That is a very well-thought and genuine article you have there Roshan. You know, I was just about to write a similar piece myself but you beat me to it! ;)) Glad you did, it was just wonderful to read them.
On a further note, I wish to state a few points myself with regards to this issue and hope you don't mind me sharing your space here. (P.S: This is a long mail. You have the choice of deleting this mail this very moment if you want :)) Don't tell me that I didn't warn you!) I do agree with Roshan that ARR's 90's numbers would trigger a wonderful memory in each of our minds and that's what makes them to be so special. But more than the memories associated with the songs, it's also the music themselves which we find to be explicitly wonderful and fresh. When Roja happened, I was barely 9 years old. Til' then, film songs have failed to invoke any sort of feelings in me and I grew up to believe that songs are there for the sole purpose to prove that actors can dance and sing (yes, I was gullible enough to believe that actors sing themselves in films then). But it was only through Roja that I finally understood the impact that film music has on its listeners. The first time I saw the opening chasing scene in Roja, I could hardly understand what was going on. Everything was so blue in color and I had no clue who was chasing whom. And yet, my heart was thumping so fast...as fast as the music in the background. It was through the music that I knew how intense the whole sequence was. It was also the first time I noticed the impact that a bgm has on a scene. The subsequent scene that followed was the opening number, Chinna Chinna Aasai. And though ARR went on to compose many wonderful songs after this, Chinna Chinna Aasai remained as my favorite til date. Remember the prelude that accompanied the rising of the sun in the song? The tune was so authentic that I often believed that a sunrise would sound just like that. Even today, whenever I get the oppurtunity to watch a sunrise, the prelude would automatically play in my mind. That was just a small example of the impact that ARR's music had on me. Over the years, I grew up to listen and fall in love with many songs, some of them I loved even without knowing that ARR composed the same. One such song was Pattampoochi Parakum from Puthiya Manargal. I first heard this song when my family and I were going on a long drive and the song was being played on the car stereo. I didn't know who was the Music Director then, but I just fell in love with the song the very moment I heard it. There was something very grand and catchy in the tune, especially the chorus, that you just wanna sing along with it. I remember asking my dad to play the song over and over again. We didn't have cd players back then so my mom who sat on the passenger seat in front, would religiously rewind the cassette to play the song. No one complained though. It seemed that everyone was in love with the song. Another song that I fell in love on the first instance was Kannalane from Bombay. We were supposed to perform a dance for a school concert and one of my friends suggested we dance for this song- she called it the "Bombay song", so naturally I thought it was a hindi or a bhangra number that we were supposed to perform to. Imagine my surprise when she played the Kannalane on the cassette player. The opening chorus itself was so beautiful and magical that I just sat in front of the radio listening to the whole song. We never got to perform the dance though. The school concert had to be cancelled at the last moment for some reasons, but the song remained closed to my heart. Over the years, we see that ARR's music has gone through a steady and wonderful evolvement. Though all of us are genuinely happy to see his growth and achievement, there's always a part of us that want ARR to remain where he was earlier, the ARR we fell in love with in the 90's. We want him to invoke the same magic he gave us back then, but it's just not possible. I remember reading Rawat's mail sometime back where he said that ARR's music seem unique earlier but the uniqueness has withered over the years as we have been hearing to the style all these years. I agree with him. When Roja, Bombay of Minsara Kanavu came, the songs seem so unique to me because I've never heard them before. The magic he invoked through the tiny sounds, the multi-layered music, the grand chorus was so uniquely Rahman. That uniqueness was what drew me to his music and I began to hear all his songs knowing very well there's a surprise for me somewhere. Today, I can guess ARR's number the instant I hear them. The ARR's stamp has been embeded in my mind and heart that I can guess ARR's songs through the sounds. Music has gone through drastic changes over the years. Kids who love Aye Bachchu might not find Rangela Re tasteful. Why, even my nephew who loves Beera Beera and now Jai Ho, fails to understand why I keep Chaiya Chaiya and Chikku Bukku