2023-03-18 03:30
Guest article by DP Rangan
(We celebrated Holi sometime back. This is the season of romance and love, when the flowers bloom, there is music in the stream of rivulets and rustling of leaves… Read More
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Songs Of Yore - Old Hindi Film Songs Blog
songsofyore.com
Old Hindi film songs of the 1930s to the 1960s.
2023-03-08 03:30
Wishing the readers and their families a very Happy Holi and International Women’s Day
We are all aware of the drug problem in Bollywood, thanks to the media which went into frenzy at… Read More
2023-02-27 03:30
Guest article by Piyush M Pandya (originally in Gujarati) and Ashok M Vaishnav (English translation) as a tribute to Anthony Gonsalves (12 June 1927 – 18 January 2012)
(Greg Booth star… Read More
2023-02-18 03:30
A tribute to Nimmi on her 90th birth anniversary (b. 18 Feb 1933 – d. 25 March 2020) by guest writer DP Rangan
(When you think of Nimmi, you think of a live-wire, innocent village bel… Read More
2023-02-08 03:30
चल उड़ जा रे पंछी…
संगीतकार चित्र… Read More
2023-01-28 22:30
Guest article by Piyush M Pandya (originally in Gujarati) and Ashok M Vaishnav (English translation) as a tribute to Sebastian D’Souza on his 117 birth anniversary (29 January 1906 &nd&hell…Read More
2023-01-12 03:30
Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to the polymath PL Santoshi, the lyricist, dialogue & script writer, actor, singer, producer, director
(Most of us with some familiarity about our… Read More
2023-01-01 03:30
Wishing the readers and their families a very Happy New Year.
You might recall some songs picturised on Harindranath Chattopadhyay, who always looked over 80, or on the patriarch of three ge… Read More
2022-12-22 03:30
Continuing the series of tributes to Vasant Desai, the final tribute on his 47th Remembrance Day (9 June 2012 – 22 December 1975)
When I started writing my tribute to Vasant Desai to… Read More
2022-12-11 14:01
And the Award for the Best Music Director goes to?
The year 1943 was like 1944 in many respects. Kismet became a cult hit for its novel theme; it also happened to have outstanding… Read More
2022-11-30 03:30
(Note: I understand some SOY regulars are not getting email notification of new posts. You are all requested to register your email in the box at the bottom of the post. You would get a mail… Read More
2022-11-20 03:30
(Note: I understand some SOY regulars are not getting email notification of new posts. You are all requested to register your email in the box at the bottom of the post. You would get a mail… Read More
2022-11-09 03:30
Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to Ghulam Haider on his 69th Remembrance Day (1908 – 9 November 1953)
(DP Rangan has been the most prolific guest writer for SOY, but it is more… Read More
2022-10-28 03:30
I understand most people on SOY know that Saraswati Devi was technically not the first female music director of Hindi film music. As per the current knowledge, two women preceded her –… Read More
2022-10-19 03:30
And the award for the best duet goes to?
There is something about duets which make them exceptional. If you take a re-look at my Overview Post, six out of the eight ‘Special Songs&rsqu&hell…Read More
2022-10-09 03:30
Gods have been an important part of our lives and, therefore, our films. We do not set off on a journey without checking whether it was an auspicious moment or not. There is a Rahukaalam wh… Read More
2022-09-28 03:30
Continuing the series on Vasant Desai, his best songs for Lata Mangeshkar as a tribute to her on her 93rd birthday (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022)
Lata Mangeshkar would have been… Read More
2022-09-18 22:30
And the Award for the Best Female Solo singer goes to ?
