Pop Culture Is Getting A Facelift, And How !

"Daddy mujhse bola, Tu galati hai meri
Tujhpe Zindagani guilty hai meri
Saabun ki Shaqal mein, beta tu toh nikla keval jhaag
Jhaag jhaag..."

How many of you have enjoyed this song ever since it hit the music scene? A lot, I'd be guessing, me being one of them. Lyrics like these, real world and earthy, have been as rare as diamonds in Bollywood. The scenario, however, is gradually changing - the music tastes of the masses and thus, the music created for them shifting bit by bit. Audiences around the country have become sick of the age old romantic songs with music that sounds the same all the time. It's looking for something new, somthing now. And with the Delhi Belly soundtrack, Ram Sampath has given it to them.

A composer, musician and producer by profession, Sampath has turned into something new with his latest album. Apart from singing the anchor track, Bhaag D.K. Bose (snippet above), he has played around with words in ways people couldn't even imagine (and the censor board almost couldn't certify). Using puns that would put Shakespeare to shame, he has carved out a niche with his lyrics.

And let's not forget the music here, which is equally stunning. Songs like 'Saigal Blues' and 'Nakkadwaley Disco' don't just have the lyrics, but the score high  in their tunes as well ! Combining urban beats with desi rhythms has been mastered by Sampath in his tracks and is sure to leave a legacy, just as Bhaag D.K. Bose is attaining something of a cult status.

It's not that the movie has come as a sudden explosion of new music. As I've mentioned already, the change has been gradual. With movies like Ready, Yeh Saali Zindagi, Dum Maaro Dum etc. we are beginning to see a new genre of music emerging out of the ashes of the stale, monotonous garb that we're just not ready to accept anymore. New age music directors have been shifting the emphasis from sur and leh  to innovation and attractiveness as the major elements in their music. I keep saying this - change is inevitable, and as long as it's not bad it will be accepted as good eventually. All I ask of them is to fill my ears with more music like this, and more !

3 Songs That Affect Me

Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin

There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying the stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying the stairway to heaven.

There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.

There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.

And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder.

Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

And she's buying the stairway to heaven

Shine On, You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd


Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,
blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,
rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!

Nobody knows where you are, how near or how far.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Pile on many more layers and I'll be joining you there.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
And we'll bask in the shadow of yesterday's triumph,
sail on the steel breeze.
Come on you boy child, you winner and loser,
come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine 

Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
'Cause nothing else matters

I never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we do it our way
All these words I just don't say
'Cause nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
'Cause nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do, no
Never cared for what they know, no
Never cared for what they do, no
But I know

Trust I seek but I find in you
Every day for us, something new
Open mind for a different view
'Cause nothing else matters

Never cared for what they say
Never cared for games they play
Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
And I know

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
'Cause nothing else matters 

Plug-In That iPod !!

Ever heard the saying 'music is food for the soul' ? Well, you should have - because it's not just a saying, it's concrete fact. And it's not JUST food, it's very nutritious food. Recent research has shown that music has profound effects on the body and mind. Also known as music therapy in some circles, what is being practiced now is using music to help in different fields of medical science such as helping cancer patients, children with ADD, pain management, to cure depression, ease muscle tension, and many more.

Research shows that music with strong beats can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thinking, and a slower tempo promoting a calm, meditative state. Music brings lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you've stopped listening. These changes directly affect other bodily functions. Breathing and heart rate can also be altered by music, thus being able to counteract the problems caused by chronic stress and promoting health.

Music, in general, helps to bring about and keep a positive state of mind, keeping anxiety and stress at bay. It keeps the mind high and optimistic and brings about many other benefits such as loweing blood pressure, boost immunity, ease muscle tension and more. With all these benefits of music, don't you just feel like plugging in that iPod to a set of speakers and giving your mind the rush it craves.