Hamne tumko dekha, tumne humko dekha aise
Mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu
O haseena zulfon wali jaan-e-jahaan
Ek main aur ek tu, dono mile is tarah
Dekha ek khwaab to yeh silsile hue
Aajkal tere mere pyaar ke charche
Yeh dosti hum nahin todenge
Raat kali ek khwaab mein aaye
These are just the tip of a very beautiful iceberg. There are countless retro songs of Indian cinema that won our hearts, touched our souls, and never really left our minds. If you did not know why that time was called the “golden era”, you know now.
Old Hindi songs were not just songs but emotions and feelings for many of us. These songs reminded us of our childhood, our first crush, long-lost friendships, or many other memories.
But why are these songs so nostalgic? If you listen to old Bollywood songs even today, you cannot deny the fact that these songs had a complementing mix of beautiful composition and soulful lyrics.
The division of “antara”, the first lines of the song, and “mukhda”, the stanza that is followed by the antara, was written to connect with the listeners. And of course, the choreography and original location used in the songs’ video were real, not fancy.
The originality and catchy lyrics of retro Hindi songs made them sell.
Amod Mehra, a film trade analyst, and connoisseur of Indian music said, “Music is a part of our life and any storytelling is incomplete without it. The songs of Indian cinema were enhanced when Piano was introduced. It was the time when Lata Mangeshkar used to sing. Introduction of western music brought a revolution in Indian cinema.”
Be it romantic or disco, those songs were powerful and never-dying. This is perhaps why they are being remade and remixed for today’s films.
Mehra said, “Earlier the songs were present in films because they took the story forward. Now, songs are not teated in the same way.”
“Good old Hindi songs were evergreen because they are easy to sing. They had a set pattern of antara and mukhda. One can sing old songs as they are light and easy on tune. Today’s songs keep on changing tempos and pitch, lyrics are complicated and there are very long antares and mukhdas,” Mehra added.
Mehra ended by saying, “If a song has to be a hit, a common man has to be able to sing it.”
