Great post Gayathri. glad to know that I beat you to it.. lol. it was sort of spontaneous though didn't really expect to write anything at all. I don't, usually.
thanks for your thoughts on this. On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 2:51 PM, Gayathri <gayathri_c...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > 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 > > > > -- ----------------------------------- http://roshanravi.com http://ramblingsoul.com http://cssheaven.org
