Yodelling of others

In Hindi film music, Yodelling has been associated with Kishore Kumar always. This transitional switch from your chest voice to a sudden head voice/falsetto had been a traditional crooning in the Western part of the globe. In the 20^th century, Jimmy Rodgers popularized this type of singing in the 1920s and 1930s. Jimmy, who had a slightly harsh voice texture, when used to yodel, it used to give a very contradictory sound and hence made his yodels sound very appealing.

Talking of yodelling in Indian Film music, the first proper yodel  I can think of is “Aati hai yaad humko January February”  from Muqaddar(1950) sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, which happened to be their first duet together as well. Music Director was Khemchand Prakash, the real talent hunter of the 40s.My friend and a prominent record collector of Kolkata, Mr. Sanjay Sengupta told me that in Kaneez(1949), Kishore did yodel in the song “Duniya mein ameeron ko”, although in the records it was stripped off, and what we hear today in that song about Kishore is only “Bam chiki chiki..”etc.  Since then, Kishore continued to sing plethora of yodelling incorporated songs, and rightfully became the best yodeller of Indian Cinema and for many one of the best in Global context also.

However, in this article you will have a relook into some other great Indian singers’ yodelling in the 50s and 60s. I will try to incorporate the video links as well (wherever possible), so that all can listen to them readily. The list is not comprehensive, and it is not a database but only an illustration intended article where we can discuss the lesser known songs and their singers.

1.        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iryC7JjzVns

“Unse rippi tippi ho gayi” is a song from Agra Road(1956), composed by Roshan. It is to be noted that Roshan had earlier made Kishore Kumar yodel in Maashooqa(1953), but 3 years down the line, in this song he opted Mohd Rafi to do the yodelling job. A duet of Geeta Dutt and Rafi, Rafi yodels for couple of lines in the interludes.

2.       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x01ttwKaeDw

A song of 1961, and the first movie of Feroz Khan as a hero- Raju Reporter(1961). S Mohinder uses Mohd Rafi again for yodelling here for the hero. Again, a basic yodelling, but interesting since it came from Rafi’s vocals.

3.       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No2HARfB2ZI

A lesser heard yodelling of Rafi again posted above. This is another late 50s movie.

4.       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3edOusWJlBQ

Manna De does a yodelling in this R D Burman composed number in Baharon Ke Sapne(1967). This is a great feat achieved by Young Pancham to have used Manna De for yodelling in this superb duet with Lata Mangeshkar. Even Lata does an unconventional “haah..ah” here,  a sound majorly associated with Asha Bhosle .

5.       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcyfKBORaEM

Our Asha tai does her attempt to yodel in this superhit Shankar Jaikishen number. Nothing needs to be written about this song.

6.       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN3tHrwIkvc

Yet another from Muqaddar(1950). Again a Kishore-Asha duet, but the music was done by James Singh. Kishore does the major yodelling in this song, but towards the last few seconds, Asha also joins the yodelling with Kishore. Apart from Asha, in those days, I have not heard any other female singers’ yodel. Have you?

Of course, Amit Kumar and Rahul Dev Burman were the other two singers in that Golden Era who could regularly yodel, but since they were very known yodellers I have not discussed their songs here.

I hope this article would help some people to go and explore yodelling of other singers as well.

A tune for generations: Chaplin's Limelight Theme.

Some tunes are timeless. They are like hangovers unwilling to end. As the Mediaeval legends had given us, Beethoven or Mozart or Chopin for example, with their symphonies; some compositions in the Twentieth Century have also grown like addictive drugs to the next generations.

Hindi Film Music has always borrowed from the West, sometimes aping, sometimes bettering.    Here is a tune, which has influenced generations of music directors, enlightened many musical wizards and rose a tickling inside their creative soul to adapt, improvise and reproduce it in Hindi. A tune of highest magnitude, a tune of the genius –Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, the tune called “The Limelight Theme”- has been one of my all-time favourite symphonies.

