite political figure in all of world history- an honest young man with passion for a cause that he fought for justly. So it comes as no surprise that the phrase he loved repeating has the utmost significance in my life- Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Humare Dil Mein Hai, first written by Ram Prasad Bismil and re-written by Prasoon Joshi. The words of the poem are intense as it is. It is taken to new levels by A.R Rehman's understated yet powerful music and Aamir Khan's powerful rendition. It is a magnificent tribute to the emotional strength and will-power of the young freedom-fighters who fought single-mindedly so that we can have the freedom to choose for ourselves today. `Door reh paaye jo humse, dum kahan manzil mein hai ?' wow ! Lukka Chuppi: I've looked everywhere- through books, movies, song, you name it, for that one piece that could encapsulate the depth of my relationship with my parents. I had almost given up on the search- I was always told I had to stay with my parents all my life and treat them like God or the other extreme, i.e.: once you grow up, parents aren't of any real consequence. The best I could find was probably Farida Jalal's relationship with Ajay Devgan in TLOBS. Now, I finally have a song that explores a beautiful relationship between a parent and a child- it is mature yet retains a certain child-like innocence. There is a parent who gives the child all the independence he needs but never stops worrying for his safety. There is a child who does think of his parents while exploring the beauty of the world beyond home. Lata, to my ears, has never sounded so beautiful- so motherly. I am glad A.R.Rehman sung his part- his voice has a certain rawness and sincerity that allows me to relate to the expression- more so than what a Sonu Nigam would have been able to do for me. And what Lata and Rehman do at the end- that whole re ga re ga sa sa sa rerere thing (see, I don't even know what it's called) if that is not beautiful, I don't know what is. Edited to add: I just read an article that says this song is sung by a mother at her son's funeral. Wow, I never thought of it that way. It makes for an even more emotionally charged experience. However, it's hard for me to get over my interpretation of the song. It will probably register after I watch the movie. Khalbali: 9/10 This such a fun song! A.R.Rehman sounds so Arabic! Though I would probably like it better if I understood ALL the lyrics haha. I'm still not sure if the word Khalbali is something in Arabic or what we generally refer to as `disturbance' in Urdu. Anyway, I have founds parts that I absolutely love. Especially the lines `hone hone de nasha khone khone ko hai kya? ek saans mein peeja, zara zindagi chhadha hai yeh to ek jashn tu thirakne de kadam ' so very standard Prasoon Joshi- the kind of thought process that I love him for- and really, no one uses the word `thirakne' the way Joshi does. When have you heard a group of youngsters sing `ghar bataake aaye hai' ever before ? I love it! Oh, and that sound of the glass shattering, that was just awesome. Talk about relevance Paatshaala (both versions): Haha, reminds me of the A.R.Rehman of my childhood just a flashback to all the songs I used to love as a kid- Muqabala, Columbus Columbus, Mustafa Mustafa, etc fun lyrics that would sound rather silly if you didn't have a taste for them- point being, I have a blast when I hear lines like `yeh surat teri meri mobile library' and `talli hokar girne se, samjhe humne gravity'...or `to the mahal of the taj, to the minar of qutub' believe it or not, those kinda lines require a lot of wit oh right, and the lines `apni to paatshaala, masti to paatshala' have become a kind of motto for me I was never big on the traditional schooling methods anyway Ik Onkar: This is beautiful You know there was this dialogue in the movie named Seher it went along the lines of `jab shareer thak jaaye, doobte hue sooraj ke saamne khada hona chahiye, thakaan door ho jaati hai' it's true, it works. Now imagine a song being able to do that for you. That's Ik Onkar so serene, so calming it strengthens faith. The line `hai bhee sach naanak hose bhi sach' which means `he is the truth now and he will remain the truth' just encapsulates the whole universe in that one moment. I don't know if that made any sense to anyone, but it does to me, haha. Khoon Chala: I always considered myself president of the Mohit Chauhan appreciation club biggest fan, all that. I should have known there was someone who holds him in greater value. A.R. Rehman truly understands Chauhan's potential and puts his vocals to magnificent use. To properly express the meaning of the song, what is required is an understanding of the balance between the building of an ideology that requires deep thought, and a need for action that requires youthful anger and ambition. Khoon Chala isn't your typical Chauhan type of song. He has previously sung pretty straight-forward and simple songs. I am so proud of how he has handled this challenge. Good stuff. Another winner for him after Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh. Of course, there would be no challenge if it was not for Joshi's lyrics- profound thoughts worded simply and directly. He gives the song so many layers. It's awesome! Tu Bin Bataye: The only problem I have ever had with A.R. Rehman is how his music often over-powers the entire song and pushes things like lyrics and vocals to the back-ground. I can't even complain about that anymore. A.R. Rehman gives his most suitably under-stated music for this song. He lets the listeners focus on the real winner of the song- the lyrics. I have never been in love but this is what makes me believe in it. The simplicity- it's the love that spells pure not commercial. It talks about commitment on a very emotional level- it's not the demanding kind. Oh damn, I'm in love . Rubaru: I'm in love with Naresh Iyer. Dude, he sounds so real! He sounds like the guy who would sit around with friends, strum the guitar and sing a song with depth hmm, a song like Rubaru . OK, here is the real shallow me I wonder if Naresh Iyer is cute . That being said, this song rocks in every department- whether it is the music or the lyrics! I don't think there is anyone young who doesn't relate to the song. Since everybody has their favourite lines, let me point out mine- `machal gaya sitar mein, badal gaya' the lines just do a little dance within you haha, ok, forget I said that. Anyway, I love how the whole concept of the song takes a little twist with the line `jo ban sake tu humsafar mera, nazar mila zara' it's so right so young Rang De Basanti: A lot of people seem to have an issue with Daler Mehndi I'm loving him! He sings each word so clearly! It's like he is having a blast. Of course, due to ample support in the lyrics department. The lyrics are so alive and colourful just add a whole feeling of vibrancy to the proceedings. Besides a lot of things, no one lists things like Prasoon Joshi does. He covers every emotion, every state, every aspect of a certain theme. Check out this song- he covers sapne, apne, khushiyan, gham, nasle, fasle, dhadkan, sargam, soorat, darpan, ishq, charni, raddi, sagar, gaagar, basti, hasti, hashas, nasnas, bachpan, chauban, dhool, dharti, watan, khushboo, pawan, saasein, junoon, lal lahoo .and brings every thing together with rang ! All that being said, what makes RBD a winner is not a single person- but the co-ordination between all the artists. There seems to be a deep understanding of what the movie and the theme requires and everyone seems to have put their best foot forward to fulfill that requirement. It is a brilliant example of team-work and also a brilliant example of the power of simplicity and authenticity. A good friend of mine today said `RDB proves that being young and hip does not mean ripping songs off rappers'. I couldn't agree more. If you are looking for tunes that you probably heard two months ago on much music with irrelevant lyrics that teach you not to `talk to stranger, stranger is danger', don't look here. A.R. Rehman and Prasoon Joshi move above the norm nowadays- they actually wake you up and provoke thought. At least, they did that for me. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Know an art & music fan? Make a donation in their honor this holiday season! http://us.click.yahoo.com/VwqHaC/.VHMAA/n1hLAA/iyUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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