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[Thread: Malayalam songs of Raja] I am going to play some of the most melodious Malayalam songs Raja has composed. I set myself a limit of one song per film, else the thread will not complete today. Let& #39;s go.
We start with the first Malayalam film of Raja, & #39;Vyamoham& #39;. A lovely Kalyani based number, & #39;poovadikalil& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12WmeEKcu1w">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Raja is always partial to Malayalees when it comes to melodies. And it started from his first film. Amazing melody wonderfully delivered by Janaki and KJY
& #39;e nilimathan& #39; from & #39;Aa Ratri& #39;. A brilliant song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1rdIfWf0q8">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
The way Raja combines energy with melody is amazing. A song of excellent energy as well as melody. The typical Raja was increasing the melodic quotient in the charanam can be heard in this song
& #39;thanal virikan& #39; from & #39;Aalolam& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFnT7gAJSPM">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Only Raja can think of such a wonderful Chakravakam. Janaki hits it out of the park.
& #39;priyane uyir neeye& #39; from & #39;Pinnilavu& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndLLKM5WDz4">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Vintage Raja. The Raja of he 80s but the Malayalam version. At a time when he was composing for 40 films a year, he could give differentiate between Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Genius is an inadequate word to describe his creativity.
Next from the iconic & #39;Olangal& #39; but not the National Anthem of Kerala. Here we have & #39;kulir aadunnu manaththu& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYZyZsDF28I">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
The guitar in this song are extremely charming
The brilliant & #39;thazampoo thalil& #39; from & #39;Oomakuyil& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOCJkEO1Ljs">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
You can& #39;t think of anyone who can compose like this. And that bass. What a progression. Janaki& #39;s masterpiece.
& #39;mizhiyil meen pidanju& #39; from & #39;Sandhyakku Virinja Pookkal& #39;. K J Yesudas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c50IXx7mRic">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
The story is that the director was so smitten by & #39;vellai pura onru& #39; that he wanted a similar song. Raja gave him this melody based on Kalyani.
& #39;alli ilam poovo& #39; from & #39;Mangalam Nerunnu& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e72sbGMIKqU">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
I don& #39;t have words to describe this song. Torn between this and & #39;ritu bedha kalpana& #39; from this movie. Krishnachandar& #39;s best song.
& #39;vaalitezhuthiya& #39; from & #39;Onnanu Nammal& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRDoqXyaT8k">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
A Hamsadhwani number which later came to Tamil as & #39;ther kondu sendravan& #39;. As usual KJY and Janaki are brilliant and the orchestration is amazingly inventive.
& #39;konji karayalle& #39; from & #39;Poomukhapadiyil Ninneyum Kathu& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKI9tlmg5I8">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
This movie has only two songs but each is a #WhyRajaisGod level song. How do you choose one? No logic. Just toss of coin.
I always wonder how Janaki and Yesudas sang this number because it is so achingly beautiful that it is difficult to complete the charanam without being overwhelmed by the melody.
& #39;unarumee ganam& #39; from & #39;Moonam Pakkam& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBXab6VtX5w">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
The most heart wrenching song I have heard. There is a slower one, which is even more heart wrenching. You need to watch the movie to understand the context. G Venugopal& #39;s best by a mile.
& #39;poovai virinju& #39; from & #39;Adharvam& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umJIfyZ68J8">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
This was M G Sreekumar& #39;s first song for Raja. He went home and sang this song for his elder brother, the well known compose, M G Radhakrishnan. M G R& #39;s comment: "Only Raja can compose a Keervani like this". Every talented musician of those times admired Raja
Jeyamohan once wrote about the music of & #39;Adharvam& #39;. "When you listen to the music you feel it was composed by a veteran music director who was seeped in the musical culture of Kerala". Raja had this knack of understanding the music taste of each region.
& #39;tharapadam& #39; from & #39;Anaswaram& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCIVhoHcV0w">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
One of the few times SPB and Balu collaborated in Malayalam. A touching melody.
& #39;alapanam& #39; from & #39;Ente Surya Puthrikku& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtMx3X-1XKw">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
When a song concerns mother daughter love, Raja enters a different league. What an excellent song, this one is. Also features two amazing women, Srividhya and Amala.
Also has the unusual combination of Susheela KJY and Chitra
& #39;olathumpathu& #39; from & #39;Pappuyude Swanthan Apoos& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LyJZSM4Byk">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
One more parent child song and as usual Raja is in divine form. Heard that this song was heard all over Kerala when it was released.
& #39;thazvaram manpoove& #39; from & #39;Jackpot& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wHObipspQE">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Lovely melody. KJY in top form. By this time Raja had slowly shifted to Chitra from Janaki for Malayalam songs. She is here singing with KJY.
A song with a folk lilt, & #39;kathirum kothi& #39; from & #39;Man of the Match& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qBX9jRLn6o">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Song is based on Madhyamavathi raga, a raga in which Raja has given a lot of everlasting melodies.
1996 & 1997 had three all time great albums of Raja: Kalapani, Oru Yathramozhi and Guru. To pick only one from each is going to be touch but I will try.
Picked this over others for two reasons. M G Sreekumar, the singer here, once told, "The way Raja joins the pallavi back from the charanam is unbelievable. No human can think like this". Second, Raja says he used & #39;poovasampoo poothachu& #39; as inspiration for this song !!!!
& #39;thaimavin thanalil& #39; from & #39;Oru Yathramozhi& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoIm6CIU4gI">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
What can one say about & #39;Oru Yathramozhi& #39; album? I had recommended it to a musically knowledgeable friend of mine who lamented how he had missed this album for more than a decade. MG Sreekumar and Chitra
& #39;sharadendu paadi& #39; from & #39;Kaliyoonjal& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO6FKxiTrCI">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
This jazzy number is a personal favorite. A very different Raja here. And that folk tune in the first interlude is love.
There is a G Venugopal version of this song as well
& #39;aruna kirana deepam& #39; from & #39;Guru& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SSHkC9v48U">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Guru was a path breaking album for many reasons. Each song was a gem. I don& #39;t listen to this album often because I have to concentrate on each song fully to get all the nuances. (And we still fail :) )
& #39;chirichende manasile& #39; from & #39;Anuraga Kottaram& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCSjTC4yx-s">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
A Mohanam based lovely melody. The tune is so very unpredictable.
& #39;kenu mayangiyo& #39; from & #39;Kallu Kandoru Pennu& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lEfw8e6vX8">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
A very different kind of song from Raja. A sad song with a middle eastern touch. Chitra is so very good in this song.
& #39;rim jhim ragam padi& #39; from & #39;Manjeeradhwani& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8E1tShpFpw">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
One more melody which has high energy
I will end this thread with a person favorite of mine. The brilliantly jazzy & #39;Shivamallipoove& #39; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wR1Uyxj90E">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Based on Shanmukhapriya and brilliantly delivered by Chitra, this was a sign of new Raja. The Raja of the 21st Century. We will look at the Raja of 2000s and beyond in MFM a few days later
Thanks for following along and for all the interaction. Will meet again in a few days with the post 2000s songs (and there are many excellent melodies lying there)
