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My Friend, The Film Song
Songs are like human beings - none probably
are perfect. Certainly there is no song in existence which is liked by
everyone. And however ‘bad’ a song is supposed to be, there
is always someone who likes it, loves it or is thoroughly smitten by it.
Each have their plus points and shortcomings, their nationalities and
complexions, their language, culture, aura and image. The underdog theory
works here too - a music-lover does tend to have a special soft corner
for a song which does not get its due in the music world.
By the same token, every successful and popular song is not necessarily
one of high merit, and all meritorious songs do not get equal success.
The songs that are flashy, populist and well-presented often become sensations
- but of the passing variety. The really substantial ones endure, and
happily, many a neglected good song creates its own niche in time once
its starling character succeeds in getting it to the position it deserves,
without ‘sifarish’.
The music companies, television and radio channels act as selective godfathers,
play favourites and give the best of opportunities to the lucky ones.
The parents (the lyricist and music director) have their own ideas about
favourites even as they profess or attempt to be neutral. Some songs are
still-born, in others the labour is easy, in still others complications
ensue even if the final offspring is worth all the trouble.
There are songs that make it on their own steam, others which bring fame
or disrepute to their creators and their nursemaids (the singers). Many
spring surprises, like a black sheep making a big name. Others are hyped
up by indulgent parents, only to prove nightmares!
There are songs which age gracefully, songs that die a premature death,
songs which grow in the stature and the respect they command with the
years. There are those that emerge leaders, others that are followers,
the low-profile solid ones and the high-profile show-offs. When you encounter
them, the bond you strike varies. Some are like one-night stands, devoid
of charm after a brief fling, others remain as humdrum acquaintances,
pleasant when encountered, but not those which generate a craving for
their company. In their absence, you miss a few mildly, while others generate
a longing that disturbs you till re-union happens. Finally, so many of
them become cherished and treasured friends without whom life just wouldn’t
be the same.
Often, you cannot understand why you like a particular song which most
people are indifferent to. And of course, there are those that you do
not wish to encounter again if you had your way, ever?
To sum up this rather fanciful but surprisingly true premise, you REACT
to a song at a predominantly subsconscious level - and ingrained in that
response is a combination of multiple factors like experiences, associations,
basic preferences and even your own roots and those of the songs.
And how does one judge a song’s nature and character? With the heart
or with the brain? What happens when instinct tells you one thing but
‘facts’ oppose it? Should one judge a song as great merely because
of one of the following factors: (a) it is liked by the masses (b) it
is liked by those have immense knowledge of music (c) because the energy,
thought and time which went into its making was exceptional (d) which
genre it falls into and (e) because it is
based on traditional raags/folk music?
As people, most of us would prefer to be accepted and loved as we are
and irrespective of our origins. We want to create an effortless good
impression on people as a matter of norm. Why then should we apply cerebration
when it comes to liking a song? We cannot explain why we like or dislike
a person - or a song. Why do we need to? Why should my musical preferences
be under suspicion just because I like Ek do teen char (Tezaab) and rate
Sun ri sakhi (Humse Hain Muqabala) far below it? How can I as a music
lover decide that a song is good or bad simply because it is from (a)
a ‘musical’ filmmaker’s film (b) sung by better-trained
singers or (c) composed and/or written by a particular composer or lyricist?
A word of caution here. If I were to enumerate 50 of my all-time favourite
songs (a compilation that would take me weeks to decide!) I would find
three-fourths of them belonging overwhelmingly to three or four composers
and lyricists. This is just NOT the same as being partial to favourites.
In fact, it is the reverse state of affairs. I consider those few creators
my favourities BECAUSE it is they who have HAPPENED to create the majority
of my favourite songs!
When I listen to a new score, I make it a point to listen at least once
casually, that is, when I am occupied in doing something else. It is my
experience that certain tunes get through to you, as do even two lines
of the lyrics, even if you are totally absorbed otherwise. These, in my
consistent experience, are the songs that I ultimately come to love. They
are like that anonymous face in crowd that inexplicably grabs your attention.
And these are the ones I consider decidedly superior songs. Of course,
added to them are the ones that hook you only after a while, or instantly
grip you and never let go. It takes all kinds, especially when one reacts
rather than makes a calculated opinion. There is no fixed rule, no law.
Among our friends, we all have a varied group belonging to different communities,
ages, shapes and sizes, economic classes and family backgrounds. That
explains why we also like a rather broad spectrum of songs. Because they
too are our friends. We are always free to analyse them or even express
and opinion on them, but we cannot afford to forget that those opinions
remain expressly our own and neither superior nor inferior to those of
others.
Rajiv Vijayakar