Saturday, August 06, 2005

The others

There are songs that you hear. There are songs that you listen to. There are songs that you like. There are songs that you love.

And then there are 'the others'.


Songs that are associated with certain persons, certain scenarios, certain times, certain memories. Songs that create moments. Songs that we like in spite of not liking them, just because someone we like, likes them. And every time we come across these songs, everything comes back to us in a rush, bringing back all our thoughts and experiences associated with them.

Here's my list:

Pari hoon main ('I'm a fairy') - Album: Dhuan

I was a little girl when this song became a rage. I remember my sis used to absolutely love it. Once I asked her what I should give her for her birthday, and she said, "I wish I could have this song recorded over and over again on both sides of an audio cassette, so I could listen to it again and again without having to rewind." (Yeah, those were the days, walkmans and audio cassettes, no MP3s, no winamp, no 'play on loop'.)

Pehla pehla pyaar hai ('This is first love') - Album: Hum Aapke Hain Kaun?
When I was in school, a guy in my class used to lean back on his desk during breaktime, and sing this song, ensuring that I could hear it. He would stress a particular line because it contained my nickname. Ah, bittersweet memories of schooltime crushes.

'Sweet child of mine' by Guns n Roses
First year in university. My first visit to a disco. The unpleasant smell of beer and cigarette smoke. I remember this friend of mine, and how happy this song used to make him. Pity we don't talk anymore.

Chhui mui si tum lagti ho ('You're like touch-me-not') - Album: Yeh Hai Prem
Somehow, to me, this was the symbolic song for the purest and most innocent kind of love that could exist between a guy and a girl. I could watch the video about the girl-next-door and the visiting neighbour's brother again and again.

Shaher ki ladki ('City girl') - Album: Rakshak
When I first saw the song, all I wanted to do was wear the fabulous purple dress that Raveena wore and catwalk down a clean and newly-constructed railway track. I think that on some levels, this is something I still want to do some time in my life.

Do baatein ho sakti hain, sanam tere inkaar ki
Ya duniya se tu darti hai, ya kadar nahin mere pyaar ki
('There could be two reasons for your denial. Either you're afraid of the world, or you don't appreciate my love for you')
- Album: Imtihaan

Another schooltime love story. Guy in class wrote this down on a small piece of paper, folded it and asked someone to pass it on to me after school. Heart-breaking stuff.

'I just called to say I love you' by Stevie Wonder
During my internship, I was at work when I got a phone call. And this guy, who I'd never heard singing, and who I never thought could sing, was crooning away. I don't know if I was touched or amused.


'Superstar' by Jamelia
When I was visiting my cousin in London coupla years back, I'd insist that he play this song ALL the time that we drove around. He was sweet enough to oblige every single time. I think it drove him nuts. He probably threw the CD outta the window on his way back from the airport after seeing me off.

Dhoom macha le ('Rock it') - Album: Dhoom
April 2005. Cousin's wedding. For the first time in the history of my family, we got the upper generation to dance with us. Had never seen my Dad and Mom do the bhangra in my life before. Awesome stuff.

Woh lamhe ('Those moments') - Album: Zeher

At the same wedding, a cousin whom I hadn't seen in almost a decade said, "You will love this." and played it as he took me for a drive. I was amazed how he was able to tell what kinda song I would like. After that, we played it ALL the time we were in the car. It became the song that brought cousins from India, UK, US and Singapore together, as every one of us adored the song in spite of our differences in background, culture and taste.

Bheege honth tere ('Your moist lips') - Album: Murder
A trip to Kuala Lumpur. A friend and I obsessed over this song for ages, often playing it on loop like 40 times. What a song. And what utter obsession.


Piyu bole ('The songbird says') - Album: Parineeta
Another song I had been obsessed with. Transmitted it to a local colleague among others. Can never forget the sound of the song coming from her computer in the office, shocking the hell outta everybody.

Graduation by Vitamin C
This guy in uni that I did not know very well, was desperately looking for the MP3 of the song, and he messaged who else, but the queen of MP3s, to ask for it. I sent the song over and he promised me a movie treat. And that's how I met one of the greatest guys I know today.

Dheere jalna ('Burn slowly') - Album: Paheli
When I first spoke to this friend on MSN, this song was playing on my computer. After that, every time I spoke to him, I HAD to play this song. And considering the insane amounts of time we talk for, looks like this song is here to stay.


