I’m sitting near an open window, breathing in what we always knew as the saundhi khushboo of wet earth (I’ve since discovered the correct English term is petrichor). Outside the window is a balcony, crowded with plants that are suddenly no longer limp and weary with the heat. Beyond the balcony is a field dotted with cows and cattle egrets. Pools of water shimmer silver in the field. The grass and the trees around the edges are bright green against the brooding grey of the clouds beyond. The monsoon is here. Finally, thankfully, here.
And so, in celebration: ten of my favourite monsoon songs, all from films I’ve seen. These are songs about the monsoon, about clouds, rain and cooling breezes. They don’t necessarily feature rain in the picturisation, but they evoke a longing for rain when one’s parched and hot—and they rejoice in the coming of the rain.
So, here goes. I’ll begin at the bottom and make my way up to the top, to my very favourite monsoon song.
1. Barsaat mein humse mile tum sajan (Barsaat, 1949, Shankar-Jaikishan, Shailendra, Lata Mangeshkar)
I’m not a Raj Kapoor or Nimmi fan (though I like Prem Nath), but this song merits a place in this list simply because it’s one of the earliest examples of a monsoon song that I can remember. There’s no rain here, but there’s the anticipation of rain and the hoped-for meeting with a beloved that the rain brings with it. A quaintly historic song, in terms of choreography, singing, music and acting—and a trendsetter of sorts for the many other songs that equate rain with rendezvous?
2. Kuchh kehta hai yeh saawan (Mera Gaon Mera Desh, 1971, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Anand Bakshi, Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey)
Another rain=romance songs, but this one, though it doesn’t feature rain, offers a glimpse of impending showers. Dharmendra and Asha Parekh sing and dance through fields of sugarcane, across low hillocks with billowing white-and-grey clouds, and past a gunmetal-grey lake surrounded by green… this is quintessential rural India during the monsoon. A sight for sore eyes.
3. Hariyala saawan dhol bajaata aaya (Do Bigha Zameen, 1953, Salil Choudhary, Shailendra, Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey)
One of those rare songs that celebrate not love, but actually the coming of the monsoon. Shailendra’s lyrics are evocative and full of lovely metaphors. The earth, decked out like a bride in a veil of green; the thunder of the clouds likened to the drumming of a dhol; the sheer joy of a parched farming village that rejoices at the arrival of the rains.
4. Saawan ki raaton mein aisa bhi hota hai (Prem Patra, 1962, Salil Choudhary, Rajinder Krishan, Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mehmood)
From one of my favourite films, this is another song about love in the time of rain. The lyrics don’t dwell on the monsoon, but the picturisation (though there’s not a drop of rain) does: the wind whips the fronds of the palm trees; musses up Sadhana’s hair, and blows Shashi Kapoor’s scarf about his face. It always reminds me of a building storm, the sort I’d associate with heavy rain in the offing.
5. Allah megh de paani de chhaaya de re tu (Guide, 1965, SD Burman, Shailendra, SD Burman)
This song was one reason I didn’t call this a post of rain songs. Because Allah megh de is not a rain song, but a desperate plea for rain. It’s a brief plaint, peopled by cattle plodding through the dust, concourses of thirsty villagers, and their reluctant local saint, played by Dev Anand. The song’s very touching, and made more so by the haunting voice of S D Burman himself.
6. Kaali ghata chhaaye mora jiyaa tarsaaye (Sujata, 1959, SD Burman, Majrooh Sultanpuri), Asha Bhonsle)
If Barsaat mein humse mile tum was in anticipation of love, so is this, but in a more refined, quieter way. Nutan, acting the ‘untouchable’ Sujata, wanders through a house and garden strangely deserted, looking up at the gathering clouds, the shadow cast by a frangipani tree—and wistfully wishes for the coming of someone to help take away the loneliness of a lazy monsoon afternoon. Beautiful.
