"Jai Ho!" (You Are My Destiny)" - A R Rahman and the Pussycat DollsAbout.com Rating [fourhalf out of Five]
The Bottom Line This could very well be the year that South Asian culture tore down the barriers to the US marketplace. In 2008 M.I.A. <http://top40.about.com/od/m/p/miaprofile.htm> , of South Asian descent, delivered one of the most celebrated pop hits of the year, "Paper Planes." <http://top40.about.com/od/singles/gr/miapaperplanes.htm> Now, with an able assist from the Pussycat Dolls <http://top40.about.com/od/artistsls/p/pussycatdolls.htm> , it seems India's Bollywood <http://worldfilm.about.com/od/bollywood/Bollywood.htm> dance sounds may have given birth to a worldwide smash pop hit. Listen <http://www.pcdmusic.com/jaiho/#jaiho> Pros * Exhilarating Bollywood beats * Commercially pleasing Pussycat Dolls vocals * Effervescent, joyful atmosphere Cons * Little to complain about here Description * Written by A.R. Rahman, Nicole Scherzinger, The Writing Camp, Ron Fair and Esther Dean * Produced by A.R. Rahman, Ron Fair, and Nicole Scherzinger * Released February 2009 by Interscope Guide Review - "Jai Ho!" (You Are My Destiny)" - A R Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls In recent years it has become very rare for winners of the Academy Award for Best Song from a Motion Picture to become a pop hit single. The last major pop hit to win the award was Eminem's <http://top40.about.com/od/artistsdk/p/eminem.htm> "Lose Yourself" in 2002. With a reinterpretation of the Academy Award winner "Jai Ho!" using the talents of the Pussycat Dolls <http://top40.about.com/od/artistsls/p/pussycatdolls.htm> it looks like the trend may be reversed. Exhilarating beats, a joyful spirit, and percussion that dares the listener to take to the dance floor, "Jai Ho!" looks like the vehicle for turning Bollywood style into a worldwide pop smash. According to composer A.R. Rahman, "Jai Ho!" means, "May victory be yours!" The closing credits dance sequence set to the song in the film Slumdog Millionaire is certainly one more small element that helped lead the movie to victory at the 2009 Academy Awards. The beat structure has helped "Jai Ho!" to be quickly adopted by fans from workout gurus to late night club dancers. The addition of the Pussycat Dolls <http://top40.about.com/od/artistsls/p/pussycatdolls.htm> to the song may have seemed a questional decision at first glance, but it is this move that is likely to get the joyful explosion on to pop radio playlists. "Jai Ho!" abundantly deserves its place, and the vocals of head Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger <http://top40.about.com/od/artistsls/p/nicolescherzing.htm> will have pop fans singing as well as dancing along. Look for this song to set up a long residency scaling pop charts around the world.
