#487

       Song:    ae dil tujhi ko neend na aayi tamaam raat
                soti rahi khuda ki khudaai tamaam raat

       Film:    Shahnaaz (1948)
       Singer:  Mohammed Rafi
       Music:   Amirbai Karnataki
       Lyrics:  Akhtar Pilibhiti
       *ing:    ?

Here's something I've been meaning to post for a while, and since the
hibernating series has been kindly rejuvenated, here goes.

This is a song I have been rather besotted with over the last few
days... a frightfully old tune by Rafi, in his (as Ashok calls
it) 'still-evolving' voice, which I personally like the most among all
of its various manifestations down the years. There's a whole bunch of
these archaic Rafi songs I was fortunate to lay my hands on on my
recent India trip, so I think I'll spend next few posts on them.

The most disarming part of this song is, as I mentioned, Rafi's early.
fresh voice, which lends an immensely charming air to his evocative
rendition of this beautiful tune, evincing the feelings of desolate
helplessness in the lyrics very effectively...

  apni to ek bhi na chali dil ke saamne
  reh reh ke teri yaad bhulaayi tamaam raat...

And as the age-old lyrical idiom goes, his personal sorrow seems to
spread itself all over the ambience...

  kis maahe (?) aasmaan ke tasavvur men raat bhar
  taaron tumhen bhi neend na aayi tamaam raat...

The orchestral trappings of this song are rather reminiscent of Sajjad,
especially the violin pieces. Beautifully composed. Rather short song,
unfortunately.

More Rafi coming...

..Hrishi