7. Kaare-kaare baadra jaa re jaa re baadra (Bhabhi, 1957, Chitragupt, Rajinder Krishan, Lata Mangeshkar)
—And this one’s the exact opposite when it comes to tone and feel. Shyama, vibrant and vivacious, dances through her opulent (read fussy) home, dancing gaily and telling the clouds to be gone, because their thundering wakes her up from the dreams of her beloved. No rain here, no clouds even (except in the lyrics), but the music’s excellent, and Shyama is a joy to behold.
8. O ghata saanwari thodi-thodi baanwari (Abhinetri, 1970, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Lata Mangeshkar)
This one has a little bit of rain everywhere! Hema Malini greets an evening rainfall in a greenhouse, and watches it from a window while she’s doing a little workout and then having a bath. The hope that the rain will bring an (as yet unknown) amour is there, of course—but there’s also plenty of rain, pitter-pattering on the glass, forming puddles in the driveway, sheeting down against a backdrop of (admittedly tacky) lightning.
9. O sajna barkha bahaar aayi (Parakh, 1960, Salil Choudhary, Shailendra, Lata Mangeshkar)
I simply love this song. Not only is the music superb, so is the singing—Lata’s at her best. And while a young Sadhana (in one of her first films) is endearing, the imagery of the rain is what makes O sajna… stand out. Drops fall on leaves and trickle off the petal of a hibiscus flower. Rain splashes into puddles and drips into a large bowl left out to catch water. It pours down the sloping edge of a roof and forms a tiny pool in our heroine’s cupped hand as she sings to the man she loves… can the monsoon get any more romantic?
10. Garjat barsat saawan aayo re (Barsaat ki Raat, 1960, Roshan, Sahir Ludhianvi, Suman Kalyanpur and Kamal Barot)
I have a confession to make: I don’t remember what this song looks like (was Shyama in it?) and the Internet, for once, has failed to yield a video that I can link to. But video or not, Garjat barsat saawan aayo re holds first place for me. Simply because the music (classical at its best!) and the singing are so mind-blowing. The music trills and ripples like flowing water; the lyrics speak of the wind, the shimmering rain and the thunder; and the voices blend together in a scintillating, memorable duet. Awesome.
Dustedoff 
I love rain songs :) Glad you are finally getting some relief from the stifling heat!!
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i Totally love the Do bigha zamin one, i remember it was the first song from the movie and i loved it immediately, its one of my favourites and as Barsaat ki raat was my rental choice for the weekend, i’ve ripped off the Garjat barsat song unto youtube, so you can see what it looks like below,
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memsaab: Yes, I’m so glad the rains have arrived. It’s not as if it’s pouring all the time – just a drizzle maybe every couple of days, but it’s such a welcome relief!
bollywooddewana: Oh, thank you! So the song plays as the credits roll… I had been wondering about the picturisation, because though I saw the film years ago, I remembered the picturisation of every song except this one. Now I know why. Awesome song, and one of the best scores in Bollywood – each song is superb. I’m looking forward to your review! *hint*
BTW: Yes, isn’t Hariyala saawan dhol bajaata aaya lovely? It evokes the monsoon very well.
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bollywood deewana: Thank you so much for this beautiful song. I jsut adore the beautiful rendition of this song. Roshan at his best.
Monsoon! The first rain after the heat of the summer in india is a beauty beyond words. Miss it a lot!
I love all rain songs. My favorite from your list is: O sajna from Parakh and Rim jhim gire sawan from manzil, which is not in your list.
I like O ghata sanwari from Abhinetri a lot as well, but the picturisation spoilt it for me. I had picturised it in my mind as sung by a heroine somewhere at least in Mahableshwar if not in Darjeeling, with swirling mist. :-(
Barsaat mein hum se mile tum from Barsaat is one of my mum’s fav song! But it really doesn’t do much to me. Wonderful is also Rhim jhim ke tarane leke aayi barsaat from Kala Bazaar.
