A friend of mine recently was accepted to a dream programme in India for the month of January and as a whim, I was asked to send her some music to get her in the “mood of Enlightenment”. As is often the case with someone who does not know when to shut up, I figured I would make a bit of a list to share the songs and provide a bit of context for the songs included, or at least why I included them. The layout will likely follow a two-pronged approach, Part I following basics of Hindustani music moving to contemporary Bollywood hits and Part II, inspired by my Brit-Punjabi, NRI upbringing, a focus upon the birth of a modern British-Asian fusion culture.
Without further ado:
Part I
Mera Joota Hai Japani from the film Shree 420– I believe this was one of the Deadpool films in some capacity, leading to a resurgence of its popularity in the West. However, the song, and its beloved sentiment is still rather respected, especially under Modi’s current Hindu Nationalist regime. The lyrics paint an image of a recently independent India that is not unfamiliar to us in a contemporary context: one of materialistic globalisation. The hook of the song lists a number of goods coming from differing countries – shoes from Japan, pants from the United Kingdom, hats from Russia (then-USSR), but the singer quickly reminds us that “mera dill hai Hindustani” or that his heart is still of Hindustan (India). The happy-go-lucky character of the song takes a darker turn given 2019’s India, with a resurgence of Hindu Nationalism dictating a majority of domestic and foreign policy, policy seemingly carried out with a similar amount of insight and situational observation that the singer in the video showcases. But that is a discussion for another day.
Darling from the film 7 Khoon Maaf– Speaking of Russian influence in post-colonial India, one has to mention this cross-cultured gem from the 2011 film 7 Khoon Maaf (literally 7 murders forgiven). Bollywood’s beloved Priyanka Chopra’s acting is perhaps at her best in this film and this song is not even her best acting in the film. In preparation for marriage to her Russian husband, this Desi-fied version of the 1860 folk choral Russian classic Kalinka showcases the malleability of the Bollywood “Item Song”.
Munni Badnaam Hui from the film Dabangg – What is the Bollywood “Item Song” (or Item Number)? Well, apart from being one of the reasons the films are so long, it is often the most flamboyant, upbeat, and dare I say, sexy, song of the film; the “single” to the film’s “album”. It is hard to pin down where exactly they came from, they seem to be a staple to Bollywood films as early as the mid-50s. One thing is for sure, and I will no doubt get a lot of crap for this, Munni Badnaam Hui is Item Song number one (no, Sheila Ki Jawani doesn’t even come close). The choreography, the music production, and yes, even the outfits are all top-notch. It even includes my favourite Hindi pickup line, hands down: Hai tujhmein poori botal ka nashaor “there is the intoxication of a whole bottle in you”. I have never had much luck with it, but perhaps it is because I simply wasn’t dancing as well as I should have been. Interesting to note, this song was heavily inspired by a song called Larka Badnaam Hua from a 1992 Pakistani film entitled Mr. Charlie. For more information about this, and a glimpse into the petty Bollywood-Lollywood rivalry see this attempt of journalism from exactly midnight on October morning back in 2010 as it does harbour with it some interesting names to begin your own research.
Pretty Woman from the film Kal Ho Na Ho– Ah, 2003 was a lovely time for Bollywood’s over-produced, cookie-cutter romantic drama films, wasn’t it? Shah Rukh Khan was easily within the height of Desi “DILF”-dom already at the age of 38, and political undertones were limited to family-friendly American stereotypes and the joking inclusion of the Punjabi Sikh as the taxi driver even in New York City (oh, so funny and sincerely not offensive). This track is nothing less than a joy to listen to, even if it was guilty of the horrible Bollywood attempts of “African-American influenced raps”. I am unable to apologise for that monstrosity, however.
