What makes a track memorable

For so long as he was alive, my father cherished A.R. Rahman’s music probably the most. He would at all times discuss of how even the peppiest Rahman songs (a Kuthupaattu like ‘Pettairap’) have a strong melody base and simple rhythm. My dad would insist on shopping for Rahman albums the day they launched and I must play all of the songs to him, in order that he may try to catch the raga of every and show his idea {that a} good movie track is one which has its basis in melody. He was the one who advised me that Kiravani and Sivaranjani had been Ilaiyaraaja’s favorite ragas, his ‘analysis’ primarily based on Vividh Bharati and ‘Ungal Viruppam’ on All India Radio.

The longevity of a track relies upon solely on its musical advantage, which can also be why we hearken to some songs even years after their launch. Typically, the dance strikes or visible montages are sensible, and simply the buzzing of a tune or a sudden picture triggers a reminiscence of the primary time we heard the track or watched it on display screen.

Anirudh Ravichander.
| Photograph Credit score: L. SRINIVASAN/THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Rustic but melodious

The present Anirudh super-hit ‘Jolly lo gymkhana’ from Beast harks again to a 1956 track of the identical title — a track which was maybe the primary in an extended line of Kuthupaattus that slowly advanced, lastly attaining cult standing within the 80s after the roaring hit ‘Machaana paatheengala’ from Ilaiyaraaja’s debut movie Annakkili, which was rustic in beat and lyrics but melodious in tune. The 1956 ‘Jolly lo gymkhana’ is from the Sivaji Ganesan-Savitri-Padmini movie Amara Deepam. Padmini, by then gaining reputation for her dance strikes, performs a gypsy woman within the movie and we see her on this movie singing and dancing to this energetic quantity, whose first few phrases are as light-hearted as within the Beast track sung by Vijay.

Songs that are ‘mild’ in lyrics, tune and beat at all times take pleasure in unmatched reputation. Within the black and white films, a ‘jolly track’ was one the place the dancing was ‘freestyle choreography’ and because the 80s dawned, a Kuthupaattu was accompanied by ‘avenue dancing’ strikes (Kamalhaasan did it to perfection in ‘Singaarisarakku nalla sarakku’ from Khaaki Sattai). Within the 90s, such songs had lyrics that seemed like Gaana (the Tamil equal to rap).

Kuthupaattus by now referred to songs that one may dance to in a method made widespread within the North Madras milieu. Many school cultural occasions would at all times have a visitor efficiency from such teams, very like the rap teams that emerged from Mumbai’s Dharavi. They had been characterised by quick actions, staccato fashion and versatile grace. The music was usually their very own (they might play them on the tape recorders they carried), a tough mixture of a Michael Jackson beat with Ilaiyaraaja’s violin items (largely from his background scores). Within the millennium, this gave technique to Rahman’s notes and widespread worldwide rhythms.

Songs in Indian cinema are prominently a software to take the story ahead or convey an emotion. Composers like M.S. Viswanathan and Ilaiyaraaja had been stars in their very own rights. It’s stated that within the 80s, a producer needed to guide Ilaiyaraaja’s dates first after which assemble a movie round his album. The movie would earn a living earlier than its launch from audio gross sales alone. There have been heroes whose careers acquired a fillip solely due to Ilaiyaraaja’s music (Mohan, Ramarajan and Vijayakanth’s preliminary movies).

Ilaiyaraaja.
| Photograph Credit score: V. Sreenivasa Murthy/The Hindu Archives.

The making of music

Equally, there are movie administrators who made a distinction to Ilaiyaraaja’s music, and for whom the composer reserved his greatest, comparable to Bharathiraja, Mahendran, Balu Mahendra, Okay. Balachander and Maniratnam. The track ‘Rakkamma kaiyya thattu’ from Thalapathy is a good instance of how good music and good visuals could make for an incredible track. The music director is seen because the third most essential title, after the hero and director, who provides to a movie’s earnings.

Nonetheless, gone are the times when movies had been made across the idea of “Let’s get six songs from the music director and weave a narrative round it”. Anirudh’s current chartbusters have had each the mushy and sluggish ‘Naan pizhai nee mazhalai’ from Vignesh Shivan’s Kaathuvaakkula Rendu Kaadhal and the sturdy ‘Arabic Kuthu’ from Nelson’s Beast and each crossed 25 million and 220 million views in document time forward of the movie’s launch.

So much comes collectively for the success of a track. Creating an area for music and composing notes the place none existed earlier, then visualising the tune and lyrics, and at last making all of it come alive for the display screen is the hallmark of Indian cinema.

A scene from Maari 2.
| Photograph Credit score: The Hindu Archives

Immediately, this visualisation can both be a montage or a choreographed piece. Both method, the track stays in our heads due to the melody quotient and the visible reminiscence it types. A great instance is ‘Rowdy Child’ from Maari2. As a lot as melody is essential, it can’t be denied that fairly often the songs which are cherished universally and reside on throughout eras are those that additionally add to the story and have a filmmaker’s sturdy imaginative and prescient behind them.

The author is a content material producer, author, artiste and curator.