Most people
discover Rahman the music director first and fall in love with him ,
but being the contrary nerd that I am , I fell in love with Rahman the
singer . Any Rahman fan worth his salt will have certain songs , which
converted him from an enthusiast to a fan , and from a fan to a
acolyte. For a vast majority , his soundtrack in Roja was the starting
point and Chinna Chinna Aasai would be mentioned many a times. For many
others , it would be Veera Pandi Kottayile or Tanha Tanha. But for me ,
it was his number ‘only you’.
I was all but five years when Roja released . Well not quite five and not quite six to be exact , and at that age , music just didn’t interest me. Did I listen to ARR’s songs – yes , but did I pay attention to it – no. After his phenomenal success with Roja , Rahman kept churning out hits and I kept climbing trees , and making a nuisance out of my tomboy self until the inevitable happened . On a rainy afternoon in September , in the year 1997 I finally discovered Rahman. My parents had purchased the audio cassettes of Vande Mataram and Gurus of peace the previous day and having nothing to do but to sit at home and enjoy the rain , I popped the tape recorder open and placed Vande Mataram inside and epiphany happened.
As ‘Only you’ started playing I fell in love – in love with a voice which seemed to convey the feel behind the lyrics , a voice which was so different from the norm those days – a voice which was raw yet mature. As days went past , I also discovered Rahman the composer , and came to love his compositions – but it was Rahman the singer , who reigned supreme with me. Fifteen years have gone past since , but Rahman the singer is still a hot favorite.
So here’s my tribute to AR Rahman completing 20 years as a composer – a compilation of some of my favorites – sung by the master himself!
1. Chinna Chinna Aasai : This song of Rahman has a lot many things going for it. Lovely orchestration , beautiful singing by Minmini , and wonderful scenery from my beloved Tirunelveli. But the zenith of the song is that yelelo humming by our maestro. Every single time I listen to the humming , I can visualize the beauty of a lone boatman navigating a serene river and you feel as if nature is singing a beautiful lullaby.
2.Columbus : Not many Rahman fans like this song and I’m not sure why. The typical weekend song , that I listen to, on most Fridays when I travel back home , Columbus has nothing spectacular going for it unlike some songs of the master , but the lyric and the honesty in ARR’s voice is commendable. Not a great song , but a favorite nevertheless.
3. Only You : I’ve talked a lot about this song at this post , but braving the risk of sounding repetitive I am going to talk about it again. This in my opinion was the best song from Vande Mataram. Lovely lyrics , super singing accompanied by kick ass percussion. I don’t know if people see their motherland as a lover , but the lyricist of this song certainly did and Rahman through his brilliant singing conveys the emotions so beautifully.
4. Dil se : What can I say about this song except for the fact that its magnificent. Rahman excels again as a composer and as a singer leaves you spellbound with his vocal range. He proved that he was a consummate singer and added another feather to his singing cap. I was in class seven when the music release and was hooked to this song the moment I heard this – I am still hooked , fourteen years later.
5.Piya Haji Ali – Fiza was a good film and I ended up seeing it in theaters due to the Haji Ali song composed by Rahman. I didn’t understand much about Sufi music then , but this song in its serene glory impressed me pretty heavily . ARR entered into the Sufi realm of which he is a master now , with a quiet bang. Another gem in the master’s crown.
6.Vellai Pookal : Vellai Pookal to me is an ode to peace. a lovely melody which Maniratnam had cleverly used as a prologue before jumping into the core story where we are introduced to Amutha. This one is a must listen for the superb lyrics written by Vairamuthu and superb singing.
7. Lukka Chuppi – Every single time I listen to Lukka Chuppi I end up crying . Lata mangeshkar in magnificent form supported by ARR conveys a mother’s emotions so beautifully. One of the most underrated songs by ARR and the best song of the album IMO.
8. New York Nagaram : Rahman was not very frequent in the Tamil scene starting 2000s and by 2006 the top spot in the Tamil Music Industry was seemingly up for grabs , until ARR came back with this gorgeous beauty. Sillunu Oru Kadhal was not a great album by Rahman standards but new york nagaram stands out even today for that splendid tune and wonderful singing.
9. Tere Bina – Tere Bina is what I’d call a semi qawwali . The entire song is a beautiful package starting with the Dam Dhara strain, Rahman’s pitch perfect singing and Chinmayi’s lovely cameo. An all time favorite which I constantly hum to the irritation of my friends
10. Naan varuvene / Jaa Udd Jaa : The best song of Ravanan was the one not included in the soundtrack. This song starts when the visually stunning movie ends with Veera’s death. A haunting melody with exquisite orchestra work , Naan Varuvene is a vintage Rahman tune to be cherished by music Lovers.
Other Mentions – Al Madath Maula , Khwaja mere Khwaja and Kun Faya Kun : I did not number these songs in my compilations not because I don’t like them , but because I can’t rate them given the divinity they ooze. All three are favorites of mine , and for some reason always give me a reprieve from stress and depressed. When I feel down all I need to do is play one of these songs and I’m back to normal.