Hot Hot Hot from the film Bend It Like Beckham – Many have probably already heard of this film, but the cultural impact of it cannot be understated. I can still recall fairly well the day my father dragged me to a cinema in the middle of the more Hispanic epicentre of my home town to go to the only dollar theatre in the entire valley playing this film, with one matinee showing, to an audience of four – the two of us included. Filmed in Hounslow, a neighbourhood of London not known for being the nicest (Chabuddy G from the brilliant show about Pirate Radio in London People Just Do Nothing can illustrate this better than this post can here) this was the first film to focus upon the Punjabi Sikh Londoner generation, and the Clash of Cultures a lot of first and second-generation immigrants felt as the 90s promise of prosperity and peace were shaken by the cold realities of the Post-9/11 West (also note, still a few years away from the 7/7 bombings at this point). The film sparked a feeling of normalization of race relations (albeit temporarily) for the confused NRI teens and tweens, and allowed for a glimpse of the future of English football (as well as the future of one Kiera Knightly). This song was used at the closing credits, played to the behind the scenes clips, but to those who have not seen it, I cannot recommend the film enough, truly a gem of cultural genre-cross overs, and about a decade ahead of its time in that regard.
Kya Karoon? and Wake Up, Sid from the film Wake Up, Sid– 2009 will no doubt be remembered as a key turning point for Bollywood. Sparked by the monumental film 3 Idiots (a film I implore anyone reading this to watch, even if it is a hell of an emotional roller coaster) and continued by two equally powerful films Rockstar and Wake Up, Sid, 2009 showed us that Bollywood did not need to be tied to the anchor of Hindustani traditionalism that had so far been the status quo. These films were far more liberal, “modern, and yes, Westernized, but they are still intrinsically Bollywood not a mere imitation of a Hollywood film. There is a thesis worth of analysis to be provided for any of these films, and I will refrain from sharing any song from 3 Idiots as I fear providing even an iota of a spoiler for that story. So much so that I will refrain from further elaboration, but if you would like to discuss any of these films, message me.
Manali Trance from the film The Shaukeens – Speaking of the “liberalisation” of Bollywood, this 2014 remake of the 1982 film Shaukeen showcases this further. Openly portraying the use of marijuana as a recreational drug and the inclusion of Instagram famous rapper Honey Singh, a rapper who enjoyed a relatively successful career of producing Punjabi and modern songs with, perhaps, unfortunate lyrics (hey, globalisation has pros and cons but this isn’t to say that Honey Singh was able to act with impunity, however), allowed this subpar film to express the generally accepted trend of allowing Western influence into the Bollywood canon.
That is enough about a few random Bollywood songs. Of course, there are thousands of other songs that could be included, but let me know what other ones you enjoy. As a side note, this hilarious clip from AIC, an Indian comedian group, showcases a lot of the stereotypes and tropes found in contemporary Bollywood and rightfully satirizes the industry’s reliance upon them. Skip to about 3:00 for the music video itself and don’t forget to turn on captions if you are less than confident in your Hindi.
Part II – Brit-Asian Fusion
Alright, now let’s get into it. The godfather of underground Desi proliferation. The burning voice of at least two generations of immigrants, the product of the epitome of colonialism. The story of the Punjabi diaspora is far too large to put here, but we all know the framework. They were promised a state, Partition in 1947 forgot to include it, and thus began the exodus in large of Punjabis to all corners of the world. USA, Canada, Kenya (where my family ended up) and of course, amongst others, the United Kingdom. Though the godfather of the modern Bhangra genre (Channi Singh who would go on to receive an OBE for his service to culture) hailed from Southall, London with his band Alaap, it is from the working-class city of Birmingham (or as the locals call it: Birmingham) that the modern rendition of Bhangra was to be born.
Gawardiyan by Stereo Nation – THE true portrayal of folk instrumentation, socially modern lyrics combined with Anglo sonic production of the time. This song perhaps truly put Bhangra on the map so to speak as a genre carrying with it the same potential of societal change and observational skills of the hip-hop Revolution a few decades earlier in The Bronx. This song was thrust readily upon the British music scene by the late and great Joe Strummer, that is, frontman and songwriter of The Clash, during his tragically shortlived radio show London Calling (the entirety of which can be streamed here with limited commentary, an excellent example of curation on the airwaves at the highest level. The episode showcasing this song is episode 5). It is perhaps unfortunate that there appears to be a bit of a confusion by Mr Strummer, however. He does state that the song was sent in by a listener, and then proceeds to identify the song as Gwandir by someone named Nasha. I have been unable to fully locate where this confusion came from, perhaps the listener who sent the song went by Nasha, or perhaps something else altogether. If anyone has any insight here I would love to hear it.