Limelight was an American film, directed by Charlie Chaplin and released in 1952. It was withdrawn from theatres just after its release due to US Governments tussles with Chaplin that time regarding the latter’s Communist connections. It is termed as the best achievement of Chaplin, a musical saga of a performer- from the limelight to hibernation of oblivion to again fame. The movie itself had inspired some Indian movie makers, although I can’t recall any direct copies, shades of inspiration can be seen in Raj Kapoor's "Mera Naam Joker" and Mahesh Bhatt's "Daddy". The theme music of Limelight was created by Sir Charlie only; fetching him his only competitive Academy Award in 1972- after the movie was allowed a re-release in America. Ironical, isn’t it that the amazing actor never got any competitive Oscar for his acting or direction? But then, this is how the Awards are. Ivan Bunin gets the Nobel but Tolstoy does not.

The first adaptation of Limelight was done in Hindi movies in 1957 by a newcomer music director Rahul Dev Burman, for a movie called "Raaz" from the production house of Guru Dutt. The movie was shelved and the song never released. As per the book- RD, The Man, The Music by Anirudha Bhattacharya and Balaji Vitthal, the song was a duet of Hemant Kumar and Geeta Dutt. The details of the song is, however, not available with me, except for the fact that the tune was inspired from Chaplin’s Limelight.

Four years after, another musical wizard- Salil Chowdhury, recreated the Chaplin Limelight theme in Hindi in the movie “Maya”(1961). The song was “Zindagi hai kya sun meri jaan, Pyar bhara dil meethi zubaan” sung by Mohammed Rafi.  The tempo of the tune was adjusted a bit by Salil, and after the second line, gradually the tune shifts from Limelight influences. With the people’s voice- Rafi, the song establishes a solid Indian feel on a tune from the West. The song was picturized on Dev Anand, who plays the role of an Ice cream vendor while singing this song.

In 1972, when officially Limelight was again released in the US, Rahul Dev Burman created his second Hindi version of Limelight in India. The song “Tum meri zindagi mein kuchh is tarah se aaye” was recorded for Mehmood’s “Bombay to Goa” but was not included in the film. Considered by many as the best adaptation of Limelight, this mesmerizing duet of Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar was sung with extreme delicacy by the two singing legends. The tempo was kept the same as that of the original in Mukhda, Pancham used a different set of notes altogether in the Antaras of this song. The song was not known to many in those days, for obvious reasons, but RD fans nowadays are quite aware of this song.

With Raaz being shelved of, and “Tum meri zindagi mein” omitted from the movie, Pancham’s wish of Limelight adaptation was not getting fulfilled “officially”. So, he adapted it again, in Mukti(1977), but in an altogether different rhythm, different mood and different format. “Main jo chala peekar” was recreated from Limelight so subtly that a first listening to it might not even make the listener aware of its origin. With Indian arrangement, a boozy feel in the lyrics and change in rhythm, Limelight theme was converted to an Indian, rustic, country liquor number by R D Burman. The song was sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle.

Years after in 1993, Rajesh Roshan recreated Limelight theme in the movie Gunaah with Amit Kumar and Sadhna Sargam. The song was “Yeh raat yeh tanhaiyan” , with some clever note changes here and there, it was a reproduction of Limelight again.

Of course, all these adaptations cannot give you the genuine Goosebumps that the original Chaplin theme would give you! And those who have not yet watched the movie, dont take this as a recommendation but a prescription!

Ghazals with Kishore Kumar- 5 Gems from the 50s(Edited)

Undoubtedly 1950s and 1960s don’t belong to Kishore Kumar, the singer. There were at least 5 other male singers who ranked better than him in playback singing demand. Whatever be the reasons, it took time for the industry to assimilate the genius called Abhas Kumar Ganguly. Or, did it not? Because there were at least half a dozen music directors also that time, who had shown great confidence on Kishore Kumar way back in the 50s, giving him assignments many would consider as their supreme also.

We would slowly shift our focus to a genre to which Kishore is readily not associated with- Ghazal. Ironically, in the 50s, a decade in which Kishore sang around 200 songs altogether, there have been some beautiful Ghazals studded in his portfolio highly dominated by comedy and fun songs.