Kali ghata chaaye mora jiya tarsaye has an infectious longing in it!
I discovered Sawan ki raaton mein aisa bhi hota hai only some six months back on you tube and fell in love with it. BTW, is this the only movie, which pairs Shashi with Sadhana?
Kaare kaare badra is a lovely song as well.
Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi from Chori chori, though it has no rain in the song, the presence of rain and romance is more than felt through Manna Dey’s and Lata’s rendition.
rim jhim ke geet sawan from Anjaana is also a quite nice rain song!
Thanks for the list and the whiff of saundhi khushboo, pardon petrichor.
Kaun sa chor? Petri chor!
One learns not only about hindi and english cinema on your blog but also the english langauge itself!
Thanks!
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(I just love that song, though of course it doesn’t fit).
(Sigh, checked, though this song is about it, there ain’t no rain. But I love it anyway.)
–> Is apt to generate a list all by himself. But still…
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harvey: Yes, Rimjhim gire saawan is also a good rain song, but then, since I was restricting myself to the 50’s and 60’s, that wouldn’t fit. If I hadn’t imposed that restriction on myself, I’d probably have added a surprisingly recent song about the rain which I like a lot: Saawan barse tarse dil from Dahek. Lovely song, given that I don’t much care for recent music.
Yes, my including Barsaat mein humse mile tum was more because of its historical value rather than its appeal; it doesn’t do anything to me either!
Prem Patra is the only film I recall with Sadhana and Shashi Kapoor opposite each other – they also worked in Waqt, but with other leads: Sadhana opposite Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor opposite Sharmila Tagore. I wish they’d done more films together: they’re so good in Prem Patra!
I suppose the occasional tidbits of English `discoveries’ I pass on are a result of the fact that I’m a writer – I can’t resist exploring the language!
AKM: Thank you for that Eddie Rabbit song: so what if it doesn’t qualify here, still a great rain song (and I love country music!). I like the Ajnabi song too: would probably have added it if my post went beyond the 60’s! :-)
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Thanks for the “occasional tidbits of English `discoveries’ “! My English is deteriorating due to lack of practice. The blogs are my only practice.
As to the rain songs, which I forgot to mention (which doesn’t fit in your list) is also lagi aaj saawan ki ohir woh from Chandni.
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Thnak you AKM for one of my fav rain songs: Bheegi bheegi raaton me, though I am not satisifed with the picturisation.
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I posted a favorite monsoon song to Memsaab’s rain song thread, but it starred Padmini and was from Mera Naam Joker, and since this is a blog of someone who is a fan of neither Raj Kapoor nor Padmini… OK, that’s not really the reason I didn’t post the clip here. The real reason is that I didn’t want to hog too much space in comments and there are a couple of other songs I’m thinking about more now…
Assuming it’s not stretching things too much to mention a Pakistani song (and I would certainly assume it isn’t at this point ;), I found this one impressive. It’s a song from the 1956 film Intezar, and though I don’t know what the lyrics mean, I love how the music simulates rain and thunder – I don’t think I’ve seen/heard another song do that quite this way:
Meanwhile, I was also wondering if we might include “Bakkad Bum Bum Baaje Damroo”:
Anyway, very nice list above – I particularly like the songs from Do Bigha Zamin and Barsaat Ki Raat.
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harvey: Somehow, I never got around to watching Chandni – the Mere haathon mein nau-naur churiyaan song irritated me so much (God knows why!) that I developed an illogical aversion to the film… must check out this song, though.
Richard: Ah, thank you for these three! I think I don’t mind Padmini if she’s got on a little less makeup than usual – and Mose ang lag jaa baalma is nice. And Baaakad bum bum baaje damroo is lovely too: I like the way it celebrates the monsoon, peacocks and all. Very nice.
