OorOrama Aathupakkam ThennanthOppu - Idhaya Koyil
Whenever there is a harvest, there is also associated harvest festival. Every region has their own tradition and timing for the harvest festival. Like we have Thai Pongal or Makara Shankranthi during January, other regions/countries have at different periods and the way they celebrate also quite differs from how we celebrate. All these festivals apart from all the enjoyment are mainly meant to thank the farmers, who not only raise the crops for grains, but also responsible for the harvest and the whole harvest process like reaping (cutting the grains), threshing (removing chaff from grains), winnowing (separating grains from pests and straws) and up to the final edible product which is sold by the market. With latest technologies, the whole process have become simpler, but still only applies to large scale farms who can afford to technologies. Why am I saying all this? There is a reason to this.
Similarly in music too, the above said harvest is true, except the harvest is only after the film/audio is released, but the whole harvest process is before the actual harvest. Only difference between Maestro and others is, when the director tells the situation, actual harvest is immediately done by Maestro, while others just start sowing the seeds at that time (no offense meant, that's their style). Since harvest is already done, the time taken to give the final product (via reaping through winnowing) is very fast. In musical context, it can be taken as the time required for the musicians and singers to prepare for the final take. This is the only time required for Maestro. That's why he was telling recently that 'you come to me, if you want the food ready to be served'. :wink: Again, here it is not be mis understood that since the time taken from sowing the seeds to harvest for Maestro does not take time, there is no hard work involved. That's why he does many films consecutively. The autonomous system works promptly and early (I mean his CPU :smile:) for Maestro for conceiving a composition, which is a gift. So he has all his three life lines intact while answering his last question for KBC (:wink:), while others already utilized it during the process of creation to harvest. While everyone might win a hard fought battle, Maestro wins easily everytime.
Once you start tasting and relishing your dish on your table, you ought to think of the hard-work during the whole process from sowing to cooking till it is ready to be served on your table. Similarly in music too, when you enjoy someone's music, you think about the whole process it took until it is ready to be served for your ears and soul. I remember now the words of director Mahendran. 'When I see a food grain left on my plate after I complete my meal, I tend to think that this food grain has been sowed by some one, reaped by some one else, and it has travelled so far to reach our home and to my table and to my plate. It will be happy only if I consume it, otherwise just imagine, if it has come so far only to be drained away directly, what is the purpose of its life and why it should be created?'. Imagine this grain as the composition which we are going to talk now.
As all other compositions from this film has already been consumed, relished and appreciated much, assuming this composition as the last grain on our plate (in this soundtrack), it is upto us to either to leave it or consume it. As you might know by now that, every Maestro's composition is meant to be consumed and not be wasted, that's the whole point I am arriving at. Mainly because, every composition of Maestro take up the same process and diligence with no exceptions. Every film, every director, every situation is equal and unique to Maestro, inspite of variations in the output based on the situation alone and not based on any other aspects.
Let us start with the negatives. The song is sort of a competition song between college/class mates. Tall Kapil Dev and Radha dance with their friends. I believe it was taken in CEG, Guindy. If you want to see some horrible choreography, this is the one. I don't in what mood John Babu Master choreographed this song. Also, if you listen to the lyrics, the song definitely does not match the college background. It might fit the rural backdrop. Again if you just listen to the tune, orchestration and arrangements, it cannot be in folk backdrop. So there is some confusion. I don't know what situation Mani Rathnam conveyed to IR, or how IR conceived this tune for that situation. I would say, this is the first song where there is no relation to the situation, tune, lyrics and singing. Even within lyrics, there is not much relation/sync between pallavi and charanams and between charanam lines even. Only thing which is understandable is, the lyricist has taken birds carefree analogy with college youths. Even the analogy itself is plain embarrassing. Please add in your comments if you think otherwise.
For example:
F: peN paarkkum bOthe bErangaL PEsum aan vargham angEthu
M: ammaadi vEndam kalyaana vaazhkai nammalE aagaathu
First of all how can the lyricist take birds life as an example to humans in case of marriages. Big, big mistake. The above line by female where she is asking her friend, that there is no 'varadatchanai' business in birds, how horrible that can be to have such a analogy. For that, her friend answers that he doesn't like marriage life at all. Absolutely this answer does not have any relation to the question asked. I am still surprised how Vaali sir can write such a lyrics and how it got approved by Maestro. Absolute miscalculation by all four, MR, IR, Vaali and John Babu.
Despite all this, if you take this composition as a stand-alone piece and ignoring the lyrics (for the situation), it has some wonderful moments. The song starts with a different and catchy humming; 'Jumjumkujum jumkuchchuka jumjumkujum' which might interest a few and which might put off a few. The starting uneven male choir with some amazing bass lines, piano and acoustic drums all add to some nice jazz-based dance number. The beat pattern is a very simple (ending in hi-hat hit), yet the uneven male choir adds to the simple rhythm pattern making it complex. If you listen only to acoustic drums, it will surely be underwhelming for a dance number, but joined with the choir and bass guitar, it adds the required pepp. Maestro starts the song beautifully with 'OorOrama Aathupakkam' with open voice. The pallavi lines works just fine as a stand-alone piece. When the anu-pallavi is on, we also hear the lead guitar (along with bass lines), between the pallavi lines as fillers. Absolutely stunning! As if it nods his head agreeing to the lines, saying 'Yes' and 'Yes'. At the end of pallavi S Janaki joins the humming with Maestro.
