Hindi Old Songs Collection

Music is the language of the soul, is what some famous person once remarked! He couldn’t be closer to the truth. Songs and melodies are truly the most beautiful forms of human expression ever discovered. How words, with myriad meanings can be strung together, like pure pearls, to form the lovely garland that is a song, is still a matter of great amazement to me. The Hindi Film Industry at Bombay (Also known as Bollywood) is probably the best witness to the magic of creating truly soulful and fulfilling music in the form of Old Songs. Unfortunately, it is also witness to the evolution of music, from its classical avatar half a century back, to what it has turned into today-mostly just jarring noise.

To create the appropriate contrast, I would like to take you back to that era, where songs not only had meaning and life, but also created a whole different atmosphere around the listener. The Hindi music industry was dominated by master music directors like Madan Mohan, Kalyaan – Anand, OP Nayyar, Naushaad, S D Burman and Shankar Jailkshan. Whether it was the lost lover forlorn in Mughal e Azam, or the joy of meeting your soul mate on a rainy day in Shree 420, old Hindi film songs wrapped you up in their charm and carried you away to an alternate world of serenity. Of course, enough credit has to be given to the artists too, who created the perfect canvas of visuals to make these songs truly immortal in the history of Indian music. Movies like Awaara, Barsaat, Guide, Sahib Bibi aur ghulaam etc cannot be recollected without remembering the stirring visuals of brilliant artists like Raj Kapoor, Meena Kumari and Dev Anand. They brought the songs to life, and lent to them their innocence and naiveté. This was of course in the 40s and 50s that were better known for their classic music, rendered by stalwarts like Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Manna de, Talat Mehmood, Geeta Dutt, Latha Mangeshgkar, and Suraiyya, to name a few.

Then came the 60s and 70s, and brought along with them, the songs which had dissolved in them, the comic timing of Kishore Kumaar (Padosan) and the naughtiness and fast paced rock and foot tapping of R.D Burman. They brought in the genuine Masala quotient into Bollywood with various genres including Disco, Rock and Roll and Qawwali. Whether it was Rajesh Khanna following Sharmila Tagore in Mere Sapnon ki Rani Or Shammi Kapoor dancing like a mad man in Chaahe Koi Mujhe Jangli Kahe, This period saw a lot of fun, frolic and happy cinema. This however did not compromise the quality of lyrics or the music, and so the journey continued.

The best part about this treasure chest of old songs is that, they are as colorful and fun-filled as the Indians themselves. Whether it is a grand Punjabi wedding or a classy party, or for that matter just a bunch of old friends re-uniting after years, you will always find a classic old song to create the atmosphere for it!

Music Information-

Album………………:140 Old Hindi Songs
Artist……………..:Various
Year……………….:2008