IR Compositions: Lyrics and Situation

[Sureshs65]

In the IR as a singer thread, there has been some interesting debate on Raja's songs suiting situations and how they can / cannot be transposed to other situations. Lets continue the discussion here

[Sureshs65]

I will start with a couple of examples on how Raja seems to modify things based on situation and lyrics. I am talking about minute changes here and not like how he composes for a situation like sad situation, fun situation etc. Maybe my examples will clarify what I am trying to state.

1. 'Sendhazham Poovil' - There is one charanam wherein the words go, 'valaindhu nelindu sellum padhai' (the road that twists and turns). Now Raja plays a brief shenoy bit here which twists and turns!! We know that Raja generally works out all the music in his mind as soon as the tune comes up but here is a clear case where he must have added this bit after hearing the lyrics of Kannadasan. Similarly you can hear a short shenoy bit in an Uliyin Osai song, 'Kallai irundhen' when the lyricist writes about an impending wedding.

2. An example of how Raja has incorporated some minute details based on the situation. This is from the Kannada film called 'Bhoomi Geethe'. Here in the interlude suddenly the metal part of the drums are hit rapidly. Only when you see the movie you understand why it was done. One lady is trying to cross a stream walking over a branch and is about to fall. The music fits in so very well into the situation. Credit to the director as well. I am sure the music in the interlude was composed by Raja after questioning the director for minute details. Else there would have been no need for that particular small piece in that interlude. Couldn't get the link on youtube

Here is one on youtube. Here, in the prelude, there is some clash of cymbals type of music. What Plum in another post had called the 'crashing of a tambalam'. Similar music here. When you see the video you realize that it is indeed a tambalam being banged Again, Raja must have got minute details from Sathyan in order to provide that prelude the way he did.



I hope you get what I am trying to get at. So if you know of situations where you think Raja had introduced some music based on some lyrics or based on some situation, do share it here.

[Sureshs65]

The Bhoomigeethe song I was referring to was 'Nodirava Nodirava'. You can download it from rajasaranam's MediaFire folder.

[app_engine]

Another song whose "portions" will be difficult to port - chinnanjiru vayadhil unnaippOl of meeNdum gOkila - I don't think the 2nd interlude can be ported as such to another movie

OTOH, yEh zindagi got effortlessly ported to en vAzhvilE (Kamal to Rajini, l,s & barrell)

[P_R]

OTOH, yEh zindagi got effortlessly ported to en vAzhvilE (Kamal to Rajini, l,s & barrell)

Hmm

Why was poongaatru pudhidhAnAdhu tune not used in Sadma ?

[AravindMano]

Another song whose "portions" will be difficult to port - chinnanjiru vayadhil unnaippOl of meeNdum gOkila - I don't think the 2nd interlude can be ported as such to another movie

app_engine, too much of a coincidence

I had posted a write up here regarding preludes and it triggered a debate in my office blog. And i used the same example for my point.

Quoting it here,

An example for >> காட்சிப்படுத்துவது>> - I take a Raja song and an old song. The situation in ‘Oru naaL yaaro’ from ‘Major Chandrakanth’ is, a brother and sister fool their neighborhood that the sister is singing live on a radio station. Let’s forget the fact that the situation is totally unrealistic. Check out the second interlude where Nagesh visually translates the music. The interlude gives proper space for that act.

Now, in ‘Chinnanchiru vayathil’ from ‘MeeNdum kokhila’, take the second interlude and its corresponding video. (The set up is a ‘poNNu paakkira’ ceremony. The girl’s mom walks in to the hall, hands over two tumblers of coffee, walks again and hands over two more tumblers) Raja wins hands down, IMHO, for the choice of the instruments. (In the ‘oru naaL yaaro’, I would say the MD has chosen some instruments which really sound like the objects shown in screen. The way Raja used flute to demonstrate her walking, I think, is bloody brilliant). Also, in this particular case, the credit for the Major Chandrakanth song is equally shared by the genius of Nagesh.

[Sureshs65]

I have always been intrigued by one particular song which Raja transposed into a different language with some modifications is 'Pachamala Poovu'. This came to Malayalam as 'Endhu Paranjalum' in Achuvinte Amma. Both of are very sensitive and touching songs. Raja does something, which I can't put my finger on, by which the whole color changes in Malayalam. From a slightly rhythm oriented Tamil love song it changes to a very free flowing and a touching mother-child song in Malayalam. Nothing short of a genius touch.

[Sureshs65]

Good writing Arvind. As a_e said earlier, you should write more and also more often

[app_engine]

OTOH, yEh zindagi got effortlessly ported to en vAzhvilE (Kamal to Rajini, l,s & barrell)

Hmm

Why was poongaatru pudhidhAnAdhu tune not used in Sadma ?

I got so much irritated with BM (and IR) for not using 'poongAtRu' as such for Hindi. That was a big, big career mistake for Raja. Easy example as to how they misread the Bombay market.

Fortunately for ARR, he didn't do that blunder with Roja and Hindi film lovers got to hear what kind of innovations Thamizh's are capable of!

[Sureshs65]

a_e,

I think the basic difference is that 'Sadma' was a remade movie while 'Roja' was a dubbed movie. While 'Poonkatru' is a definite classic, do you think it was such a major blunder to include 'Ye Zindagi' instead? I thought people liked that as well. Infact I heard Naresh Iyer tell in one show that it was his all time favorite and he can keep on listening to that song any number of times!!

To be very honest, dubbed movie's music success from South India to Hindi has been very less. Rahman's films have been exceptions. I haven't heard the songs of Hindi 'Mudalvan'. Where the songs the same as in Tamil? Somehow the songs of that film didn't catch fire in Hindi. Neither did the film. But music of films like 'Roja' and 'Kadalan' were great hits up North.