My personal favourites have been five of them- true masterpieces. Although Kishore sang some beautiful ghazals in his later and more productive years of 70s and 80s, his early ventures had nonetheless, been very productive. On the auspicious occasion of Eid today, let us have a relook into his earlier ghazal masterpieces.

5. Marne ki duayein kyun mangu.  Film :Ziddi(1948). Music: Khemchand Prakash. Lyrics: Professor Jazvi.

His first solo in Hindi films and that too a Ghazal. A  traditional ghazal of couplets, Khemchand Prakash- a super established music director that time, showed a great faith on 19 year old Kishore, to hand him this beauty. There are two different versions of Marne ki duayein- an audio version and a different video version picturized on screen- one with heavy Kundan Lal Saigal influence(giving me an impression that it was recorded first) and the other more like natural Kishore. Kishore showed amazing modulation of voice in the second stanza which had some tricky murkis. Wonder how some people had junked this rendition that time, I mean, this was a real good ghazal rendition by a youngster!  Ranked No.5 for me amongst the Ghazals of Kishore in the 50s, considering 1948 as part of 50s only.

4. Hum Hai Rahi pyar ke. Film: Nau Do Gyarah(1957). Music: S D Burman. Lyrics: Majrooh.

Don’t get surprised- this superhit song is nothing but a Ghazal by poetry. The whole song is spun into five couplets- one mukhra and four antaras- sticking very much to the Ghazal pattern! Yes, the treatment S D Burman gave to it, a happy-go-lucky tune with soothing whistling incorporated, made it sound different. S D did that earlier also, converting a ghazal into a club song with “Tadbeer se bigdi hui”(Geeta Dutt, Baazi-1951) and a peppy love song with Jeevan ke safar mein rahi(Kishore, Munimji-1955)-both Sahir Ludhianvi works. Hum hai rahi pyar ke is rhythmic, melodious and wonderfully rendered number of Kishore and perhaps one of his best known songs as a playback singer in the 50s, picturized on Dev Anand.

3. Apna to Zamane Mein bus itna. Film: Naya Andaaz(1956). Music: O P Nayyar. Lyrics: Jaan Nisaar Akhtar.

Superb song to say the least! Not a very well-known song, but if you have listened to it, you would admit the beauty of it. Poetry wise, it sticks to the Ghazal norms, and composition wise it had been given a "Baithaki" style by the composer. Four couplets or "shers"  as the antaras are finely weaved to merge again to the mukhda sher brilliantly.

2. Woh dekhe to unki inayat. Film: Funtoosh(1956). Music: S D Burman. Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi.

My all time favourite- a duet with Asha Bhosle. Those who have not given it a consideration, listen to it again! I bet, Kishore had done certain stuff in this song which could give classically trained singers also Goosebumps! And what a marvellous composition by S D Burman- man, he really understood the genius of Kishore. Sahir’s poetry is very Sahirish- bringing dilemma to the approach to love with two self contradictory couplets- one by Kishore and one by Asha. And when Kishore gives a solid twist to the word “Baazi”  in the second stanza, you feel carried away! This song is often forgotten due to the more popular and soulful “Dukhi man mere” from the same film, but for me, this is The Song! I would also keep it amongst the top 10 duets of SD in the 50s!

1. Husn bhi hai udaas udaas. Film: Fareb(1953). Music: Anil Biswas. Lyrics: Majrooh.

This is the best of the lot, not only the best ghazal from the 50s but also the Best Ghazal of Kishore in his whole career, in my honest opinion. It is known to all nowadays that Anil Biswas always revered Kishore Kumar as a singer very high, in spite of working with him only in 2 movies for 11 songs. The reason is this fantabulous piano based Ghazal. A song, which I feel, truly belonged to Talat Mehmood gambit, Kishore simply caught the correct mood and moulded himself like Talat and delivered! The poetry of Majrooh sahib also needs a special mention here, both the couplets were lovely but my all time favourite is the couplet used in the first stanza- Hothon se chin gayi hansi, khil na saki koi kali/ Kehne ko baagh mein bahar aayi hui zaroor hai- the days of pure, flawless poetries are really gone, just like Anil Biswas, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Kishore Kumar.