Maestro's one of the finest interlude. The beat pattern does not change between the end of pallavi and the start of the interlude. Same underwhelming pattern. See how Maestro adds more components to that simple pattern. Start of this interlude is one of the best male choir and a very rare one as Maestro rarely uses male choir unlike female choir. It sounds very different. First we hear a single voice (like a cry) or atleast a group of voices which sounds like a single voice. Then he adds the choir with the same vocal melody making it a wonderful harmony. While the harmony is on, we can hear how Maestro punches in piano, and another lead guitar, without our knowledge. Then he cleverly removes the choir harmony and replaces it with high horns playing the same harmony melody (with the same lead guitar), but at higher octaves, may be soprano. 'Kaadhu katti vidhdhai' (just like kannkatti vidhdhai). :wink: Another interesting aspect is, when the choir pauses in between for a fraction of a second (you have to closely take a notice), he introduces another horn or piano (not sure) which adds to the rhythm along with the lead guitar. Sameway when the trumpet is underway and make a short pause, he adds the same lower horn (or piano). While the piano and lead guitar adds to the rhythm pattern, we now have to search that simple beat pattern which started the interlude, no way to trace that. Again, Maestro gives us another chance to trace that, by changing the choir pattern. This time the choir sounds like a rhythm, making the simple pattern rich enough in the second part of the interlude. This second part of interlude is the best example of vocal harmony, as the female choir range is in the soprano range, the male choir is either at alto or tenor, making it a perfect harmony. All this culminates, when the both choir goes higher with some freaking rolling drums. :thumbsup: Just imagine if it would have been choreographed well, how this song would be. There is so much in this interlude itself, that we can completely forget and forgive all the misgivings said in the earlier paragraphs.
The bass lines during charnams is terrific. This charanam totally belongs to Chitra, very well sung. Observe the beat syncopation. One long beat followed by two quick beats. Again lyrics is not in sync, but the soul of the song is in charanam, especially hear the last line. 'NaaL ThOrumE uravai kaattum panpaadidum kuruvi koottam naamE' and the finishing of drums (I believe it is by puru sir). The simple beat pattern suddenly turned into a storm. One of my favorite portion of the song!
If the above beat pattern is not enough, how about the one in second interlude?. The trumpet with some crazy beats. One trumpet plays high and immediately connects to another one at bass (baritone - may be trombone) in split of a second. May be Puru and Eugene Lazarus/Blasco Monsorate. Deivame! :notworthy: I totally forgot what I wrote initially about the song and its situation. Did you? :wink: Still the interlude is not over. Finest electric guitar playing which reverberates in us for a long time. If that was Lazarus and Puru, this time it is Sada sir. Stiff competition between those musicians and do you know who emerged as winner? As listeners we won and they all won our hearts! Maestro demonstrates his musical prowess in this interlude. If the first interlude was the finest, what do we call this? A Jazz fiesta!
If this song did not have incongruous lyrics and choreography, this should have been another 'Kaala Kaalamaaga' of Punnagai Mannan. 'ThennanthOppu', 'Kuruvikkoodu' type of lyrics and analogy did not fit the urban setting and the mood especially backed up some crazy and inspiring Jazz horns, piano, electric guitars and acoustic drums and rhythm patterns. It has an excellent tune and great singing by both Maestro and Chitra with some tremendous choir harmony and one of the finest interludes, if not the best. If you look at the positives and negatives now, positives outweigh all the negatives, provided the song is not seen at all. This is another classic example of any Maestro song does not and should not go waste. For that we need to be little patient in not dismissing by hearing just the starting humming. If we get past that hurdle, we are in for a greater treat and surprise which we would never thought of. Like maaya, it will always follow us and torture us, but once we get past that, we see a beautiful independent world in front of us.
There are some songs, which look beautiful outside (I mean the starts) and but it will be shallow inside with no soul, all wrapped up beautifully around a dead body. There are some songs which don't look beautiful outside, but it has got a beautiful and ever-loving heart inside. We also have both good looks and great soul-stirring songs, which is a different subject. I will take a vegetable analogy here. There are some vegetables which many have phobic syndrome at the very look of them. But they have more medicinal values. There are some other vegetables, which tastes and looks so good, but they only add to our health problems. Sometimes looks deceives us. That is applicable to music as well. I hope you know which category this song belongs to. Now we have to decide which one to choose, either the happy one or the good one!
All the above discussion about this song comes back to the same question I posted at the start. Does this song deserve to be left like the last grain on our plate to be drained out, having come a long way (yet its purpose not fulfilled), or does it deserve to be consumed, not just for the sympathy, for the merit alone. Choice is yours!
(Watch the video at your own risk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj_NN...eature=related
http://www.thiraipaadal.com/album.php?ALBID=ALBIRR00211