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List of all TF songs in unique/unconventional pattern or structure

Topic started by Raja Fan (@ spider-wc014.proxy.aol.com) on Fri Jul 30 02:47:08 EDT 1999.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Indian films generate nearly 3,500 songs each year, almost all of them in the same pattern: Instrumental or vocal prelude ->First stanza or Pallavi and Anu Pallavi ->First instrumental/vocal/choral interlude -> Second stanza or Charanam and Anu Pallavi -> rarely some humming or instrumental round-up -> back to First stanza -> Second interlude -> repeat of Second Stanza with different lyrics -> back to First stanza. Really a worn-out structure and only very rarely have some ingenious compositions were produced. I begin this thread listing out few I remember as breakthrough or unconventional compositions that should have paved way for more breathtaking and unpredictable patterns like in the Sound of Music. Anyway, the following are my initial list and request everyone to complete this list with what you all came across:

1. India naadu Naam veedu ( so many different movements or stanzas that I have never heard a song ever in this pattern. This is why MSV is probably 10 times ahead of IR as per SPB and I agree.)

2. Oru Raja Raniyidam (4 different interludes and 4 different second stanzas. Only possible by MSV. See the songs MSV gave Sivaji!)

3. Yengum Niraindha Iyarkayin (2 different charanams and a very peculiar second stanza. Easily one of IR's and Indian film's most dramatic compositions.)

4. Yengey Endhan Kadhali (IR's unbeatable pattern a predecessor to what our ARR says that his the first attempt at that structure in the Maanamadurai MaamarathidayileY. Hey, ARR, Raja was already there, buddy! Technically, only the likes of Geetha or Srikanth, Srinath, rajaG or Ramani can explain the shift in the scales)

5. That brings us to Maanamadura..... (Kudos to ARR for making the pattern to make it more Tamil folk)

6. Strawberry Kanne (I am very pleased with this song as ARR has brought the Sound of Music songs touch for the first time in Indian films. This pattern is very dignified and sophisticated. Has IR or MSV done any songs in this structure?

Please help in pointing out more of such songs.

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Responses:

• From: eden (@ 202.54.71.154) on: Fri Jul 30 05:21:13 EDT 1999
  
  3500 songs every year?
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Fri Jul 30 07:07:50 EDT 1999
  
  raja rasigarE,
  i had started a similar thread earlier, but there wasn't much response. u must have heard the songs "raaja magaL roja malar" and "kaNNum kaNNum kalanthu" from vanjikkOttai vaaliban (music - C Ramchandra). the shift in tempo and pattern is amazing, specially when u see that all the stanzas retain a commonality, they don't sound like two different songs strung together.
  other songs that fit the bill:
  
  "junior" from avargaL - i usually go crazy whenever i listen to this song, or even think about it, it's such an outstanding composition. and what lyrics!! the idea of a man expressing his unrequited love through his puppet was innovation par excellence. am truly lost for words.
  
  "chinnanchiru vayathil" from meendum kOkila - the song as such obeys the unsaid rule of pallavi, charanam, what not, but its the second interlude that i find interesting and intriguing. was it IR's way of proving what he's said many times - that everything is music, including everyday sounds?
  
  "thom thom thom" from sindhu bhairavi - electrifying song from raja. i would put this right at the top ten best compositions of his. broke every rule of conventional song composing and remains a memorable one.
  
  got lots more in store, but time's at a premium. catch ya later, folks
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Fri Jul 30 08:57:53 EDT 1999
  
  another great unconventional song is "intha punnagai enna vilai" from some MGR starrer. beautiful jazz in the first two interludes, and a folk one in the third. listen carefully and u can see the three stanzas vary ever so slightly in tempo as to seem alike. and unlike the first two stanzas, the third actually has two parts: kaNNil pattathil paadhi sugam kaiyil thottathil meethi sugam iravukkum nilavukkum vElai vaiththaan kaalaththil kaathalai vaazhavaiththan ivaL moodiya paarvaiyil mayakkam ithazh moodiya vaarththiayil mounam indha aaramba paadaththai padiththEn adhai unnidamE naan nadiththEN entha nEramum.... hats off to the genius of MSV (and TKR?).
  
  
• From: rajaG (@ daecfp01.sprint.com) on: Fri Jul 30 10:22:46 EDT 1999
  
  Some additional songs which do not conform to the standard pallavi-anupallavi-charaNam pattern.
  
