I have a lot of favorite songs. A LOT. I have a tendency to get obsessed with a particular song and abuse the repeat button listening to it over and over. But that is going to be a different post ...
This post is to celebrate songs from Bollywood films that I thought were simply too awful to exist. I used to say that I wanted to come out with an album of all our favorite "worst" songs ... ones that had singers who got overexcited, who wavered too much with the melody, or had a dragging, painful rhythm to it.
Obviously enjoyment of music is subjective and one might actually enjoy these songs ... if you do, then I definitely don't mean to insult in any way. I also have a great appreciation for rustic voices and that is never my reasoning for disliking a song. These are songs that I found to have limited or no musical value or have potential but the vocals have a negative impact. Or that I just found plain ridiculous. I must disclaimer that I skipped over a large number of Govinda songs because they would have just overpowered the whole list. Plus I kind of love Govinda.
So here we go:
Bollystalgia's WORST SONGS EVER! List - 90s Edition:
1. Kahe To Se Sajna - Maine Pyar Kiya (1989)
I love the MPK soundtrack. Like, LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Even the rip-off songs, like Aate Jaate Hanste Gaate (I Just Called to Say I Love You) and Mere Rang Mein Rangnewali (Final Countdown). Even Kabootar Jaa. ESPECIALLY the Antakshari. But this song just grates on my nerves. Partially because I feel like the singer goes OFF several times (she also sang the Babul number from HAHK), and also because Bhagyashree is so freaking annoying in this song (I never loved her like everyone else, I actually thought she was a pretty bad actress). She totally overdoes every shot. So this song has been on my craplist ever since I was 14 years old.
2. Saajan O Saajan - Baaghi (1990)
Another soundtrack I loved. Another song I hated. What was up with this singer? Must have been the Producer's sister-in-law or something. A young girl trapped in a brothel, waiting for her lover to save her ... the music could have been really sweet, sad and touching. Instead we get this. Thank god they didn't make Nagma lipsynch this mess.
3. Prem Hai Deepak Raag - Sahibaan (1993)
I don't even know what to say about this song, except that my sister did an amazing imitation of it when we were teenagers. I mean Afroz Bano is a beautiful classical singer ... his thumris are amazing. And then they make him sing this. What a waste of talent ... then again, the movie was pretty damn awful too. Such a shame because Madhuri looked super cute in all the promos.
http://ww.smashits.com/sahibaan/prem-hai-deepak-raag/song-137632.html
4. Pehle Pyar Ka Pehla Ghum - Papa Kehte Hai
Kavita Krishnamurthy has a very unique voice. You can always tell when she's rendering the vocals. There are songs of hers that I love (like 'Pyar Hua Chupke Se' from 1942: A Love Story) and then there's this. First of all its horribly high and screechy (I suppose to sound "young" to match 8-year-old Mayuri Kango here), and secondly ... Mayuri Kango, who was miserably bad in Papa Kehte Hai, a remake of My Father, the Hero. Mayuri, Katherine Heigl you are not.
5. Kaat ke Ungli - First Love Letter (1991)
Do I need to explain? I mean the blood, close-ups of Vivek Mushran, the lyrics ... poor SPB. I can't believe they made him sing this. And someone tell Vivek that writing someone's name does not make a Love Letter. One of my other favorite worst songs is from this movie too ... 'Badrare Barsore'.
This post is to celebrate songs from Bollywood films that I thought were simply too awful to exist. I used to say that I wanted to come out with an album of all our favorite "worst" songs ... ones that had singers who got overexcited, who wavered too much with the melody, or had a dragging, painful rhythm to it.
Obviously enjoyment of music is subjective and one might actually enjoy these songs ... if you do, then I definitely don't mean to insult in any way. I also have a great appreciation for rustic voices and that is never my reasoning for disliking a song. These are songs that I found to have limited or no musical value or have potential but the vocals have a negative impact. Or that I just found plain ridiculous. I must disclaimer that I skipped over a large number of Govinda songs because they would have just overpowered the whole list. Plus I kind of love Govinda.
So here we go:
Bollystalgia's WORST SONGS EVER! List - 90s Edition:
1. Kahe To Se Sajna - Maine Pyar Kiya (1989)
I love the MPK soundtrack. Like, LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Even the rip-off songs, like Aate Jaate Hanste Gaate (I Just Called to Say I Love You) and Mere Rang Mein Rangnewali (Final Countdown). Even Kabootar Jaa. ESPECIALLY the Antakshari. But this song just grates on my nerves. Partially because I feel like the singer goes OFF several times (she also sang the Babul number from HAHK), and also because Bhagyashree is so freaking annoying in this song (I never loved her like everyone else, I actually thought she was a pretty bad actress). She totally overdoes every shot. So this song has been on my craplist ever since I was 14 years old.
