Topic started by Guru (@ 129.49.80.172) on Sun Sep 29 07:09:39 EDT 2002.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
Quality of film songs has gone down: Lyricists
Our Staff Reporter
Chennai, Sept 29:
Leading film lyricists who participated in the centenary celebrations of lyricist and poet Udumalai Narayanakavi organised by the Sahitya Akademi and Kavya Circle in the city yesterday were unanimous in their opinion that the quality of film songs has degenerated. While veteran lyricist Vali candidly remarked that films had nothing to do with aesthetics or arts and that it was purely a business, popular lyricist Vairamuthu blamed it on the changing times. However, poetess Thamarai provided some comfort to those seeking improvement in film songs when she said lyricists should not bow to the whims and fancies of producers and directors who expect abject verses from them. Thamarai said she declined to pen a song on fashion shows and beauty contests recently. Although she had earned a bad name by such acts, she had successfully avoided writing vulgar and obscene lines. Lyricists should have social responsibility as films and its songs have considerable impact on the people especially youth, she said in a soft but determined tone. Film industry was not purely a business and it had artistic value too, she observed. She hailed Narayanakavi as a poet who propagated rationalism and social reforms and vowed to follow in his footsteps.
Thamarai said all Tamil poets from Ilango who created the epic Silappadhikaran were emotionally attached to Cauvery. Cauvery is not only a river. It is our cultural symbol and the origin of of our civilisation. Poets should be in the forefront of an agitation to secure the release of Cauvery water, which is our right, Thamarai said.
Vairamuthu who spoke later said the deterioration of films songs was a reflection of the changing times. He speculated that he would have penned good songs with quality in both content and form if he was in the film industry four decades earlier. He came out with a revelation that the most popular lyricist Kannadasan had planned to take up journalism after he returned from US (where he died) suggesting that the most successful lyricist who reigned supreme in the Tamil celluloid world was not able to cope with the pressures of modern film industry.
Vairamuthu justified English words in Tamil songs saying that they were used only for humour and fun. Only Tamil words were used for serious situations, he said.
Unlike Vairamuthu who offered several excuses and tried to defend the lyricists, Vali who spoke earlier said film songs were penned for loaves and fishes. Those who claim that they are doing yeoman service to arts and literature by producing films are deceiving people. It is all defrauding the common man. I am in this field for more than 45 years and I know what is happening, he observed.
The other lyricist Muthulingam who also spoke, attributed the deplorable standard of film songs to the lack of Tamil literary knowledge among music directors, producers and directors. Apart from Ilayaraja who is well versed in Tamil literature, no music director understands simple Tamil words leave alone poetry, he remarked.
Muthulingam recalled the achievements of the Justice Party and the association of Narayanakavi with the Dravidian movement. Earlier, a book titled Udumalai Narayanakavi written by K Shanmugasundaram was released by Vali and the first copy was received by Lion V Balakrishnan. Muthulingam also released Udumala Narayana Kaviyin Paadalgal, a collection of Narayanakavis songs. Malayalam writer S Gitendranath delivered the introductory address.
http://www.newstodaynet.com/29sep/ld8.htm
Responses:
- From: Guru (@ 129.49.80.172)
on: Sun Sep 29 07:15:37 EDT 2002
It's 100% true!
Guru
- From: OISG (@ 193.188.97.152)
on: Sun Sep 29 08:21:31 EDT 2002
Muthulingam ..
Tholkappiyarukku Tamizh sonna Tamizh Vallunar,
Kambanukke kavi solliya kavirajan
Ilangovukku ilakkanam solliya imayam
Valluvanukku vazhum vazhi sonna vithagar
Sonna seriyathan irukkum.
- From: emberumaan (@ 172.148.150.57)
on: Sun Sep 29 11:12:09 EDT 2002
'Raja' sabaiyil vaippu pera sila dharumigaL endha alavukku poi uraikka vendiyuladhu.. paavam parithaabam
- From: kiru (@ 64.172.25.94)
on: Sun Sep 29 11:43:56 EDT 2002
hey hey guys this is not fair. What is wrong in saying that IR is strong in something ? Do you think tamil grammar and music are unrelated ?
- From: Aalavandhan (@ 210.186.51.218)
on: Sun Sep 29 12:03:58 EDT 2002
nothing's wrong, except for ".....no music director ....." if you get my drift.
- From: g (@ 129.49.80.172)
on: Sun Sep 29 12:25:09 EDT 2002
Guys....see the context and speak...no one is talking about 20 years back..it is NOW..NOW..NOW
SO.....
Apart from Ilayaraja who is well versed in Tamil literature, no music director understands simple Tamil words leave alone poetry, he remarked.
Ignore those ARR fans who themselves dont know tamil properly....
- From: g (@ 129.49.80.172)
on: Sun Sep 29 12:37:16 EDT 2002
Wonder why KumLaden and NagaS havent seen this thread so far?? Varattum...Vayitherichal Parties...Enna ezhudharaangannu paakalaam!