  1 ChandralEkhaa - Thiruda Thiruda - ARR
  2 On odhattOra sivappEy - Adimaichchangili - Deva
  3 thenpaandi seemaiyilE - Naayagan - IR
  
  
• From: bb (@ inehou-pxy04.compaq.com) on: Fri Jul 30 10:25:05 EDT 1999
  
  ini achcham achcham illai from indira is pretty different, doesn't follow the standard structure, and is a good composition IMO.
  
  
• From: Isai Rasigai (@ columbo.wfd.com) on: Fri Jul 30 10:41:15 EDT 1999
  
  I like the way Maragatha mani (?) had composed sa sa sa sa ni dha sa ni paa ni dha maa dha pa ma ga ni ve dha .... (Rahman and Gowthami movie - Balachandar's I guess - (nee paadi naan paadi?)dont know the name!)
  
  I also found one other song - which I guess is even pretty tough to sing - "Vaa veliye ilam poonguyile ..... vidai yaar arivaar indha pottiyile ... medai meedhu paadum gaaname" - I dont remember the name of the movie - it is a mohan and Nadia starrer - This song has an interesting charanam - sounds like an attempt has been made for some kind of swarabedham( if I remember right, I think the song is in subhapanduvarali and the swarabedham-like portion is in Mohanam - chithra has done full justice to the song....
  (the song chiththirai maasathu nilavu varudhu vazhi vidu vazhi vidu is from the same movie)
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Sat Jul 31 05:45:16 EDT 1999
  
  isairasigai,
  that song is from Paadu Nilave, which had the lovely "malaiyOram veesum kaatru".
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Sat Jul 31 11:40:20 EDT 1999
  
  maragathamani tuned a superb number in azhagan that goes "thaththithOm viththaigaL", which definitely belongs to the unconventional brand of music.
  but the problem with many such songs, IMO, is that they can be appreciated and lauded for their novelty but cannot really be enjoyed time and again, as is case with the above song. i agree its a good one, but i'll never record it on tape.
  our culture, upbringing, music sense both inherited and cultivated all act in sync to ensure that we remain conditioned to the pallavi-charanam format.
  
  technically speaking, these songs also qualify, though i cannot vouch for their acceptability in this list:
  
  pettai rap - kaadhalan. absolutely crazy song.
  nari paattu - moonram pirai. i feel this is one of the few good kid songs in TFM. fun listening to it.
  kadavuL amaiththuvaiththa mEdai - avaL oru thodarkathai. another song with lots of animal sounds to entertain the kids. but it was an amazing feat on kannadasan's part to have penned the lyrics.
  
  an example of an offbeat song that's technically appropriate here, but musically jarring is "padagu padagu aasai padagu". starts quite pleasingly, but loses track and starts sounding like 2-3 songs were strung together for the sake of the situation or whatever.
  
  and now for the KING of unconventional songs: "sippi irukkuthu muththum irukkuthu". outstanding is an understatement. lyrics, tuning, singing, interludes, picturisation are all top=-notch adding up to an unforgettable and evergreen experience.
  
  back with more later
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Sat Jul 31 11:49:13 EDT 1999
  
  two more songs and i'll be done for the day.
  
  sindhunadhyin misai - kai koduththa deivam. msv's genius once again in display. a song that seamlessly blends two different languages, itself in a way a tribute to bharathiyar's dream of a united in diversity india. the way it rises to a crescendo is magnificent, and of course we cannot overlook TMS's resonant singing.
  
  veerapandi kOttaiyile - thiruda thiruda. extraordinary composition from ARR. great interludes and structure, and some fine singing. i think ARR made the big league with this album.
  
  
• From: Raja Fan (@ spider-wd023.proxy.aol.com) on: Sat Jul 31 13:40:12 EDT 1999
  
  cram, you are amazing. Man, I had almost forgotten the genius work in all the songs you mentioned! I must say TFM is definitely richer by these compositions.
  
  
• From: rajaG (@ ip47.kansas-city7.mo.pub-ip.psi.net) on: Sun Aug 1 01:30:50 EDT 1999
  
  One masterpice number in the non-conventional format - Sangeedha jaadhi mullai from kaadhal Oviyam
  
  
• From: Kamesh (@ hlr-13-105.tm.net.my) on: Sun Aug 1 04:41:27 EDT 1999
  
  Non Conventional. Then take this. Kadha kaelu kadha kaelu from MMKR.
  
