Dancing with Dogs: Stupid love and Meghasandesham

Stupid love and Meghasandesham

Ever love someone so much that you want to strangle and kiss the person at the same time? So much that even though they are exasperating you to the point of putting criminal thoughts in your mind but your heart keeps chanting - “I love __”, “I love __”…? Ever love someone so much that you go to bed angry but wake up with sweet dreams and thoughts? ;-)

Random thoughts: Isn’t Devulapalli the best lyric writer/poet ever to grace the telugu world? I am listening right now to “Meghasandesham” (message sent through clouds”, a movie with music composed by Ramesh Naidu. A couple of the songs are Jayadeva’s ashtapadis - “Priye Charusheele”, “Radhika Krishna” - while others are penned by Devulapalli, Veturi and Palagummi. “Akulo Akunai” (like a leaf within leaves) is the Devulapalli song that won a Nandi award for best lyrics. The song just flows so well and the lyrics are such simple yet beautiful words that just listening to them melts your heart.

A lot of the songs are sung by Yesudas, another virtuoso singer without par - “Priye Charusheele” (O lover, O jewel”) , “Akasa Deshana” (In the city in the sky), “Radhika Krishna”, “Navarasa Sumamalika” (a garland of flowers of the nine emotions), “Sigalo avi virulo” (those flowers in your hair) - Balamurali sings another version of “Navarasa Sumamalika” and there is Susheela with her deep voice (Chitra’s voice somehow always put me off as did Janaki’s for lacking a certain depth and gravitas).

Almost all songs are classical in composition except for some like “Mundu telisena Prabhu” (a beautiful song about a courtesan who wishes her lover had let her known a little beforehand so that she could get everything ready and make sure she loves him enough to keep him with her forever) and “Akulo akunai” (a wife’s song of blending with her husband’s passion for music and experiencing a oneness with nature). There are some songs that just touch the depths of your heart not just with music but with the meaning of the words.

I have got to say - I hate the recent A.R.Rahman music in Telugu. I love the tunes and the rhythms - there is something about the lyrics that is so made up to fit the tune that is just disgusting. The song “Kabhi neem neem, kabhi shehad, shehad” (bitter sometimes, sweet sometimes) from the movie “Yuva” was “Sankurathri Kodi, Katthilanti Kodi” (A pongal rooster, real powerful one) in Telugu. Can you see the difference where the first lyrics express a wife’s description of the duality in her husband’s personality while the second set talk about her husband a little weird? If the lyrics are not good, I lose interest in the music regardless of how great the tune is - it happened with a lot of Rahman tunes - Jeans, Yuva, Sakhi, etc.

I think music moves you not just when the tune is melodious, but when the lyrics make you want to listen closely and follow the song instead of letting it just hum int he background. The best music is that, that resonatels with you and makes you want to listen to it with your heart if not dance to it with your feet. It is also music that you can sing along to - regardless of what mood you are in. It is music that shares your heart’s sadness as much as it lifts your spirit with the melody.

Posted by shanti at September 13, 2005 9:39 PM