One of the first few albums i ever listened to, in my life, was Dev Anand's 'Guide'. I did not know any music back then. Yet, i loved playing the songs, on the LP record my uncle used to have. Later, my Dad bought the tapes. Much later, i happened to watch the film and i realized that the tape versions are not complete, but edited ones. Among the songs that were edited was 'Piya Tose Naina Lage Re', which originally was over 7mins. The tapes, and subsequently the cds, contained versions which are only over 4mins.
Finally, i got the full version, ripped from the VCD of 'Guide'. I listen to this version, probably once in 10-15days, thus making it one of the most revisited songs in my entire collection. I cannot exactly say what draws me towards this composition. Probably it is sheer magic. It is indeed difficult to appreciate just 1-2 aspects of this song. There is always something new popping up, as the song plays on. What really sets this song apart? Is it the tricky rhythm patterns, which change very intricately? Or the highly imaginative interludes? Counter-melodies? Finer nuances in rendition? Lata Mangeshkar? I think this is one of those complete, full-some songs which has 'G-E-N-I-U-S' written all over it. What does it take to compose such a song?
Frankly, i am not qualified enough to review this composition. It still gives me goose bumps, to believe the fact that the entire soundtrack of 'Guide' was composed in, hold-your-breath, 5 days. By every measure, it is not at all an ordinalry achievement, given the fact the soundtrack had nothing but sheer Gems. And among them, shining brightly is this nugget, which leaves listeners spellbound. Can any current-era composer try to compose, if not the similar, but a song of this stature? If yes, how long it could take, for this sng alone? And to understand what all gives the song the stature it deserves, please listen to it atleast 3-4 times, paying attention to every note, instrument and tune running on the forefront and the background. I tried mentioning few master-strokes, as comments in the player-bar. The song, in my opinion, is a monument, much like the man behind it - S.D.Burman.
Awesome capture and comments! I remember loving how this song worked visually, too..(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_gzVisz0XI) capturing the arc of Waheeda's character, the evolution of a wannabe into a star, and how Waheeda changes from a girl with ambition to an established performer with gravitas. And the song captures that arc perfectly, with simple background themes in the beginning, and going on to complex and daunting ideas towards the end.
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ReplyDeleteIs there any chance that you could re-post this song for download/listening? I finally tracked down a copy of this spectacular soundtrack, only to find out that this song was drastically truncated. I had no idea. Could you help out? I've found a few mp3s online, but they are all of very poor quality. Not nearly up to the standard of this, my favorite Burman song. Thanks! Great post!
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