  
• From: vj (@ chme6pc4.ecn.purdue.edu) on: Sun Aug 1 23:11:32 EDT 1999
  
  Off the top of my head:
  
  
  Naam Ganga nadhi - Mahanadi (short and profoundly moving)
  
  Kanmani Anbodu - Gunaa (for all that it is known for)
  
  There was a song in Nammavar composed by Mahesh, that involves only human voices.. it was poorly done but different nevertheless
  
  
• From: yvs mani (@ hub.nic.in) on: Mon Aug 2 02:11:39 EDT 1999
  
  I think the following songs fit in this criteria:
  1) Azhage unaai aarathanai seigiren by JC
  2) All songs listed in Short but sweet songs page.
  3) Vizhiyil irunthu ithayam nulanthu - Alaigal oyivathillai
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Mon Aug 2 05:44:36 EDT 1999
  
  rajaG,
  naan sollaNumnu ninachchen, but neenga mundhikkittenga. sangeetha jaadhi mullai is easily among the top songs in this format. i can't remember any other song so operatic in style.
  
  kamesh,
  i don't see anything unconventional in "katha kELu katha kELu", except that it is a ballad. otherwise, it has a beginning, middle and end like any other song. great song, though, one of my favs.
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Mon Aug 2 05:49:01 EDT 1999
  
  raja fan,
  antha paattaiyellaam maRupadiyum kELunga. i'm sure you'll discover something new in them every time. such is the greatness of our composers! for instance, ninaiththaalE inikkum frmo the film. man, now that is music speaking all on its own, without the crutches of words. BRILLIANT!!! sorry for shouting:-)))
  
  
• From: yvs mani (@ hub.nic.in) on: Tue Aug 3 00:55:42 EDT 1999
  
  Another one I could remember is
  Therke adikuthu kaattu thalampoova thaan paarthu from Gokulam by Sirpi.
  Another song from the same film:
  Sittagha irakkai kattu maththappu mala kattu which is a mixture of famous songs in many languages.
  
  Kanne naan pada karsilaiyum ezhunthu aadum from Thayilammal naanillai.
  
  
• From: Sriram Lakshman (@ snfcb704-03.splitrock.net) on: Tue Aug 3 02:33:55 EDT 1999
  
  Lots of "Ninaithaale Inikkum" songs like "Nizhal kaNdavan NaaLuminge","Thatti ketka AaLillenaa" etc would fall under this category.
  
  I know I have mentioned this in this forum before, but what the hell...
  Ulavum thendral Kaatrinile (Manthirikumari)
  ULLam rendum ondru (puthumai pithan)
  Vaarai Nee Vaarai (Manthirikumari)
  All the above songs composed by GRamanathan had only one stanza and a lengthy one . You've got to give him the credit for making it so interesting and melody laden when there is a danger of monotony setting in. If these tunes were composed for pre-written lyrics, the songs would go one more step up in my esteem.
  Vadivelum Mayilum thuNai (Ambikapathy)
  The overall structure of this song is conventional but the second stanza is quite phenomenol. It starts with a different raaga and suddenly gets staccato in nature. Composer ? GR again. Hats Off to him!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Tue Aug 3 09:19:27 EDT 1999
  
  MSV's genius is manifested in yet another classic: "ninnaiyE rathiyendRu" from kaNNe kaniyamuthE. magnificent song that teases the listener into thinking it will move into the second interlude, but goes straight to the lines:
  yaavumE sugamunikkO
  eesanaam enakkun thORRam
  mEvumE ingu yaavumE
  kannammaa kannammaa kannammaa. extraordinary song!
  
  kaadhal oviyam has another offbeat song in "poojaikkaaga vaazhum poovai". vibrant number and interesting lyrics.
  
  similarly, payanangal mudivathillai has this tumultuous song: raaga deepam ERRum. starts off with all the fury of a raging storm and midway glides into the calm after. music speaks!!!
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Tue Aug 3 09:24:33 EDT 1999
  
  i nearly forgot.
  "vaanengum thanga vinmeengal" from moonraam pirai. goes on and on, evolves a structure all its own, pace suddenly changes: how did IR even conceptualise this amazing song? must have been in one of his freewheeling moods!
  
  

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