Bulla ki jana main kaun
Will always remember this song by WH Anil's translation of the lyrics. Funniest thing I'd read in a long long time! Every time I listen to it, I crack up. That is one talented man!

The reason by Hoobastank
Three words. Bar None. Addy.

Tanha dil ('Lonely heart') - Album: Tanha Dil
One of Shaan's first ever songs. Indescribable feelings were evoked in me when I saw the video where they showed him leaving his friends behind and moving on to follow his dreams in life. Kinda like what I felt when I left everything I had in India to move to a foreign land for ten years.


How does your list look like?



38 comments:

Ar Ar Ar Arrrrr said...

Shaher ki ladki
I so was in love with this song...I used to dream about buying audio casseette soon after I start earning...but then that passion was lost :(

Bheege honth tere ('Your moist lips'
Good and sad memories both with this song.


Woh lamhe ('Those moments')

I hated this one whenever my bro used to play it at home...but then slowly I started to like it. Even "agar tum mil jao..." is awesome

Nice list there!!
Certainly got some memories back :)

Greetz!!

Ar Ar Ar Arrrrr said...

I too carry this habit of attaching songs to special moments...both good and bad.

So whenever I hear those songs after a long time...memories do come back. Yeah...

Sayesha said...

Hey arz000n,
Oooh I love 'Agar tum mil jao' too! It could not make it to this list 'cos it has no specific memories behind it. :)

Man, I can't believe you just made me blast the song at 1.15 in the morning. I think the neighbours are gonna call the police again!

*Sayesha sings along*

Agar tum mil jao, zamana chhod denge hum
Tumhe paakar zamane bhar se rishta tod denge hum

Bina tere koi dilkash nazaara hum ne dekhenge...
Tumhe na ho pasand, usko dubara hum na dekhenge...
Teri soorat na ho jisme, woh sheesha tod denge hum...
Agar tum mil jao, zamana chhod denge hum...

Ar Ar Ar Arrrrr said...

Hahaha...
Though Im blasting Black Eyed Peas here tooo...but dont think anyone apart from me is listening to it :D

Enjoy!!

Sayesha said...

Hey Arz000n, this is like MSN! Haha! :D

You're in Pune? Not too bad, man. It's only 11 pm there, right? I'd better go to sleep before I start obsessing again and enqueue all the songs in my list! :P

Good night!
ps: The Black Eyed Peas rock.

Ar Ar Ar Arrrrr said...

Hahaha..
Its kinda MSN for sure...and you guesssed right. Its 11pm here. I just got my Cable Internet conn today evening..so me pretty excited about it. Plans to stay back lil late :)

Yes....gnite and take care...
Greetz!!!

Anonymous said...

I cant seemt to stop humming piyu bole each time I open my mouth these days..:)

Anonymous said...

Looking back over my shoulder - Mike & the Mechanics
Eye of the tiger - Survivor

-Poison- said...

tanha dil -
shaan's song touches somewhere deep within...

so also gnr's
sweet child o mine...
poor slash
makes me sad, each time i hear it n nov rain

comin to pehla pehla pyar...
ur names nisha? :-?

bheege honth tere -
was a very beautiful song...i used to put it on repeat for days at a stretch, once.

-Poison- said...

@ renegadefade - 'eye of the tiger' is the theme song of my life, if there is ne thing like that! survivor rocks! inspite of being a one hit wonder.

Sahil said...

some of mine:

Bahoon ki darmiyaan.

Latka dikha diya tumne.

Sundara sundara.

Dheere dheere se meri zindagi mein aana.

I am a bachelor akeyla hoon bemaar hoon (don't ask)

Aankh maare o ladka aankh maare.

Something's telling me it must be you.

With or without you.

If god would send his angels.

Tanhayee.

Now these are by NO means my favourite songs. But like you, these songs hold memories and have certain feelings attached with them.

I liked your post today... seems like the more I read your blog, the more better I get to know you.

Adi Oso-Groot Finch said...

almost there for me too... just add:

o meri zohrezabein
first time i saw my grand dad dancing in full flow... and he still dances everytime its played

californication
played thru our whole trip from delhi to bombay... by car.

gambler, by kenny rogers
heard it on a roll for two whole months... after my last breakup

leavin on a jet plane, john denver
the current favourite


Ofcourse add all your songs on the top of this list and that one song that i've seen get everyone to dance... braaazzziiiiiiiiiillll

Sayesha said...