One of these days I’ll come up with additional playlists on ARR , but here are a set of my favorites sung by him and hopefully you’ll enjoy them too.
Until the next compilation ,
Adieu,
K
I was all but five years when Roja released . Well not quite five and not quite six to be exact , and at that age , music just didn’t interest me. Did I listen to ARR’s songs – yes , but did I pay attention to it – no. After his phenomenal success with Roja , Rahman kept churning out hits and I kept climbing trees , and making a nuisance out of my tomboy self until the inevitable happened . On a rainy afternoon in September , in the year 1997 I finally discovered Rahman. My parents had purchased the audio cassettes of Vande Mataram and Gurus of peace the previous day and having nothing to do but to sit at home and enjoy the rain , I popped the tape recorder open and placed Vande Mataram inside and epiphany happened.
As ‘Only you’ started playing I fell in love – in love with a voice which seemed to convey the feel behind the lyrics , a voice which was so different from the norm those days – a voice which was raw yet mature. As days went past , I also discovered Rahman the composer , and came to love his compositions – but it was Rahman the singer , who reigned supreme with me. Fifteen years have gone past since , but Rahman the singer is still a hot favorite.
So here’s my tribute to AR Rahman completing 20 years as a composer – a compilation of some of my favorites – sung by the master himself!
1. Chinna Chinna Aasai : This song of Rahman has a lot many things going for it. Lovely orchestration , beautiful singing by Minmini , and wonderful scenery from my beloved Tirunelveli. But the zenith of the song is that yelelo humming by our maestro. Every single time I listen to the humming , I can visualize the beauty of a lone boatman navigating a serene river and you feel as if nature is singing a beautiful lullaby.
2.Columbus : Not many Rahman fans like this song and I’m not sure why. The typical weekend song , that I listen to, on most Fridays when I travel back home , Columbus has nothing spectacular going for it unlike some songs of the master , but the lyric and the honesty in ARR’s voice is commendable. Not a great song , but a favorite nevertheless.
3. Only You : I’ve talked a lot about this song at this post , but braving the risk of sounding repetitive I am going to talk about it again. This in my opinion was the best song from Vande Mataram. Lovely lyrics , super singing accompanied by kick ass percussion. I don’t know if people see their motherland as a lover , but the lyricist of this song certainly did and Rahman through his brilliant singing conveys the emotions so beautifully.
4. Dil se : What can I say about this song except for the fact that its magnificent. Rahman excels again as a composer and as a singer leaves you spellbound with his vocal range. He proved that he was a consummate singer and added another feather to his singing cap. I was in class seven when the music release and was hooked to this song the moment I heard this – I am still hooked , fourteen years later.
5.Piya Haji Ali – Fiza was a good film and I ended up seeing it in theaters due to the Haji Ali song composed by Rahman. I didn’t understand much about Sufi music then , but this song in its serene glory impressed me pretty heavily . ARR entered into the Sufi realm of which he is a master now , with a quiet bang. Another gem in the master’s crown.
6.Vellai Pookal : Vellai Pookal to me is an ode to peace. a lovely melody which Maniratnam had cleverly used as a prologue before jumping into the core story where we are introduced to Amutha. This one is a must listen for the superb lyrics written by Vairamuthu and superb singing.
7. Lukka Chuppi – Every single time I listen to Lukka Chuppi I end up crying . Lata mangeshkar in magnificent form supported by ARR conveys a mother’s emotions so beautifully. One of the most underrated songs by ARR and the best song of the album IMO.
8. New York Nagaram : Rahman was not very frequent in the Tamil scene starting 2000s and by 2006 the top spot in the Tamil Music Industry was seemingly up for grabs , until ARR came back with this gorgeous beauty. Sillunu Oru Kadhal was not a great album by Rahman standards but new york nagaram stands out even today for that splendid tune and wonderful singing.
9. Tere Bina – Tere Bina is what I’d call a semi qawwali . The entire song is a beautiful package starting with the Dam Dhara strain, Rahman’s pitch perfect singing and Chinmayi’s lovely cameo. An all time favorite which I constantly hum to the irritation of my friends
10. Naan varuvene / Jaa Udd Jaa : The best song of Ravanan was the one not included in the soundtrack. This song starts when the visually stunning movie ends with Veera’s death. A haunting melody with exquisite orchestra work , Naan Varuvene is a vintage Rahman tune to be cherished by music Lovers.
Other Mentions – Al Madath Maula , Khwaja mere Khwaja and Kun Faya Kun : I did not number these songs in my compilations not because I don’t like them , but because I can’t rate them given the divinity they ooze. All three are favorites of mine , and for some reason always give me a reprieve from stress and depressed. When I feel down all I need to do is play one of these songs and I’m back to normal.
One of these days I’ll come up with additional playlists on ARR , but here are a set of my favorites sung by him and hopefully you’ll enjoy them too.
Until the next compilation ,
Adieu,
K
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