Top Ten Songs by Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam also has several non-film albums to his credit in which he has composed and sung the music and I love the music from them too. But for this article, I have chosen only those songs that appear within films. The translation from Hindi into English does take some of the beauty away but you can still get the essence of the lyrics. The film titles are in bold type.
1. Suraj Hua Maddham (The Sun Dims into Twilight) from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum (Sometimes Laughter, Sometimes Sorrow) is my all-time favorite filmi song, which makes it my favorite Sonu Nigam song too. The haunting melody, violins, flutes, dholak and the most complex instrument of all, the ethereal human voices of Sonu and Alka Yagnik make this love ballad simply exquisite. The soulful words of a first love picturized on Shah Rukh Khan (Rahul) and Kajol (Anjali) as they confess their love for one another and imagine what their lives would be like if they were to get married is truly amazing. “This is a beautiful moment, everything is changing. The dreams, which are spilling over into reality. I kept waiting; the earth began to move. This heart lurched, my breath stopped. Is this my very first love? The ocean thirsted; the night awoke. In the heart of the flame, fire sparked to life.”
(see the video on http://everythingindian.blogspot.com/2006/09/my-favorite-bollywood-song.html)
2. After listening to Saathiya from Saathiya (Beloved) it’s easy to see why Sonu won Filmfare’s Best Male Playback Award for this song. Picturized on lovers Viveik Oberoi (Aditya) and Rani Mukherji (Suhani), Sonu’s soothing and sexy voice sends shivers up one’s spine. “Laugh again for me, softly; give me another beautiful laugh. Lying on the lawn like freshly fallen leaves, you are seven shades of spring, all rolled up in one fashion: the rain, the clouds, it’s all from you. Keep laughing, season to season; keep laughing softly.”
3. Do Pal (Two Moments) from Veer Zaara is about the few moments that two lovers can actually call their love story, as their circumstances don’t allow them to be together. Sonu sings the sad duet with Lata Mangeshkar, which is picturized on Shah Rukh Khan (Veer) and Preity Zinta (Zaara). Here are some of the heartfelt lyrics. “Was that you, or was it a scent on the breeze? Was that you, or was there color bursting in all four directions? Was that you, or was it some light on the road? Was that you, or was it a song echoing in the atmosphere? Did I find you, or did I find my destination? Was that you, or was it simply a moment touched by magic?”
4. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna from Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (Never Say Goodbye) is sung by Sonu and Alka Yagnik and picturized on Shah Rukh Khan (Dev) and Rani Mukherji (Maya). A sad and touching number, it begins with a soft piano overture. Sonu croons, “You and I know that our paths are separating. You’ll live in my memories even after you’re gone. Seasons come and go but the season of pain doesn’t change. A mist of fragrances stays for one moment and then how they get lost in the wind. Beautiful moments, after they pass often seem like a mere dream. We could meet again sometime. You should never say goodbye. Never say goodbye.” Alka joins in and together, along with the melody, unite to form an intoxicating combination.
5. Sau Dard (A Hundred Pains) from Jaan-E-Mann (Love of My Life) is sung by Sonu and Suzanne. Sonu has outdone himself in this brilliant, beautiful yet sad song. Suzanne adds sensuality and an operatic element to her rendition. Lyrically, musically and rendition wise it is a mind-blowing poetic piece that will silence the audiences when the film reaches the theaters on October 20th. This heart-wrenching song, picturized on Salman (Suhaan) and Preity Zinta (Piya) tells of an exasperated lover showing remorse for his lost love. “A hundred pains, a hundred cures for the pain. I got it all my love, I just didn’t get you. Feels like the wind has stopped blowing and like a dried up leaf on the streets of the city, I am flying around all alone. A hundred roads, but yours is missing. Let the water flow. Let time stand still. If the river has made a turn, let the shore bear it. A hundred yearnings but am not sad over you. Alone, alone, he is alone. He is alone. Walk alone, walk alone.”
6. Kal Ho Na Ho from Kal Ho Na Ho (Filmfare and National Awards for Best Male Playback Singer) brings tears to your eyes when you’ve seen the movie. Sonu sings Shahrukh’s (Aman) part with such passion as he says, “At every moment, life is changing its shape. Sometimes life is shadow; sometimes it is sunlight. Live each moment of it to the fullest, for the opportunity may or may not be here tomorrow. A person who loves you wholeheartedly is not easy to find. One who will do so is the loveliest miracle of all, for such beneficence may or may not be here tomorrow. Live each moment of it to the fullest, for the opportunity may or may not be here tomorrow. When someone comes to you in love, gather up the courage of your maddened heart; it will keep on pounding. But consider what this moment is: a story which may or may not continue tomorrow.”
7. Khamoshiya Gungunane Lagi (Silence has begun to hum) from One 2 Ka 4 is sung by Sonu and Lata Mangeshkar and is picturized on Shah Rukh Khan (Arun) and Juhi Chawla (Geeta). Feelings between the two friends are being to be realized and they begin to express them to each other. “Silence has begun to hum. Solitude has begun to smile. The wind whispers, it has secretly told me express the state of your heart, don’t hide it from your lover. Hearing this, my eyes have begun to shy away. Whose dream has awakened within my eyes? A new life is starting with my very breath. Someone’s call is being whispered by the winds. Talk of someone is hidden in my lips. Day and night, in my eyes, a shadow has begun to waver.”
8. Pal, Pal Har Pal (Every Moment) from Lage Raho Munnabhai (Never Say Die Munnabhai) is a melodious, romantic piece by Sonu and Shreya Ghoshal, which has a soft, soothing effect on the listener. They sing this sweet and simple tune to the sounds of piano and guitar, making it perfect candlelight dinner music. It is picturized on Sanjay Dutt (Munnabhai) and Vidya Balan (Jhanvi). “Every moment…how will moments [between us] pass in our hearts? There is…some turbulance, some uncertainty. Oh my co-traveller/partner, I am afraid (I wish that) this night doesn’t pass and morning never come; that our whole lives shrink to this moment. If you are with me then the journey…feels like a beautiful home. Iif you are with me then this sky…feels like protective shadow.”
9. Pyar Ki Ek Kahani from Krrish is also sung in the flawless and fluid voices of Sonu and Shreya and is picturized on Hrithik (Krrish) and Priyanka (Priya). It tells a simple story about a boy and a girl who have found love in each other. “Once there was a boy and a crazy girl. She started laughing and he laughed too; neither understood what was happening. What should have been left unsaid, was spoken. What should have remained unheard, was heard.”
10. Tanhayee (Loneliness) from Dil Chahta Hai (The heart yearns) is picturized on Aamir Khan (Akash). The song requires Sonu to deliver high-pitched vocals yet still depict a sense of loneliness, which he accomplishes with excellence. The instrumentals are cleverly interwoven throughout. “How I stumbled on the path of the heart. All my dreams broken, all my happiness gone to sleep, my life lost. In the love I had for you I found only a punishment: Loneliness, loneliness, a vast expanse of loneliness. How many tears it has brought to my lashes? Why, when I hoped so hard, was that hope useless?”
And those are my ten top songs by Sonu Nigam!