- From: vengayam (@ 203.200.84.67)
on: Mon Sep 30 07:08:26 EDT 2002
"Narumugaye"," Thenmerkku paruva"," kai neetum thambiye","vaseegara","nalam nalam ariya aaval" ellam french paadalgal polirukku!
- From: OISG (@ 193.188.97.152)
on: Mon Sep 30 08:09:57 EDT 2002
IS John Williams good at English literature?He would not have read Suitable boy by Vikram seth and Satanic verses by Salman Rushdie.
I dont know how he composes for English movies?
- From: fed up (@ 195.93.50.7)
on: Mon Sep 30 08:56:26 EDT 2002
OISG,
you have an attitude problem mate.
I think you have not read the books written by IR.when I went to India I got his recent books-much of the stuff is over my head-but this man knows his tamil.
You just cannot tolerate anyone saying anything good about IR.you have to pounce on the keyboard and HAVE to type some silly statements to put down IR.
why unnecessarily talk about John williams here?
- From: OISG (@ 193.188.97.152)
on: Mon Sep 30 09:10:16 EDT 2002
IR knows his tamil..say that.
No other music director ....why mate?Dont try to walk on dead bodies to reach your throne.You wont stay there long!
When Muthulingam ( one among many Avayorap pulavars )statments are taken at face value why Kanndasan s/Vali s words on MSV and Vairamuthu s words on Rehman are put down?
Attitude problem!Hmm...
- From: yaaro (@ 195.93.50.7)
on: Mon Sep 30 09:20:03 EDT 2002
as matter of interest,what did kanndasan say about mSV's knowledge in tamil and what did VM say about ARR's knowledge in tamil?
I am c and p from another posting from long time back-
//I like to quote another word from writer Sujatha when he mentioned about Raja while writing about the functions of brain in Junior Vikatan.
" There are very few persons in the world whose knowledge in their field makes to believe that there exists something called "GOD'S GIFT". Ilayaraja's talent is not measurable and his talents are beyond human capacity//
- From: Aalavandhan (@ 203.106.139.2)
on: Mon Sep 30 09:29:50 EDT 2002
I don't know why we should get huffed up about what Muthulingam said.
Who is Muthulingam? What makes him an absolute authority on Tamil?
People here treat much greater figures than Muthulingam with contempt, so why bother about an almost non-entity?
Sooriyanai paarthu naai kuraikkirathu endru, vittu thalunggal thozhargale. :)
Having said all that, I agree that IR's command of the language is simply astounding.
- From: yaaro (@ 195.93.50.7)
on: Mon Sep 30 09:50:19 EDT 2002
Aalavandhan,
You are saying this!
finally something we both agree.
Nice to see u.
- From: meluvit (@ 204.27.156.146)
on: Mon Sep 30 09:59:55 EDT 2002
No other music director care what is written...thedithan kandupidikanum nalla words in other's songs...Vaseegara is 'cos of Thamarai...if she has written something like eppadi epapdi...harris would have tuned it....bottom line is "THEY DONT CARE ABOUT WORDS AS IR DID"
- From: kiru (@ 192.138.150.227)
on: Mon Sep 30 10:00:51 EDT 2002
OISG, John Williams does not compose for lyrics. IR does. Yes, this should be seen in the current context only. I am almost certain MSV knows how to set lyrics to tune, from the first principles. One of the reasons, those days people trained under another music director was to know the nuance of setting lyrics to tune. In tamil, every asai (asai, seer, thaLai in tamil ilakkanam) maps to beat or a half-beat. If you see thEvAram, the thALams are specified, not the rAgam. That is given a lyric, the thalam is fixed.
You can apply tamil grammar to even english lyrics and it will work (because it works on sound - kuril, nedil). (Ofcourse, somebody, who knows music, will figure this out, by intuition. but the good thing is tamil isai ilakkanam has all this figured out. Not knowing isai ilakkanam you are going 'by the ear' and it is not guaranted to be 100% correct). This is the main reason, IR, started giving out tunes to write the lyrics. Because this way he can come up with new tunes. This is also the main problem in setting lyrics to tune. You are dependent on the lyrics writer's musical creativity. (I have a theory - IR songs have perfect thALam/beat and harmony layers, mainly for this reason. This accentuates the effect of the lyrics and makes you remember the words much better. This is my probably explanation to people who claim IR songs are more memorable than others).
Many of our lyricists do not know the nuances of music. Great poets of yore like bhArathiyAr are so well-versed in music they know all the rAgams and thAlams and were able to compose lyrics brilliantly with lyrics matching the tune. Yes, those days, it was like modern times rock..people wrote lyrics and composed music. Once when music and rAgams got more and more complicated and the grammatical rules got stricter, there occured a split.
And I DO think very few current music directors know about all these rules (maybe dEva, vidyAsAgar, I doubt Rahman does).
Note, not only IR gives out the tune, most times, he even gives out example lyrics. (this probably irks some lyricists).
Now, what is the problem in accepting this strength of IR ?
- From: Thiru (@ 63.169.243.35)
on: Mon Sep 30 10:04:14 EDT 2002
Is there a thread in TFM without ARR/IR/MSV comparison???
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