by Sukhi Randhawa

Created on: March 02, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Good songs are generally heard by many ears, many times. Great songs are felt by many hearts, many times. A great song is one which is timeless; lyrically more so than melodically, however, such timeless songs generally have a fine melody and do not make one say "doesn't that sound old?"
A great song's music makes music sound like magic. A great song's lyrics leaves listeners in the light enlightened by the words or inspired by the message. However, although music is a matter of subjectivity, the musical and lyrical impact cannot be scarce, but only vary in interpretation from ear to ear.

There have been many great songs in Bollywood - timeless in fact - but one which I feel is perhaps the greatest of all, is delivered by perhaps the greatest actor of all Amitabh Bachchan.
The song, although not sung by him, is from Kabhi Kabhi, with Amitabh Bachchan reciting it on stage. I say reciting as he aptly plays a poet. In order to be able to really criticise a song and attempt to like or dislike it, I feel it is important to hear it first, meaning it should not be seen with the actions on film. However, as I am describing what I feel is the greatest song of all time in Bollywood, it is inevitable that the visual too shall be described. Though, a great Bollywood song should not only look good on celluloid, it should, perhaps more appropriately for this purpose, sound much better, in fact, great. The song I am referring to is Main Pal do Pal Ka Shayar Hu from Kabhi Kabhi. It is about a person saying how he is only a momentary poet, yet paradoxically, it is inimitably recited by Bachchan - the poet. He stands on stage singing it to a spellbound audience nodding their heads along with the lyrics; not in a jazzy manner but in an awe inspired one. The voice is soothing and spot on. It was meant to be sung this way and can only be sung this way the emotions of the words are palpable only because the singer does not let bound classical routines get in his way of delivering the message the song wants. We hear not pitches or notes - we hear those important words, those moving words. The word emotive comes to mind to describe the vocal perfection perpetuated throughout the too-short' four minutes. The song goes on to describe the fact that better poets had come before me or us' if you are the active listener and how the listeners should not care for my time as I will be gone with the moment in which you hear me, that is, time. I have touched only on the cornerstones of the song and the emotional depth is much more profound and simply, much more.
The song is also perhaps the greatest of all due to its accessibility. Listeners can quickly engage with the simple and unpretentious lyrics. If a song has many layers, it is a song which requires the listener to unravel the words in order to get to the real meaning', whereas a song with many levels has the power to mirror any listener's feelings or lives a testimony to the writer's ability of engagement'. This song does the latter. Great songs do the latter. However, if the former is distinct within a song, it maybe a good one, but without the latter it will never be a great one. Maybe great for a person, but not great for people. And surely, great' is determined by the test of time, the phenomenon through which people come and go.
This song needs to be felt, and it cannot remotely be heard through this textual homage let alone be felt. So, go and listen to Main Pal do Pal ka Shayar Hu and see why it is perhaps the greatest song ever written and composed in Bollywood, then go and watch it to see why your first instinct was right.

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