But I must admit, of these three songs, the really pleasant surprise was the Intezaar song. The lyrics aren’t exceptional – they follow the old pattern of dark clouds, pattering rain, and cool breeze reminding the girl of her beloved, who isn’t around… but the music is wonderful. What also surprised me a bit was that the lyrics weren’t in chaste Urdu: there were a lot of words there which are definitely Sanskritised Hindi. By the time I began watching Pakistan TV in the early 1980’s, (I’ve never seen their films, but saw a lot of TV), you’d only hear Urdu.
Possibly, since this film was less than a decade after Partition. the influence hadn’t completely disappeared… similar to Hindi cinema, where you’d hear a lot of Urdu till well into the 60’s, even in films that weren’t Muslim socials.
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I got goosebumps reading your list. Shyama looked so lovely in Jaa re kaare badra. O ghata sanvari – wow ! O sajna is the loveliest song. Garjat barsat = is again .. wow !
great list.
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Thank you! Now if only the rain would come back to Delhi – there’s not a cloud in the sky! :(
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Wow! That’s a lovely pic (the first one); is that the view from your window?
OT: Yesterday morning, I saw the first part of a program dedicated to SD Burman on one of the news channels. Later, I went on youtube and saw some of his songs. You know, people tell you that so and so is a genius and you accept it, but to discover it on your own is magical. I got goosebumps listening to his songs esp., Choyya choyya chand. Rafi is now officially my hero.
I wonder how did we go from such lyrical beauty to the atrocity we call music today?
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Yes, that is is the view from my window. You’d never believe it was Delhi. ;-)
I saw part of that programme on S D Burman too… this guy was so, so good. I adore his songs, including those he sang himself. Guide, I think, is among his best scores – Allah megh de and Wahaan kaun hai tera are simply haunting.
Very little music today can be even termed music.
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Wow, lucky you!!
Yes, SD Burman was so good. Now, that I know, I wonder how did I miss the influence of Rabindra music in his work. The first time I heard Rabindra sangeet in a film was Basu Bhattacharya’s Anubhav. It had a strange haunting quality about it.
And of course, Guide is superb. It had so much variety — Allah megh de, tere merey sapnay, aaj phir jeeney ki tamana, gata rahey mera dil, din dhal jaye, kya se kya, piya tou se, and the snake dance music. And the picturization!
I think you should do a list of best picturized songs. It is such a neglected feature in our films today — we used to be so good at it.
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Last night I remembered the song “chaii barkha bahar” from Chirag. Though there is nor rain drop anywhere in sight, a nice song !
And there is this Madan Mohan song from a 1960 film, which I can’t remeber but can remember liking it a lot!
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You may be talking of Ja re badara bairi Ja from the film Bahana 1960
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Sabrina: A list of best picturised songs would go into the hundreds! They just took so much trouble, back then… among my other favourite SDB scores are for Munimji, Paying Guest (O nigaahein mastaana is one of my favourites when it comes to picturisation!), Nau Do Gyaarah, Pyaasa, Kaagaz ke Phool, Kala Bazaar, Bandini… and so many more.
Just the other day, I was watching a Hollywood noir (Macao) in which Jane Russell sings a song in a casino. Not bad – and Russell is beautiful – but it got me thinking: this situation, with Helen, maybe Geeta Dutt singing playback and music by SDB or OP Nayyar, and it could’ve been something absolutely memorable, like this. Yes, we were good at this.
harvey: Yes, Chhaayi barkha bahaar is lovely too – Chirag had good music.
Please, don’t you remember anything about the Madan Mohan song? Whom it was picturised on, for instance? I am very fond of Madan Mohan, would love to hear which one you mean!
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Would you be talking about Ja re badara bairi ja re ja re from the film Bahana 1960 which was sung by Lata Mangeshkar
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That is a beautiful song, but I don’t know if that’s the one Harvey meant.