Rayilu in a much higher regards than the other two. That's when I realized that ARR is still unique til' today...there is still the same magic in his music today, though I evasively dismiss the same in my effort to keep close to the "Vintage Rahman". My nephew saw the beauty in Jai Ho, why couldn't I? It's been a lesson well learned but I finally saw the beauty of Jai Ho and all his newer compositions. I understood that there are certain genres of music that I love, which becomes even more beautiful when ARR composes them. And I also realized that there are certain genres that I dislike though I don't mind listening to them when ARR composes the same. To sum it up- ARR makes beautiful music to sound amazingly beautiful and bad music to sound bearable. But most of all, I realized that songs that I regard as adequate are actually a gem of their own. Maybe you guys would like to try it too. Just close your eyes and listen to the songs he composed today without thinking about his 90's numbers. You'll find the magic again. I know I did. Regards. P.S: I'm not going to apologize for writing this long piece. I wouldn't want to share these thoughts with anyone other than you guys here. Thanks for reading :)) --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Roshan <c.pix...@...> wrote: > > A lot of our members have expressed their feelings that AR Rahman was better > in his 90s. Though I don't agree with them I have my favorites from the > past. Not just from Rahman. From all the composers, musicians and singers. > > > But the fact is that it is not because the songs were better in the past. it > is because we always hold on to our past. be it songs, incidents, falling in > love, breakups, marraige functions, first job, college graduation, a great > friend.. the whole life. We always think that past was somehow better. We > are always worried about the future. don't we cherish memories from our > childhood and teenage ? It is the same with songs. when we hear an old > song, it triggers memories of incidents, people, happiness or sadness that > we related to that particular song. > > Beatles' Yesterday is an absolute favorite of mine. there are plenty of > great songs even better than that one. but it brings me back the memory of a > great time had in Brunei when I got my first job there in 2003. That is when > I started listening to international artistes often and on top of that I was > in love. And, when I hear it now, it gives makes me feel like I have lost > something but, in reality I haven't. > > I love Tanha Tanha from rangeela a lot. it is a great song, musically. But > the reason I love it the most is because that is when I got my first > portable cassette player (Videocon Walkman) along with a cassette of > rangeela as a gift. I did my schooling in a hostel, and I became a popular > kid because I had a walkman. lots of kids would come to our dormitory to > listen to the songs. So, we put some money together and bought a speaker and > placed it on top of a cardboard box with a hole in it, so the rest of the > kids can hear it. I was so excited. because not only I got more friends, I > was doing something with electronics stuff.. cutting the earphones and > connecting the wires to the speaker, making the sound go louder with just > one cardboard box with a hole! I felt like I was Einstein! > > now, when I hear that song.. it brings back memories of my friends, that > cardboard box, that videocon walkman, and my great school and teachers. > > We all talk about how great the classics were. we regard RD Burman, > Noushad, Ilaya Raja and the whole lot of great musicians as the best and > some people even compare them with today's musicians and talk about how > music has lost its soul. It hasn't lost any soul. it is because those > people related to their most cherished memories when they hear their > favorites. give today's music another 20 to 30 years and we will be > talking about how great the 2010's music were. > > It is same for AR Rahman. the reason why some of you think that ar rahman > created better music in 90s is because you were probably teenagers or > children during that time and probably were having the greatest times of > your life. there were lots of things happening, experiencing new things.. > and probably ar rahman's music even helped you a lot at that time. and when > you hear it now, you are taken back to that golden era of your life. > > > try to understand that fact before saying ar rahman's music lost the soul. > it only means that you have grown up, you have become more experienced, > aged and wiser ( and probably grayer and fatter - no offense, just for > fun.). get into the mindset of a teenager again and see if you all can enjoy > the Kala Bandar and Jai Ho and Fiqraana and even Enthiran. I bet you will. > > > sorry about the long post :) > > > ----------------------------------- > http://roshanravi.com > http://ramblingsoul.com > http://cssheaven.org >
