I wrote about my 20 favourite songs of Lataji yesterday. How can I ignore Rafiji then? His voice is another that has a tranquilising effect on me and never ever fails to amaze me.
20 songs among an ocean of melodies in a silken-smooth voice is just a drop in the ocean.Anyway, I’ll list 2 songs of each MD whose supreme compositions have been immortalised by the legend.
Here’s the list.
**Naushad **- the master of classical *raag-*based compositions
*1)Aye husn zara jaag - Mere Mehboob*
Very un-Naushad like song. Still, a delightful tune and Rafiji’s voice appears to caress the ears. Definitely worth listening to again and again.
*2)Meri kahan**i bhoolne waale - Deedaar*
One of the gems of the Dilip Kumar-Rafi-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni combo. Rafi sahab’s voice is somewhat raw(but immensely mellifluous) here, being his early days.
**Shankar-Jaikishan** - masterful orchestrations galore!
*3)Ehsaan tera hoga mujh par - Junglee*Rafi sahab at his best. An intense romantic number, rendered by Rafi in his inimitable style.I feel Lataji’s rendition falls way behind.
*4)Aa ja re aa zara - Love in Tokyo*The ultimate seductive song. The "tremors" in Rafi sahab’s voice in the lines’*dekh fiza mein rang bhara hai*’ are simply out-of-the-world.
**O.P.Nayyar -** Rhythm king
*5)Pukarta chala hoon main - Mere Sanam*Heart in the clouds!:-).A surreal romantic number.
*6)Yeh chand sa roshan chehra - Kashmir Ki Kali
*All superlatives fail to appropriately praise this one.*taarif karoon kya uski, jisne Rafi sahab ko banaya.
***Madan Mohan***- *Ghazal king. Exquisite tunes.
*7)Tujhe kya sunao main dilruba - Aakhri Dao*
One of my childhood favourites.
*8)Rang aur noor ki baraat - Gazal*
The anguish expressed in the song is to be heard to be believed. Simply unbelievable voice of the legend!
**S.D.Burman** - the older, the better
*9)Tu kahan yeh bata - Tere Ghar Ke Samne*
What a way to start! SDB’s "echo" effect paid back handsomely.SImply love he croons’*pyar ka dekho asar.’
10)Tere mere sapne - Guide
*I don’t think anyone can render it half as soulfully as Rafi.’*O mere jeevan saathi.’. *the extra stress on’saathi’ is just too good.
I was at a loss to pick songs from the two movies, since each is a gem in itself. All songs in each of these movies are marvellous.
**Ravi** - sublime melodies all!
*11)Chaudhvin ka chand - Chaudhvin Ka Chand*
Vocal ambrosia!Every note oozes with class here.
*12)Zindagi ke safar mein akele they hum - Nartaki*
Not a very well-known song. Fell in love with it the first time I heard it(around 10 yrs. back). Immensely sweet melody.
**Roshan** - sugary-sweet tunes.
*13)Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi - Barsaat Ki Raat*
What a sweet way of remembering a rainy night!
*14)Ab kya misaal doon - Aarti*
Lavishing praise on the beauty of one’s beloved has never been better.Wonderful tune, perfectly complemented by the legend’s heavenly voice.
**Laxmikant-Pyarelal** - long-standing association with Rafi. Produced some extraordinary music in the late’60s and’70s.
*15)Aane se uske aaye bahar - Jeene Ki Raah*
Wonderful song picturized on a young Jeetendra. Rafi’s voice and the *dholak* in the background create magic.
*16)Chhalkayen jaam - Mere Humdum Mere Dost*
Rafi sahab’s voice really sounds like a drunkard, though he was a teetotaller. Amazing stuff, really!
**R.D.Burman** - the prodigy.
*17)Tumne mujhe dekha - Teesri Manzil*
The prelude and the tune sound very different. This itself made me love this song. Rafi’s mellifluous voice dazzles through this romantic number.
*18)Kya hua tera wada - Hum Kisise Kam Nahin*
Need I say anything?Suffices to say that Rafi won the National Award for this.
**Kalyanji-Anandji** - some great romantic numbers.
*19)Chale the saath milke - Haseena Maan Jayegi*
Wonderful romantic number. Rafi’s voice is simply too good to resist, especially the way he sings *’.meri awaaz sunkar’* in two different ways in the *mukhda. *Simply out-of-the-world.
*20)Aaja tujhko pukare mere geet re - Geet*
Great song for a lover yearning to meet his/her beloved.
**Salil Choudhury - **the multi-faceted genius.
*21) Toote huye khwabon ne - Madhumati*
Great sad song! The emotions put forth by Rafi sahab in his voice are too good to believe.
*22)Koi sone ke dilwala - Maya*
Heavenly tune. Rafi’s divine voice does full justice to this gem of a song.
I know I have left out countless gems from the legend’s vast repertoire. Probably, 20 songs by each MD(except maybe Salilda) can do more justice.Anyway, I request you to post your comments on this and provide your valuable suggestions/inputs.