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Yes, it is. He mentions it in a comment below. ;)
https://madhulikaliddle.com/2009/07/04/ten-of-my-favourite-monsoon-songs/#comment-1170
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:-D Wonderful song!
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I only know that the last time I searched for this song in you tube it wasn’t there, just an audio version! It is a semiclassical song, sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
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Now i remember it. it is not really a rain song, but a rainy cloud one: ja re badra bairi jaa from bahaana.
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Just listened to the audio version on youtube. Lovely! I’d heard the song earlier, but had forgotten all about it. Very nice.
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Had to sing the above song now.
I was riding my bicycle fromm one working place to the other.
But no, the badra remained right above my head and it didn’t bring a sandesva from my piya! :-(
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Accidentally discovered this delightful rain song on you tube.Wouldn’t be on my best 10 rain song list, but music full of verve and joy.
Rimjim Barse Paani from Pardesi
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Ah, that’s a nice song. I really want to see this film, if only for the historical angle (and, of course, the music). Will see if induna has it.
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I am surprised to see my favourite rain song, Rimjhim Ke Tarane Leke Aayi Barsaat from Kala Bazaar missing from the list. Rafi-Geeta sang it very well.
Here’s the youtube link to the song:-
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Ah, well… it would be boring if everybody adored the same songs! ;-)
I do like Rimjhim ke taraane leke aayi barsaat, but it would probably have been Number 11 on my list.
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petrichor (thanks a lot for the word) – I miss it so much! And you certainly have a lovely view from your window.
There are so many beautiful rain/monsoon/cloud songs in Hindi films – even the new ones have them. Love all the ones on your list, except for the Barsaat one (my Mum was very fond of playing her Barsaat+Andaaz cassette and it played so often that I ended up hating the two soundtracks!). To me, O ghata sanwari seems like it is set to the music of rain – and you can do workout with it as well! But my favorite barsaat song ever is probably Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi woh barsaat ki raat – it combines all the longing for rains one feels in parched Delhi, with so much romance and Madhubala… :-)
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I listened for the first time consciously to hariyala sawan dhol bajata aaya.
It reminded me very much of ghanan ghanan from Lagaan a lot.
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bollyviewer: Yes, Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi is another lovely rain song. I’d thought of including it, but then my favourite – Garjat barsat saawan aayo re was also from that film, so I settled for variety!
harvey: Yes, Hariyala saawan dhol bajaata aaya has a definite touch of Ghanan ghanan: the lyrics evoke the same sense of joy at the coming of the rain. In Do Bigha Zameen, thankfully, the rain does come!
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Oh, I loved this list. Some of the songs I didn’t even heard. All the classics !! Guide’s sequence get me into tears.
there are many many such rainy moments in bollywood. Like Bolly is incomplete without rain. I think you would like my post abt Bolly Rain and a huge list of Rainy songs. Here it is.
http://dunkdaft.blogspot.com/2009/06/ek-post-si-105-bolly-rain-songs.html
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Darshit, wow. I mean, WOW. What a list! You’ve really done a lot of research – must have taken loads of effort! Have a look through the comments in this thread, though – there are plenty more songs from old films that don’t feature in your post. :-)
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And then there are two RD Burman rain numbers from his very early movies:
1. ‘kajre bhadarva re’ from movie Pati patni, and
2. ‘Ghar aaja ghir aaye bhadra’ from ‘Chote Nawab
Worthy son of a worthy father
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Thank you for reminding me of those! This was the first time I saw the video of Ghar aaja ghir aaye badra – I’d never have imagined, from the pace and style of the song, that it was a mujra. Lovely.
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My fav song (and not just the rain song) is O Sajna (Parakh). Gives me a feeling of ecstacy and rapture, especially when the stanza finishes and the beats of the tabla gets faster (“meethi-meethi agani mein jale mora jiyara..O sajna……”)
Love almost all of Salil Da’s songs.