If you browse through the Wrap Up 1 regarding the best solos of 1943, it was clearly a one-horse race with KL Saigal being the Pole St… Read More
2022-09-08 03:30
Second part of my two-part tribute to Khayyam (18.2.1927–19.8.2019) on his third Remembrance Day
Once the omission of Khayyam was brought to my notice by a reader, I realised any trib… Read More
2022-08-30 03:30
Hindi Cine Raag Encyclopaedia
(Reference Edition Raagwise: Vol. 3, 4 & 5)
Author: KL Pandey
Sangeet Shilp Prakashan, Lucknow
First edition 2022
Hardcover ₹4800 on Amazon
A passion… Read More
2022-08-18 22:30
A tribute to Khayyam (18.2.1927–19.8.2019) on his third Remembrance Day
A reader mentioned some time ago that Khayyam has not been covered on SOY. Then I realised that the only post I… Read More
2022-08-12 18:31
If the world only comprised narcissists at one extreme, and the most polite and courteous who profusely praise others at the other end, it would be a very boring place. Things are never blac… Read More
2022-07-31 03:30
Guest article by Sivanandam Palamadai as a tribute to Rafi on his 42nd Remembrance Day (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980)
(Rafi was the most dominant male playback singer of the Golden… Read More
2022-07-22 02:30
Guest article by Ahok M Vaishnav as a tribute to Mukesh on his 99th Birth Anniversary (b. July 22, 1923 – d. August 27, 1976)
(Once SOY-veteran N Venkataraman remarked that there has b… Read More
2022-07-10 03:30
In Vasant Desai Part 1 pertaining to the vintage years (1930s and 40s), we were introduced to his multifaceted talents, including his acting and singing. As per N Venkataraman he had sung a… Read More
2022-06-29 03:30
A keen reader S. Joseph often suggests some themes to write on. He once wrote to me that there were many songs of a man praising the beauty of a woman, and also, somewhat less, of a woman pr… Read More
2022-06-18 07:45
Narcissism is seen as some kind of personality disorder denoting an exaggerated sense of self-importance, arrogant, self-centred behaviour and need for excessive attention and admiration. Na… Read More
2022-06-06 23:30
In normal times, completing twelve years of blogging would have been a matter of joy, and possibly a bit of crowing. That would look quite out of place in these unusual times. We thought tha… Read More
2022-05-26 03:30
The SOY Award for the Best Male Singer goes to?
There are years when a competition becomes a one-horse race. That is the case with the best male singer for the year 1943. On the one hand we… Read More
2022-05-14 02:30
If a new visitor looks up Songs Of Yore, she would notice some names conspicuously missing in the right-hand scroll of music directors. There is no design in it, it has just happened. Yet I… Read More
2022-05-01 03:30
Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav as a tribute t0 Manna Dey on his 103rd birth anniversary (1 May 1919 – 24 October 2013)
(Manna Dey has been described by some as an enigma among singe… Read More
2022-04-14 22:30
If 1944 was the year of Naushad’s Jewel in the Crown, Rattan, 1943 was the year of Kismet which became a cult film on the back of its music by Anil Biswas. The Master Khemchad Prakash… Read More
2022-03-31 09:00
The Unforgettable Music of HEMANT KUMAR
By Manek Premchand
Pages: 441
First Edition: 2020
Blue Pencil, New Delhi
(With study of his Bengali repertoire by Antara Nanda Mondal and Sounak Gupt… Read More
2022-03-18 08:00
Wishing the readers a very Happy Holi
The regular readers of SOY are aware that on Holi, when everyone is out throwing coloured water on each other, I often reflect on some serious issues. N… Read More
2022-03-04 09:00
If you have not studied Hindi in school or forgotten your grammar, the word hetu-hetu-mad-bhoot would leave you quite flummoxed. SOY readers are from different linguistic backgrounds, and I… Read More
2022-02-18 08:40
Guest article by Anita Rupavataram
(Mukesh once famously sang, ‘Hazaaron tarah ke ye hote hain aansoo’ (song #5 in this post). There are literally thousands of types of tears.&nb&hell…Read More
2022-02-06 22:42
The story of my deep romance for Lata Mangeshkar (28.9.1929 – 6.2.2022)
Lata Mangeshkar is no more – her mortal body that is. She was over 92, she has been in and out of hospital… Read More
2022-01-25 05:00
Majrooh Sultanpuri: The Poet For All Reasons
By Manek Premchand
Pages: 534
First Edition: 2021
Blue Pencil, New Delhi
Among the four markers of a film song – the film in which it appe… Read More
2022-01-12 09:00
By now the regular readers of the SOY can easily answer if Amitabh Bachchan were to ask on KBC, बलमा के कितने प्… Read More
2022-01-01 09:00
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year
Readers would recall that one favourite of our film heroines was the Dunce, who went by various names such as anari balma, naadan balma, bhole balam et… Read More
2021-12-24 09:00
A tribute to Mohammad Rafi on his 97th Birth Anniversary (b. December 24, 1924 – d. July 31, 1980) by guest author Ashok M Vaishnav and wishing Merry Christmas to all
(Ashok M Vaishnav… Read More
2021-12-12 09:00
Yesterday’s Melodies Today’s Memories
by Manek Premchand
1st Edition 2003
2nd Edition 2004
3rd Updated Edition: 2018
Notion Press, Chennai
A book review is generally meaningful… Read More
2021-11-29 09:00
Guest article by Hans Jakhar in continuation of his series on Rajendra Krishna
(When some readers observed that the lyricists have not been give their due importance on SOY, Hans Jakhar offe… Read More
2021-11-19 09:00
A tribute to the great Master Hansraj Behl (19 November 1916 – 20 May 1984) on his 105th birth anniversary
A fellow-blogger and SOY regular, Anup (Mehfil Mein Meri), has written an exh… Read More
2021-11-10 06:00
Wishing the readers a very Happy Chhath festival
My fellow bloggers Madhu and Anu are apt to say, no sooner do you put two women together in our films than they start singing. There must be… Read More
2021-10-30 09:00
And the Award for the Best Music Director goes to?