Naari,
//I cant seem to stop humming piyu bole each time I open my mouth these days..:)

Ditto for me about 'Dheere jalna'! The other day, I was singing it (quite loudly I think, 'cos this guy turned to look at me) as I was crossing the road!

Poison,
//ur names nisha?

It's not my name, but it's a nickname friends everywhere have been using for years now.

Sahil,
I forgot to add Tanhayee. It has WAY too many memories man.

Raven,
//o meri zohrezabein - first time i saw my grand dad dancing in full flow

That is SO cool, you know! :)

. : A : . said...

Songs can bring back so many memories. They are so much more powerful than even photographs.

And right now I can't get 'Superstar' out of my head.

:-)

Leon said...

A few songs that form a picture in MY head..

"Dil Chahta Hai"
Whenever I'm on a long drive with a few close friends".

"That's the way it is"- Celine Dion
An inspiring image of someone great pops up. It's different each time.. but in most cases it's ME.. ;-)

"Chayya Chayya"- Dil se
Sitting in a second class train in India. In the US of course trains are too silent.. sigh..

"Truly Madly Deeply"- Savage Garden and "She will be loved"- Maroon 5
err.. I hope I don't HAVE to tell you what images these songs conjure up in my head... After all you weren't born yesterday.. lol

"Chaand Taare"- Yes Boss
Makes me feel on top of the world. The picture of SRK kicking the globe will be stamped forever.

"Jaadu Teri Nazar"- Darr
I remember listening to this a 100 times in a single day years back.. Makes me feel quite obsessive.

"dil kehta Hai, chal unse mil"- Akele Hum Akele Tum
err.. almost brings me to tears each time...

"History"- MJ
brings pictures of world war 2.. don't ask me why.. I don't really know..

patiala pataka said...

Soona, Soona man ka angan....

Anonymous said...

That is just sooo very true.There are always such songs, for everyone.
"The Others"...I like that label...lol
Oh, yeah, did I mention I have shifted?
New add.:solitaryhummer.blogspot
--
Sumedh

Ar Ar Ar Arrrrr said...

HFD to you tooo Sayesha!!

Take care.
Hope you had relaxing weekend :)

Sayesha said...

Hey Arz,
Yeah, my weekend was really good. A happy one. And the best part is -- Tuesday is a public holiday here! Yeay!

Hope yours was good too!

Sayesha

Anonymous said...

Nice list, Sayesha. Yeah, there are some songs that I dont particularly love, but are stuck in my memory because of their association with other people. Like old senti Mukesh songs that my dad loves playing subah subah, and a senti song from 'Tum Bin' that my bf had sent to me :)

Anonymous said...

Hi! I couldn't see your face clearly in any of your pics, so I am not sure if this is going to the person it is meant for. And I do not want to talk about a girl with initials MN considering that this is Sayesha's blog and I have committed several blunders at other blogs naming names not meant to be named. But if you know that girl, glad to meet you too :)

Anonymous said...

Nice list, btw.
Except for Shaher Ki Ladki, maybe.

Unknown said...

hey hi sayesha
i must say; too good choice
some songs do evoke the wonderful memories of our life.It has cover greater space in our life.

Sayesha said...

Ash,
You reminded me of something! I wish I could add the songs that my Dad used to play on the radio when he moved to Hyderabad, but I don't know the lyrics. No one in my family understands Telugu (including Dad!), and yet, the songs would be blasting subah subah on the radio! :D

Arnav,
Dude I'm a bit lost. Why dun ya decipher your comment and email it to me at sayeshaz@gmail.com?

Sayesha

Sahil said...

u know what my favourite part in the picturization of Tanhayee (DCH) is?

Its when Aamir is standing on the train platform, and all you can see is his intermittent reflection in the windows of the passing train. When I saw the scene, I was almost that Farhan stole that scene from my life.

Sayesha said...

Sahil,
Amazing that you mentioned that. Mine is when he is standing still but the world around him is just rushing past him. Every time I watch the song, I can literally "feel" how lonely he is and much he misses her, and how nothing around him makes sense anymore. Loneliness had never been so beautifully captured.

Anonymous said...