And then there’s ‘Tum jo mil gaye ho’ (Madan Mohan). No mention of the rain in lyrics, but it still is a monsoon song.. :) The photography is amazing and Mumbai is looking fabulous in street lights and rain, especially when the car is moving downhill over a…. what seemed to be a flyover…. the beats had got faster by then…. I found it all very other-wordly…
BTW, I also like ‘Saawan yoon barastaa hai’ (RD Burman). Amongst the latests ones, I like the Lagaan song, but again, it doesnt rain in the song :) Doesnt fit in into the ‘old is gold’ stuff I know, but it’s still amazing I think. What do you think?
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Correction: That RD Burman song is ‘Baadal yoon garajta hai’ (Betaab)
:)
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Yup, agree with you totally. I don’t like too much music from the eighties through the noughties, but the score of Lagaan was exceptional – and Ghanan ghanan is very evocative of the monsoon! And Tum jo mil gaye ho is awesome too – but then, since I restrict my blog to the 40’s through the 60’s, that didn’t qualify. ;-) I’d still rate it as one of the best ‘cityscapes during the rain’ songs I’ve seen.
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‘Cityscape during the rain’…. yeah, that’s THE way to put it! The sheer economy of words, hitting the nail right on the head!
Need I say that you have a way with words? :)
Thanks again!
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Merci beaucoup, that is a compliment indeed! *getting a swelled head*
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i am interested in songs of black&white film SHATRANJ starring ashok kumar&meena kumari.jagdish sethi also starred.particularly the song BARSI HAI PEHLI AAJ GHATA filmed on meena kumari haunts me even today.i shall be glad to know if any vcd of the film or the song is available?
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Thank you for introducing me to this song :-) It’s very beautiful, now I want to see the film too! Unfortunately, the film doesn’t seem to be available anywhere, but you can watch the song on youtube here:
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thank you for guiding me to this site. it has brought back my childhood memories. hope numerous friends will listen&enjoy this song. request information on old classic bollywood movie songs.thanks again.
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You’re welcome! By the way, what sort of information are you looking for on old classic bollywood songs?
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Black and white era film duets like as in chorichori, shree420 etc.duets of Lata with talat,rafi,manna dey are my favourites as also with kisore and mukesh.
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Yes, I agree those are lovely songs… but what information do you need? If you’re simply looking for song videos, you could try http://www.youtube.com. Or you could check out http://atulsongaday.wordpress.com/ – Atul does a song a day, with lyrics etc. That’s a very good blog.
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Though not pre-70, ‘ whir aayi kaali ghat a mattwari, from junoon , is very evocative of the monsoons
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Excuse the typos please…the word press being difficult!
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Did you mean “phir aayi kaali ghata” or “ghir aayi kaali ghata”? Though I’ve seen Junoon (I’m assuming you mean the Shashi Kapoor one), I can’t recall the song.
Interesting bit of serendipity, though; while searching for that song, I came across this one, which is also quite lovely:
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Yes from shashi kapoor/ shy am benegal’s junoon…will try and send a link
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Thank you. Oddly enough, my only recollection of that film is of the scene in the church, when the revolutionaries attack. I remember almost nothing of the rest of the film. Not even the songs.
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Unfortunately can’t post a link…technological issues!
But have since discovered the junoon song to be modelled on a folk one penned, composed by none other than Amir khusro…
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Oh, that is interesting! Do you mean the ‘original’ Amir Khusro – Nizamuddin Auliya’s disciple and friend? My sister and I were discussing, just the other day, the song Zubaan-e-yaar-e-man Turki from Ek Musafir Ek Haseena, from which the refrain is also part of a poem written by THE Amir Khusro.
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Yes :-) THE Amir khusro
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Maybe that could be a post in itself …khusro songs in Hollywood…
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Bollywood !auto spell checks !!!
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Two more spring to mind immediately…
Ab ke baras from bandhini and zihaale miskeen from gulami (
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And of course chaaptilak…though last two are post 1970…so…
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Thinking aloud now… Aaj rang hai…also from junoon…all khusro or khusro inspired!
