Here are some of the songs that I enjoyed the most in 2013.
P.S.:- The songs are ordered alphabetically and are not in order of choice. Clicking on the Song Names will take you to youtube for that song sample.
Let me be clear, I despise Pritam especially since he gets "inspired" and "adapts" from so many other composers and singers from all over the world, and that too admits only when pointed out that his latest hit is eerily similar to a certain Korean song from years ago. But that doesn't mean he is not capable of good music, just ask any Bengali music fan of "Chandrabindoo". There are times when Pritam delivers something original and in "Kabira" he does an excellent job. With Rekha Bharadwaj's soulful voice you can't stop humming (कैसी तेरी खुदगर्ज़ी लब नमक रमे ना मिस्री)
Two really good movies of the year Raam-Leela and Kai Po Che had excellent music, and "Manja" and "Laal Ishq" are testamant of it. These two are under appreciated gems.
Amit Trivedi has the potential to become a great music director. He does not fear to experiment and displays a certain kind of daring in his music which only a visionary can bring. It has been evident since "Emotional Atyachar" (from Dev D) to Navrai Majhi (from English-Vinglish). His co-conspirator is mostly Amitabh Bhattacharya, who has a great sense of capturing surreal emotions. In "Lootera" they both deliver a very nuanced music album. "Sawaar loon" has a nostalgia of a bygone era of the great S.D.Burman. "Zinda hoon yaar" conveys the anguish of the protagonist who has been through so much in life, and that is palpable through the songs music as well as the words(कुछ मांगना बाकी नहीं - जितना मिला काफी है). There one more song in the album which does not make the list, but is nonetheless worth mentioning, "Manmarziyaan" sung beautifully by one of my favorite singers, Shilpa Rao. Her voice has a special smooth quality that no other singer has and she can also hit the high notes with equal ease.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag shows quality that we came to expect of Shakar-Ehsaan-Loy but hadn't heard from them in a long time. In fact in their last few movies the music was at best mediocre. With BMB they deliver and in a delightful way. Prashoon joshi's lyrics evoke emotions that are very deep and that linger with you for a really long time. In "Mera Yaar" he writes, (इश्क़ करूँ या करूँ इबादत इक्को ही गल है and मैं मंदर क्यों जावा मेरा यार खुद है मैं मसजद क्यों जावा मेरा यार खुद है ) and in "Zinda hai toh" --- (हिचकियों में क्या है मरना पूरा मर ले ) and in the title track (फूंक दे खुद को ज्वाला ज्वाला, बिन खुद जले न होये उजाला).This song more than any other brings out very raw emotions and a lump in my throat everytime I listen to it. It is such an inspirational song. (क्या ख्याल है कि "… बस तू भाग , तू है आग, तू बन जा नाग, तू गोली दाग.… " - वाह )
The best music album overall by far this year for me was "Raanjhanaa". Rahman didn't make any impact with "Jab tak hai jaan" and his last album which was really good was way back in 2011 in "Rockstar". In Raanjhanaa he made up for the time between the albums with a really good collection. Although the entire album is mesmerizing, three songs stood out for me, Banarasiya- which is exceptionally sung by Shreya. These are the songs for which the likes of Shreya and Sunidhi are made for. The tonal variation is par excellence and you really appreciate what a great music director can reap from a supreme singer; next is "Piya Milenge" - which has great lyrics(जिसको ढूंढे बाहर बाहर वो बैठा है भीतर छुपके ) and the best of the lot "Tu Mun Shudi" song which loosely translates as "You are my soul and I am your soul.." The genius of Rahman is that he used Sehnai in all the songs of this album. In songs like Piya Milenge and Banarasiya he has wonderfully mixed the classical raagas with haunting islamic verses in way only a genius can weave.
If you haven't heard a song already, I implore you to give these songs a chance. I assure you that you will be pleasantly surprised. If you have heard it, please try it one more time, you never know when some lyrics suddenly transform from mere words into the sublime.