When you think of the year 1944, you think of Naushad. That was the beginning of Naushad phenomenon with his Jewel in the crown, Rattan. Th… Read More
2021-10-17 05:00
Guest article by Hans Jakhar on Rajendra Krishna’s combination with Madan Mohan
(Hans Jakhar is among the regular readers of SOY who believe that the lyricists deserve greater recognit… Read More
2021-10-05 05:00
Window opens the outside world to those inside. If a person from outside tries to look into a window, his view is very restricted. Because of this asymmetry, window creates many interesting… Read More
2021-09-23 09:00
A tribute to the lyricist Rajendra Krishna (6 June 1919 – 23 September 1987) on his 34th Remembrance Day by guest author Hans Jakhar
(The lovers of old film music regard Rajendra Krish… Read More
2021-09-17 01:00
And the Award for the Best Duet goes to?
In my list of 81 MEMORABLE SONGS in the Overview Post on the best songs of 1944, I counted 17 duets. This is quite a small number, but as we have see… Read More
2021-09-06 07:00
We used to learn in our schools that literature is the mirror of society. As I grew, I realised this is more true of our film songs which mirror every aspect of the society and our lives. No… Read More
2021-08-27 06:00
A tribute to Mukesh on his 45th Remembrance Day (b. July 22, 1923 – d. August 27, 1976) by guest author Ashok M Vaishnav
(Mukesh is among the mainstream playback singers who sang some… Read More
2021-08-17 09:00
Who does not remember the songs Baithe hain rahguzar par dil ka diya jalaaye, Naseeb hoga mera meherbaan kabhi na kabhi, Zulfon ki ghata lekar saawan ki pari ayi, Ye phoolon ka gazra ye sol… Read More
2021-08-07 06:00
Sitar makes a very conspicuous presence on the screen due to its size. But it conveys an entirely different image from the piano or the harmonium. If piano is aristocracy, harmonium is plebi… Read More
2021-07-28 18:14
Guest article by DP Rangan to pay tribute to Kumkum (22 April 1934 – 28 July 2020) on her first death anniversary
(The dancers had an important place in our films. They came in amazin… Read More
2021-07-21 04:00
And the award for the Best Female Song goes to?
If you browse through my Overview Post on the best songs of 1944 and the Wrap Up 1 about the best male solos, two features would strike you im… Read More
2021-07-06 06:00
And the award for the Best Male Solo goes to?