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My goodness, AK! I am very impressed. :-) You need to do this post – I knew of only one song that had some lyrics by Khusro, but you know so many more! Go on, please – do create a post!
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Ah!time…or rather the lack of it..but will keep thinking of more :-)
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I don’t mind waiting! :-) – but that is certainly a post I’d like to read, whenever you have the time to do it.
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Recently saw Chirag and there was this song “Chhayi barkha bahar/pade ras ki fuhar” which was really gorgeous – both lata’s tune and Asha’s dancing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dqDRHBg7tM
This may not qualify but I absolutely adore this song and sing it quite often – it’s a sad rain song and the lyrics “aisi hi rimjhim aisi fuharein aisi hi thi barsaat/khud se juda aur jag se paraye/hum dono the saath/phir se woh sawan ab kyu na aye” are priceless!
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The sad rain song is the from Guide. “Din dhal jaye hai raat na jaye” – missed mentioning it and instead went straight to my favorite parts of the song. :-)
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I love both the songs you’ve mentioned – and that particular stanza from Din dhal jaaye is a perfect rain song! By the way, I’ve just discovered a film which is replete with rain songs: Naushad’s hit Rattan (1944) had Rum-jhum barse baadarva, Pardesi baalma baadal aaya tere bin kachhu na bhaaya and Saawan ke baadalon unse yeh jaa kaho, all of them lovely rain songs. Especially the first one, which had picturisation very evocative of the monsoon, with young women on swings and so on.
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In the Garjat Barasat song, people recognize Shyama, but not the other actress, who is Ratna, who later played Mrs.Benett in Trishna, the DD serial based on Pride and Prejudice.
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I wish I could get hold of Trishna! I remember liking it a lot when DD aired it. I don’t remember Ratna as being the Mrs Bennett character (frankly, I don’t remember any characters other than the Darcy and Lizzie ones!), but would love to see it again.
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Chaayi Barkha Bahaar from Chiraag is another nice song
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True. Lovely song! :-)
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Dar Laage from Ramrajya (vasant desai) is another gem (surdasi malhar)
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Hadn’t come across that one before… I like the music with its ‘thunder’ effects, and the lyrics – they conjure up such a very real image of the monsoon, even if you don’t watch the video.
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Had it not rained today and had i not felt like not working, i would never have stumbled across ur blog… This is awazing!! I have heard and love most of the songs mentioned here… My uncle hu has almost all old songs, had made me hear them in my school days and till date I am thankful to him for that… !!
Also thank you for pertrichor and cityscape :)
O sanjnaaa… barkha bahaar aayi………
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Thank you for commenting, Bhakti!
Isn’t O sajna barkhaa bahaar aayi a beautiful song? So absolutely unforgettable. The others too, of course, but that one captures the essence of the rain superbly. :-)
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dear dustedoff,i got atuls one song a day and the other day i heard to all talat&lata duets.thank you very much.
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You’re welcome, Dr Satpathy! Talat and Lata’s duets are wonderful – but then, in any case, I am very biased towards Talat. :-)
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Oh so many wonderful songs on your list and then more gems in the follow ups !
Since you like “Garjat barsat sawan” , my favourite too, here is the older version of the same from Malhar by Lata, MD of course is Roshan. The rain comes at the end of the song, and it is used as a background for the credit roll just as in Barsat ki raat.
I gather you like Nalini Jaywant a lot, so here is one from Shikast, music is by SJ
“Kare badra tu na ja na ja”
I wonder what would have happened if cell phones were created years ago, to all these songs penned to send messages through cloudes and moon and stories about lost loved ones……
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Yes, I like the Lata Mangeshkar version of Garjat barsat saawan, too. And when I watched Railway Platform some time back, I also fell in love with Kaare badraa tu na jaa na jaa. This post is actually so old, I think it would be quite different if I were to compile it now. I would probably chuck out the song from Mera Gaon Mera Desh and out in the Railway Platform one.