Heres a toast to all the good songs of this year, and looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation.
| Song Name | Album | Singer | Lyricist | Composer |
| Banarasiya | Raanjhanaa | Shreya Ghoshal | Irshad Kamil | A.R. Rahman |
| Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Arif Lohar, Siddharth Mahadevan | Prasoon Joshi | Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy |
| Kabira | Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani | Rekha Bhardwaj | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Pritam |
| Manja | Kai Po Che | Amit Trivedi | Swanand Kirkire | Amit Trivedi |
| Mera Yaar | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Javed Bashir | Prasoon Joshi | Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy |
| Piya Milenge | Raanjhanaa | Sukhwinder Singh | Irshad Kamil | A.R. Rahman |
| Sawaar Loon | Lootera | Monali Thakur | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Amit Trivedi |
| Tu Mun Shudi | Raanjhanaa | Rabbi Shergill, A.R. Rahman | Irshad Kamil | A.R. Rahman |
| Ye Laal Ishq | Raam Leela | Arijit Singh | Siddharth & Garima | Sanjay Leela Bhansali |
| Zinda Hai Toh | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Siddharth Mahadevan | Prasoon Joshi | Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy |
| Zinda Hoon Yaar, Kaafi Hai | Lootera | Amit Trivedi | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Amit Trivedi |
Let me be clear, I despise Pritam especially since he gets "inspired" and "adapts" from so many other composers and singers from all over the world, and that too admits only when pointed out that his latest hit is eerily similar to a certain Korean song from years ago. But that doesn't mean he is not capable of good music, just ask any Bengali music fan of "Chandrabindoo". There are times when Pritam delivers something original and in "Kabira" he does an excellent job. With Rekha Bharadwaj's soulful voice you can't stop humming (कैसी तेरी खुदगर्ज़ी लब नमक रमे ना मिस्री)
Two really good movies of the year Raam-Leela and Kai Po Che had excellent music, and "Manja" and "Laal Ishq" are testamant of it. These two are under appreciated gems.
Amit Trivedi has the potential to become a great music director. He does not fear to experiment and displays a certain kind of daring in his music which only a visionary can bring. It has been evident since "Emotional Atyachar" (from Dev D) to Navrai Majhi (from English-Vinglish). His co-conspirator is mostly Amitabh Bhattacharya, who has a great sense of capturing surreal emotions. In "Lootera" they both deliver a very nuanced music album. "Sawaar loon" has a nostalgia of a bygone era of the great S.D.Burman. "Zinda hoon yaar" conveys the anguish of the protagonist who has been through so much in life, and that is palpable through the songs music as well as the words(कुछ मांगना बाकी नहीं - जितना मिला काफी है). There one more song in the album which does not make the list, but is nonetheless worth mentioning, "Manmarziyaan" sung beautifully by one of my favorite singers, Shilpa Rao. Her voice has a special smooth quality that no other singer has and she can also hit the high notes with equal ease.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag shows quality that we came to expect of Shakar-Ehsaan-Loy but hadn't heard from them in a long time. In fact in their last few movies the music was at best mediocre. With BMB they deliver and in a delightful way. Prashoon joshi's lyrics evoke emotions that are very deep and that linger with you for a really long time. In "Mera Yaar" he writes, (इश्क़ करूँ या करूँ इबादत इक्को ही गल है and मैं मंदर क्यों जावा मेरा यार खुद है मैं मसजद क्यों जावा मेरा यार खुद है ) and in "Zinda hai toh" --- (हिचकियों में क्या है मरना पूरा मर ले ) and in the title track (फूंक दे खुद को ज्वाला ज्वाला, बिन खुद जले न होये उजाला).This song more than any other brings out very raw emotions and a lump in my throat everytime I listen to it. It is such an inspirational song. (क्या ख्याल है कि "… बस तू भाग , तू है आग, तू बन जा नाग, तू गोली दाग.… " - वाह )
The best music album overall by far this year for me was "Raanjhanaa". Rahman didn't make any impact with "Jab tak hai jaan" and his last album which was really good was way back in 2011 in "Rockstar". In Raanjhanaa he made up for the time between the albums with a really good collection. Although the entire album is mesmerizing, three songs stood out for me, Banarasiya- which is exceptionally sung by Shreya. These are the songs for which the likes of Shreya and Sunidhi are made for. The tonal variation is par excellence and you really appreciate what a great music director can reap from a supreme singer; next is "Piya Milenge" - which has great lyrics(जिसको ढूंढे बाहर बाहर वो बैठा है भीतर छुपके ) and the best of the lot "Tu Mun Shudi" song which loosely translates as "You are my soul and I am your soul.." The genius of Rahman is that he used Sehnai in all the songs of this album. In songs like Piya Milenge and Banarasiya he has wonderfully mixed the classical raagas with haunting islamic verses in way only a genius can weave.
If you haven't heard a song already, I implore you to give these songs a chance. I assure you that you will be pleasantly surprised. If you have heard it, please try it one more time, you never know when some lyrics suddenly transform from mere words into the sublime.
Heres a toast to all the good songs of this year, and looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation.
Very good list of songs!
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