In my Overview Post of the best songs of 1944, I had mentioned that in the total songs in the years in which the singers’ names were known… Read More
2021-06-25 09:00
Guest article by D P Rangan as a tribute to Raja Mehdi Ali Khan on his 55th Remembrance Day (b. 1915/1928? – d. 29 July 1966)
(There are at least two dozen lyricists who wrote more son… Read More
2021-06-16 09:00
Hindi Cine Raag Encyclopaedia
(Reference Edition: Vol. I and Vol. II)
Author: KL Pandey
Sangeet Shilp Prakashan, Lucknow
Second edition (Revised and Enlarged): 2020
Hardcover ₹3200 on… Read More
2021-06-07 04:00
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,…. it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.&rdqu&helli…Read More
2021-05-29 04:00
Second and final part of tribute to Dattaram (1929 – 8 June 2007)
We saw in Dattaram Part 1 dealing with his songs for Mukesh and Manna Dey, how his association with the Big Banyan tre… Read More
2021-05-20 04:00
A big banyan tree gives shelter and protects you from elements. But this may become a trap because one may be deterred from venturing out on one’s own for the risks involved. But a hum… Read More
2021-04-30 04:00
We had thought we would try to forget 2020 as a bad dream. The pandemic last year for most of us was a piece of statistics, a news item. It would not affect us, we all thought. Suddenly in a… Read More
2021-04-11 07:10
Season 2 of the year-wise reviews begins
I have explained in my final wrap up of the review of songs of 1945 how the idea of year-wise reviews of the best songs of the year started and why I… Read More
2021-03-28 22:30
Wishing the readers and their families a very Happy Holi
Colloquial equivalents of Sanskrit terms usually retain their exact meaning, such as singaar for shringaar, barkha for varsha etc. Bu… Read More
2021-03-15 19:30
Dev Anand described his autobiography as ‘Romancing with Life’. He got to sing on the screen, Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya, Har fikr ko dhuyen mein udata chala gaya… Read More
2021-03-03 03:30
Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav paying a tribute to Ninu Mazumdar on his 21st death anniversary (9 September 1915 – 3 March 2000)
(Ninu Mazumdar is a big name in Gujarati music. Henc… Read More
2021-02-19 03:30
For quite some time songs like Ajnabi, tum jaane pahchaane se lagte ho, and Kuchh ajanbi se aap hain, kuchh ajanbi se hum have been buzzing like bee in my head for an inexplicable reason. Th… Read More
2021-02-07 03:30
We all love historical films of Raja-Rani, even though their story does not have much to do with reality or history, except that they pertain to well-known historical figures set in a define… Read More
2021-01-25 23:30
Greeting the readers on the 71st anniversary of our Republic Day with guest article by Subodh Agrawal
(Subodh Agrawal last wrote his guest article in the series on film songs based on classi… Read More
2021-01-13 23:30
Wishing the readers Happy Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri and Magh Bihu with the concluding tribute to N Datta, with his songs for ‘other’ singers
N Datta’s music in B… Read More
2020-12-31 22:30
Wishing the readers a very Happy New Year with guest article by Rahul Bhagwanrao Muli
(Rahul Bhagwanrao Muli is a familiar name for SoY regulars. He is one of the latecomers to the blog, ha… Read More
2020-12-24 22:30
And the Award for the Best Music Director of 1945 goes to? And wishing everyone Merry Christmas
Coming to the final Wrap Up 4, i.e the Best Music Director of 1945 is akin to the end of a Sea… Read More
2020-12-13 17:23
Guest article by Hans Jakhar as a tribute to N Datta (12 December 1927 – 30 December 1987) on his 93rd birth anniversary with his songs for Rafi
(You can’t get a more passionate… Read More
2020-12-04 15:30
Concluding the series of centenary tributes to Hemant Kumar (16 June 1920-26 September 1989) with his non-film songs
My introduction to the last post by Ashok M Vaishnav on Hemant Kumar&rsqu&hell…Read More
2020-11-25 02:30
Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav in the series of Centenary Celebrations of Hemant Kumar (16 June 1920-26 September 1989)
(SOY has launched a befitting Centenary Celebration of the much lov… Read More
2020-11-16 03:30
And the Award for the Best Duet goes to?
We have seen in some years that either male solos or female solos may be tepid, but duets never disappoint. That has to do with combinatorics. If the… Read More
2020-11-07 04:00
Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to the Last Mughal Emporer Bahadur Shah Zafar II on his 158th Remembrance Day (24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862)
(Mughal period has fascinated… Read More
2020-10-27 02:30
Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav in the continuing series of Hemant Kumar’s Centenary (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989) celebrations
(The Grand Centenary Celebrations of… Read More
2020-10-16 06:48
Celebrating the World Food Day (16 October)
You would hardly find a dining table in homes or restaurants anywhere in the world which does not have salt and pepper shakers. Without salt and p… Read More
2020-10-07 11:18
And the Award for the Best Female Playback Singer goes to?