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When you made this list I wasn’t aware of the existence of your blog, but now I have a comment to post here, guaranteed to make you laugh. Today I was playing the songs from Parakh and the moment the songo sajna started playing, guess what it reminded my brother of? You see I had told him about the comment you posted on my food blog. Confused? It reminded him of drumsticks—- you knowshojne daanta
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Hehe! Oh, goodness, now that you’ve told me that, I’ll never be able to listen to O sajna barkhaa bahaar aayi without being reminded of that!
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HA! HA!
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SONGS ARE NOT NICE
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my favourite will be ek samay par do barsatein from film jhoola. written by Rajender krishan ji . and i don’t like Rhimjhim k taraney le k aayi barsaat cause i feel there should have been one more stanza rather than repeating the same lines. majrooh sultanpuri once wrote that only shailender writes lyrics and all others including him they write shero shaayri.
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Always nice to read about, watch or listen to rain songs, more so when Monsoons are near :)
Don’t recall having seen the film, but I’ve been told by my folks I used to sing and dance to ‘Dum dum diga diga’ as 3 year old. Perhaps I heard it on the radio some day?
Love O Sajna, Saavan barse (Dahek), Rimjhim gire savan, Lagi aaj saavan, Bhaage re mann (Chameli). Many are from later years, so not covered here. Manoj Kumar had a couple in his 70s films – Paani re paani, Haaye haaye ye majboori (but am not too fond of either).
Also the Rimjhim, rimjhim song from 1942 A love story is a favorite. Pancham da’s music to ‘Bajta hai jal tarang teen ki chhat pe jab motiyon jaisa jal barse’ – lovely!
Megha, barkha, bahar, saavan…such lyrical beauty in these words
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Yes, Rimjhim rimjhim was a lovely song, wasn’t it? At a time when Hindi film music had really gone down the drain, that was one film that came as a breath of fresh air.
And I agree with you completely about the lyrical beauty of those words that are so synonymous with the monsoon and its elements. So true, perhaps, of the way we wait for the monsoon – it’s as if all of India waits with a yearning for the monsoon to hit; it’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t endured a hot, dry summer, with the loo blowing and the sun blazing out of the sky.
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barase boondiyan sawan ki
a meera bai bhajan by lata
i like it very much!
so posting it though not a film song.
i hope u like it.
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Very nice list of songs.
Two songs that I like.
“Pal bhar mein yeh Kya ho Gaya” from “Swami”
It does not show rains exactly. But it is omnipresent, in the background, in the lush greenery around and in the lyrics. Towards the end, Shabana is carrying umbrella and walking through puddles. So rain it is.
I don’t understand obsession of drenching middle aged Vinod Khanna and heroines young enough to be his daughters. First with “Dayawan” and then this. If you can watch cringeworthy (read : avoid watching with parents and/or kids) video for a good song then “Tu Sawan mein pyas piya” from Parampara.
Few more, not particular favourites but monsoon/rain songs indeed.
“Ghode jaisi chal hathi jaisi doom” from “Dil to pagal hai” Foot-tapping.
If you can ignore the video and simply listen then “Mohobbat Barsa dena tu” from movie “Creature”. Yes that is the name of movie.
Aakhir tumhe aana hai” from”Yalgaar”
For a change,hero is getting wet here and different sound treatment which you can usually notice in Pheroze Khan movies.
“Hum Tum” title song
“Is dare-e-dil ki” from Yaariyan movie.
Ab ke Saawan” from “Jaime ko Taisa”
“Megha Re Megha” from “Lamhe”
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Lots of songs there that I had never heard before, and a couple of favourites – I love Pal bhar mein yeh kya ho gaya, and I’ve always liked Ghode jaisi chaal too. Thank you!
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