Nice List
Never heard Vitamin C though

T C

HoliDevil

Anonymous said...

btw hv u gt mp3 of John Denver - Take me home

T Y

HoliDevil

virdi said...

sayesha... bulla ki jaana main kaun... no one mentioned this song?? saalon maine 2 posts waste kar diya on this song and no one mentions this song.. anyways.. metallica - Unforgiven, Unforgiven-2, one, master of puppets, of wolf and man, MI theme song.. saint anger the album.. etc etc...
pink floyd - brick in the wall, hey you, etc etc...
lots yaar.. mainly i choose the songs depending on the music and ofcourse the band...
one metallica concert before i die.. if metallica playes in Malasia or Singapore count me in..
V..

anubhav said...

haha..everybody posted their lists..well of as of me..u can add all of them and u get mine...no wonder i have 20 gb of song collection( sounds less ok i'll bluff more next time ;) ..)

P.S: I can write pages inveighing the cheap lyrics of "shaher ki ladki"..but seeing its fan following here i better run..

P.P.S: I even hated raveena in that..she looked plumpish

ok i am going

anubhav said...

btw did somebody talk abt "eye of tiger" and "mangal pandey"...listen to them and u'll know the power of great lyrics...

Sayesha said...

HoliDevil,
You gotta listen to Graduation by Vitamin C. Anyone who's ever graduated will find something in that song :) I can email you the mp3 if you want.
And no, I dun have the John Denver song.

Virdi,
Arre this list is not of songs that you "choose", baba! This is about songs that make a place in your memories themselves.
But I can't believe I missed out 'Bulla ki jaana'! Sorry to you and sorry to WH Anil too! Will edit the post and add it in. Khush? :)
Speaking of concert before I die, Jagjit Singh is performing on Thursday night and I have an 'un-missable' class! Dammit dammit dammit! Can't believe I am giving my ticket away! Bawl! :(

Anubhav,
Yeah man, I found it damn cute how everyone started posting their 'The others' songs! :)
ps: And who's talking about Raveena or the lyrics, man? To me, the song was all about the purple dress and the catwalk on the railway track.
pps: Ok go.

Young Master said...

The ones that I care enough to remember:

- Sunset Ibiza (remixed by Andrew Tang)
Spent many inebriated nights at the Living Room dance floor. Some precious memories there.

- Bheegey Honth Tere
Road trip in KL, On loop 40 times with the view of the city skyline. avismarniya. very precious song.

- With or Without You
Sung for me and my group by my favorite night club band in Singapore

- Sweet Child O Mine by GnR &
Head banging on the bar top of a pub I spent many nights in.

- Nothing Else Matters by Metallica
Played on repeat on my laptop with earphones when I pretended to work. I was obsessed with this song for a long time. Evokes a certain undescribable emotion.

- The Bongo Song by Safri Duo
Never fails to lift my spirits

- Remix of "Koi Saheri Babu" by UMI 10 and the video particularly
Thorough geometrical analysis of the female anatomy and obsession for several weeks during university days

- Unknown title, performed by Afro Celts at Womad 2003
Hmm.... so much energy and so much fun at Womad ... I am so gonna miss this year's show... just by a couple of weeks - DAMN!

- Christmas is All Around, OST Love Actually & Turn me On by Norah Jones from the same album
Obsessed over this song, infact the entire OST album for a long time. Also evokes a plethora of memories

- Baahon mein chale aao
One of the few songs which was a remnant of my link to bollywood music for several years. Played a fair bit on my car. Reminds me of a certain mood the song sets

- Sinnerman by Nina Simone
Reminds me of truly innocent and genuinely happy, carefree times. This song never loses its appeal to me

Sayesha: How could you forget "Reason" by Hoopastank? Addy?

Sayesha said...

//Sayesha: How could you forget "Reason" by Hoopastank? Addy?

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk head on the wall! :O

(Edited post to add it in.)

Kroopa Shah (Kr00pz) said...

What about Pehla Nasha? Thats a nice one :-)

Sayesha said...

Hey Kroopa,
Yes, it's a beautiful song, but it does not fall under 'The others'. Falls under 'My favourites' so technically does not qualify for this post :)

Anonymous said...

I have had a lot of crushes in my life and have a song associated with each of them. When I hear a song, I go back in time.

My favorites are:

"Ye kahan aa gaye hum" (Silsila)

"Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai" (Kabhi Kabhi)

"I just called to say I love you" (Stevie Wonder)

"Dil deewana bin sajna ke" (Maine pyar kiya)

"Tu hai meri Kiran" (Darr)

"Sarkiyay ye pahar
Daryaon ki gehraiion mein tujhe dhoondha hai"

Bhavya said...

It's just so great to attach memories with songs. Sometimes when I'm missing one or more of my friends, I listen to a song that reminds me of them, and I feel terrific!

I think I will also do a post like this in the near future.