When Noorjehan visited India in 1982 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Indian talkie movies, one of the songs she chose to sing wa… Read More
2020-09-26 03:30
A tribute to Hemant Kumar on his 31st Remembrance Day (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989) in his Birth Centenary year by guest author N Venkataraman
(N Venkataraman launched the Centena… Read More
2020-09-17 03:30
Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav in the series of centenary tributes to Hemant Kumar (b. 16 June 1920 – d. 26 September 1989)
(Hemant Kumar’s centenary celebration was set off w… Read More
2020-09-08 03:30
Guest article by Hans Jakhar wishing Asha Bhosle (b. 8 September 1933) a very happy 87th birth anniversary and also greeting the unlucky genius N Datta
(By now we all know that Asha Bhosle i… Read More
2020-08-27 03:30
Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav in the series of centenary tributes to Hemant Kumar (b. 16 June 2020 – d. 26 September 1989)
(Is Hemant Kumar a major singer or a music director? For… Read More
2020-08-15 03:30
Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav as a tribute to Ajit Merchant on his 95th birth anniversary (b. 15 August 1925 – d. 28 March 2011)
(Talents from various regional languages have enric… Read More
2020-07-31 03:30
A tribute to Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) on his 40th Remembrance Day
Today is the 40th Remembrance Day of Rafi. He was the most versatile playback singer of the Golden Era o… Read More
2020-07-23 03:39
And the Award for the Best Male Playback Singer goes to?
My Overview post of the best songs of the year 1945 had a Master List of 59/60 Memorable Songs (one song had a female solo and a fema… Read More
2020-07-14 03:30
Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to Madan Mohan on his 45th Remembrance Day (b. 25 June 1924 – d. 14 July 1975)
(Two years ago to this day, DP Rangan wrote a tandem article on R… Read More
2020-07-04 03:30
Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to Naseem Banu on her 104th birth anniversary (4 July 1916 – 18 June 2002)
(Naseem Banu was arguably the most bewitching beauty of her time. Whe… Read More
2020-06-24 22:30
Guest article by Ashwin Bhandarkar
(The regular readers of SoY are aware that Ashwin Bhandarkar is a BITS Pilani and IIM Calcutta alumnus and is an IT professional based in Pune. What makes… Read More
2020-06-16 03:30
A tribute to Hemant Kumar on his Birth Centenary (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989) by guest author N Venkataraman
(Lata Mangeshkar once said in an interview about Hemant Kumar, &ldquo&hell…Read More
2020-06-06 22:30
When I started blogging a new buzzword had just come into vogue: Vision 2020. We all – whether in public, private or non-profit sectors – were rushing in and out of seminars, wor… Read More
2020-05-29 03:30
Guest article by DP Rangan
(The prolific guest writer DP Rangan now writes on the twins in Hindi films, some generic tropes of these films, and gives a selection of songs from some twin film… Read More
2020-05-20 03:30
Now we come to the end of the year-wise review going backwards. It was progressively going into more unknown territory. Out of approximately 670 songs from 74 films in 1945, nothing is known… Read More
2020-05-10 03:30
When Peter Drucker wrote in 1986 that the world economy is not changing, it has already changed, “We are living in a changed world” became a fashionable jargon. His assertion was… Read More
2020-05-01 03:30
A tribute on Manna Dey’s 101st birth anniversary (1 May 1919 – 24 October 2013)
Manna Dey was one of the great playback singers of the Golden Era. I missed to acknowledge him on… Read More
2020-04-22 03:30
From time to time the importance of music instruments in our film songs have come in for some serious discussion on SoY. Some years ago, a reader Rohit Kumar (who seems to have gone off-rada… Read More
2020-04-14 03:30
Book Review
Guide The Film: Perspectives
Lata Jagtiani & Other Writers
Blue Pencil, New Delhi, 2019
ISBN: 978-81-939555-2-9
An unintended blessing of Corona-enforced lockdown, I though… Read More
2020-04-04 03:30
Guest article by Sharad Dutt as a tribute to KL Saigal on his 116th birth anniversary (4 April 1904 to 18 January 1947)
(KL Saigal is the most towering actor-singer of our films. He was a pa… Read More
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