Alaipayuthey means movement of waves. A soft romance story of a young couple, this Mani Ratnam film will also go down into the history as one of the best works of A R Rahaman. A little bit about the relation between Rahaman and Mani Ratnam. Rahaman’s first film was with Mani Ratnam. An assistant to the great Maestro Illayaraja, when Rahaman wanted to start on his own, Mani was the first big director to give him a break. The result of that is Roja. Arguably one of the better compositions of the 90’s, this was followed by other hits like Bombay, Thiruda Thiruda and Dil Se from this pair. All great hits and so on this project, Alaipayuthey, there was very high expectations The duo of Mani Ratnam and Rahaman did not disappoint. Here follows a song by song analysis of the film. A lot of credit should also go to Vairamuthu, Lyric being of top quality
Alaipayuthey Kanna - 3/5 Adopted from the Carnatic Classic, this is a song rendered by the heroine at the hero’s place. An average song, it will be liked by the older community. Also, this song proves the fact that Rahaman can work wonders with coming with a tune of a classic song, be it Vande Mataram or even alaipauthey.
Endendrum Poonagai - 5/5 A westerised song with a lot of beats, the english part is rendered by Shankar Mahadevan. The first song of the album to capture attention, this song is quite a hit. Also this song is only in a small bit in the film. Featuring the hero, Madhavan, this comes in the first scene of the movie.
Evano Oruvan - 4/5 The heroine goes on a camp and misses the hero, so does the hero in the city. A slow sad song, with a lot of weight in the lyrics, this song is one that I avoid. Not that I donnot like it, but because it is heavy and not very suitable to listen in a crowd. This song works magic when one’s alone.
Kadhal Sadugudu - 5/5 This song is a favourite of mine. The intent of the song is to convey how the hero worships and adores his wife (the heroine). A very fast song, this song starts the ascent of the album in terms of the lyrics and meaning. The tone of the song, I feel is a little negative, wherein the hero instead of asking the heroine to come closer to him asks her not to go away from him. I would have loved a more positive lyrics as even in the movie, the situation is one of joy and happiness
Pachai Neerume - 5/5 This is a Rahaman Classsic. Here the hero describes his lover in terms of characterstics of Colours - white is for purity, green for freshness. A absolute beauty to hear, this fast paced song is more melodious than being drumming. The song is itself like a wave, starting on a high and then droping pace before gaining a cresendo, the song has been well penned and executed. Hariharan’s voice adds more to the song than taking away from it. Be careful else you will be addicted to this ....!!
September MAdham - 4/5 I am a little baised against this song. The truth is that this peice did not fit the movie., but as a song it has many top attributes. Asha Bhonsle has lent her voice to the song and this song is seen in the likes of arabic kadalorom (bombay) and Chaiyya Chaiyya (Dil Se), but not of the same standard. The song is about the guys explaining how men suffer because of marraige while the ladies retort by saying how they lose. A fun song, nothing more and nothing less
Snegidhane - 5/5 This is my joint favourite in this film along with Pachai Nirame. The start part has 2 versions - one by Srinivasan and one by Pandit Bismillah Khan. Both are equally good - the Pandit’s version is available in some audio cassettes. The rest is a lady solo - the heroine capturing her happiness (because she married the hero, secret marraige ofcourse !!) in the form of the song where she expresses the wishes of what she wants from the hero. An absolute beauty, this is the classic piece of the album. The song should not be missed and can be as addictive as Kadhal Sadugudu ...
Yaro Yarodi - 4/5 The song provides the platform for the hero and the heroine to meet in the wedding of a common friend/relative. A fast tract, the song complements the other songs. Nothing much about the song, its an above average song To all Tamil & Rahaman Fans: DONT MISS THIS ALBUM AT ANY COST To all Rahaman Fans: YOU WONT REGRET BUYING THIS CASSETTE ....