by Fatema Morbi

Created on: July 20, 2009

There's something in Bollywood movies that even the best Hollywood movies could never compete with - Bollywood songs. Bollywood movies have their tales interspersed with an average of at least seven songs per movie! These songs have their own fan following and often are treated as separate entities from the movie they originate from. It is very possible for a movie to perform badly in the box office and yet have its songs rated at the top of the music charts. The best Bollywood songs tend to become immortalized in time being unconsciously hummed by different generations and evoking the same emotions every time they are played.

Bollywood songs are a very effective marketing tool - long before the movie is released, trailers and music albums of the movie are released as publicity material. In India, where a large portion of the population cannot afford television and cinema, the songs are still accessible via radio. Therefore, Bollywood songs can be enjoyed by people living in the palatial bungalows of Mumbai to the slums of Delhi even if the movies cannot be enjoyed by all.

What makes a good Bollywood song? The trends keep on changing. Back in the days of black and white movies, slow repetitive tunes were clear winners. Scenes of coy girls running away from bold boys and secret love rendezvous were popular. In this era, songs such as "Aaja sanam" (Chori Chori, 1956) were in the limelight.

With the advent of colour television, a greater emphasis was placed on the lyrics of Bollywood songs and the choreography which often consisted of colourful scenes and synchronized group dances with the hero and heroine leading the dance groups. Taking advantage of Technicolor, producers also started placing greater emphasis on background scenery and shooting movies in exotic locations. In this period, many great songs were immortalized. Some of these chart busters were "Kabhi kabhie" (Kabhi Kabhie, 1976), "Dekha ek khwab ko" (Silsila, 1981). In this period, ghazals which are four-verse stanza poems of Urdu origin also became popular. Singers such as Jagjit Singh and lyricists such as Javed Akhtar became highly acclaimed in this period.

Later in the century, music producers such as A.R. Rahman brought a revolution in the Indian film industry. He introduced percussion and new instruments that breathed new life into the traditional beats that Indians were used to hearing. Songs of movies such as Roja (1992), Bombay (1995), Dil Se (1998) and Taal (1999) will probably be among the most memorable in Rahman's early career.

Today, Bollywood songs have a generally upbeat sound to them and are a reflection of the energy apparent in the youth of India. The best Bollywood songs today have a balance of elements - good beats, good lyrics and good music and they should appeal to the crowd they are meant for. Within a single movie, a number of song genres are possible. Take for instance Kabhi Alvida Na Kehnaa (2006) which had both the slow type of songs "Mitwaa" and "Tumko bhi" and the dance-floor types "Where's the party tonight" and "Rock n' Roll"

In short, the best Bollywood songs are subject to personal preference and large-scale mass popularity. Each era seems to have their own favourites which are hummed and sung-along to time and time again which keeps their magic alive generations after.

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