2. Saajan O Saajan - Baaghi (1990)
Another soundtrack I loved. Another song I hated. What was up with this singer? Must have been the Producer's sister-in-law or something. A young girl trapped in a brothel, waiting for her lover to save her ... the music could have been really sweet, sad and touching. Instead we get this. Thank god they didn't make Nagma lipsynch this mess.
3. Prem Hai Deepak Raag - Sahibaan (1993)
I don't even know what to say about this song, except that my sister did an amazing imitation of it when we were teenagers. I mean Afroz Bano is a beautiful classical singer ... his thumris are amazing. And then they make him sing this. What a waste of talent ... then again, the movie was pretty damn awful too. Such a shame because Madhuri looked super cute in all the promos.
http://ww.smashits.com/sahibaan/prem-hai-deepak-raag/song-137632.html
4. Pehle Pyar Ka Pehla Ghum - Papa Kehte Hai
Kavita Krishnamurthy has a very unique voice. You can always tell when she's rendering the vocals. There are songs of hers that I love (like 'Pyar Hua Chupke Se' from 1942: A Love Story) and then there's this. First of all its horribly high and screechy (I suppose to sound "young" to match 8-year-old Mayuri Kango here), and secondly ... Mayuri Kango, who was miserably bad in Papa Kehte Hai, a remake of My Father, the Hero. Mayuri, Katherine Heigl you are not.
5. Kaat ke Ungli - First Love Letter (1991)
Do I need to explain? I mean the blood, close-ups of Vivek Mushran, the lyrics ... poor SPB. I can't believe they made him sing this. And someone tell Vivek that writing someone's name does not make a Love Letter. One of my other favorite worst songs is from this movie too ... 'Badrare Barsore'.
6. Meri Maa Ne Lagadi Solah Button - Darr (1993)
Ok, I love Juhi Chawla. Seriously I adore her. And I loved this movie, despite the extreme creepiness of it. I loved how SRK started his career. But this song is a travesty. It is a pathetic wannabe of 'Mere Hathon Mein Nau Nau Chudiyan' from Chandni.
7. Hum Apne Gham Ko - The Gentleman
This is an example of a potentially good song gone wrong. The music is pretty but Alka Yagnik's vocals are wavering all over the place, it's like they tried to make her do too much and ended up ruining the song. I must say that I'm still in awe that 'Roop Suhana Lagta Hai' from this movie was a hit, because I thought it sounded awful compared to the Tamil lyrics of the original. A lot of times when ARR's songs are dubbed over to Hindi, they try to cram too many words into each line and the songs end up sounding dumb when they are fantastic in Tamil (i.e. Telephone Mani Pol from Indian vs. Telephone Dhun Mein from Hindustani). But this song (thankfully) was not in the tamil original - the tamil version had the absolutely gorgeous 'En Veetu Thottathil' - one of my favorite ARR songs ever. Instead the Hindi version had this. I hate to pick on two of Juhi's movies, so I'll say that the song is saved by gratuitous beauty shots of her. Also Chiranjeevi + Juhi is a strange, strange pairing to me.
8. Ruk Ruk Ruk - Vijaypath
Ok just forget about Tabu's jeans. This song is terrible. It is SO stupid. I can't even believe this was a hit. What is wrong with people? My favorite thing about this song is when it was used in the tamil movie Avvai Shanmugi.
9. Ki Ki Ki Mohabbat Ki - Saudagar
Ew. This song is just awful. Saudagar was one of those soundtracks that everyone loved and I was like huh? This is one of the worst songs in it though. I can even handle 'ILU ILU' and 'Imli Ka Boota', but this 'Ki Ki Ki' 'Ji Haan Ji Mohabbat Ki Ki Ki' is just so irritating. Manisha Koirala and Vivek Mushran's horrible acting doesn't help either.
10. ABCD - Hum Saath Saath Hai
Ok I LOVE this movie. Yeah, I know. But I just love to laugh at its ridiculousness. It's so over the top cheesy and unintentionally hilarious. But I can't defend this song. Even adorable Neelam can't save this song. And even worse is the fact that there is a wannabe version of this song in existence. I dare you to watch this video. You'll be humming this nonsense to yourself for the rest of the day.
Obviously there are MANY, MANY more awful songs of the 90s, but these were the ones that came to the top of my head when I was thinking of songs I couldn't stand. I hope you will share your favorite worst songs too - I'd love to hear them!