Darshan by B21 – A second song from the film Bend it Like Beckham and firmly within the beloved modern Bhangra realm. Hard to say much about this song that isn’t already implied by its riveting tabla beat, simple lyrics relying heavily on a call and response pattern, and hyper-traditional breakdown; it is easy to see why this song is perhaps played at every Punjabi wedding. Not of the song itself, but of note is the name of the album by B21 as showcased in the lower right corner of the video above: “Made in England”. This already communicates where the modern Bhangra music scene saw itself in regards to its origins: authentically British. This will be discussed further below, but it is good to keep it in mind.
Mundian To Bach Ke by Panjabi MC – well now is as good of a time as ever to bring out the glorious, brilliant elephant in the room. The star child of the modern Bhangra movement, the Don of Desi Dancehall, the Khalistani Gangsta, Panjabi MC (the name being an alternative transliteration of Punjabi). This will just one of his songs portrayed in this list, and you have probably already heard this one. Becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time thanks to the remix Beware of the Boys featuring Jay Z and its inclusion on the soundtrack for the film The Dictator (as can be seen by the initial video). Still to this day, this song implies more than the simple beat could ever hope to portray on its own. Globalisation, Arabization, hip-hop collaboration, are all easily understood with this song playing in the background of a wedding in Nairobi, a party in Rio De Janeiro, or a film premier celebration in Hollywood.
Jogi by Panjabi MC – The second track from Panjabi MC here is also massively popular. Those who have played the video game Far Cry 4 will remember the iconic scene utilising its mesmerizing sitar hook, and those who have remotely heard of modern Bhangra have heard this song in some capacity before. With its lyrics a heartbreaking portrayal of what we give up willingly to fall in love, and the warnings we wish to not heed prior, this song is nothing short of a sampling masterpiece. Utilising what some call the “most sampled drumbeat in history” from Skull Snaps’ “It’s a New Day”, Panjabi MC solidified himself as a genre-bending guru.
Moorni by Panjabi MC – the third and final song from Panjabi MC is the most recent single from 2010, again massively popular and, again, deservedly so. Returning to a simpler production style, Moorni relies upon three major instrumentation tracks, a talented vocal cast, and the simple lyrics sparked by pure romantic adoration. This song continues to be covered, remixed, and utilised at all sorts of celebrations around the world. If you have not heard this song yet, keep your ears open if you are ever around a party environment, you will hear it eventually. Of note again is the album cover’s reminder of the geographic origin of the music.
Bhangra Ishqe Da by Balwinder Matewaria – moving on from the seminal Panjabi MC, this song is a simple party song, through and through. The production value perhaps sounds skewed towards a muffled bass, and while I wish I could say that is for a calculated reason, that seems to simply be the way producers like it. The sound of a slightly distorted bass speaker in a car driving through Southall will remain the real sound of the Bhangra culture, and perhaps I even enjoy it that way.
Gabru Punjab Da by JK – A bit dated at this point, but a great example of younger and independent voices in the modern Bhangra scene. This song is voraciously Punjabi while still being typical Britain. Though he is not as big as Panjabi MC, JK is more than just a spark in the pan, however.
Shindeh Di Tape by JK and Tru-Skool – Though not as boisterous as the previous song, JK’s collaboration with fellow artist Tru-Skool provides a throwback to the 80s and 90s hip hop, both Western and Punjabi. Though yet to have the cross-over event that defined Panjabi MC’s career, these “sounds of the street” are still real, and probably exist not terribly far from where you are currently reading this blog.
Cornershop – For the final item on this list, I wish to not highlight a song individually, but a group in its entirety. The group Cornershop fronted by Tjinder Singh of Wolverhampton has been a radical spark of cultural genius dating back to 1991, but rising to global fame in 1997 with their track “Brimful of Asha” largely thanks to a remix made by Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim). Fatboy would not be the first recognizable name to cast its gaze upon modest Tjinder and his boys, their first album being enough to convince David Byrne of Talking Heads fame to sign them to his Luaka Bop label in 1994. Cornershop would go on to be highlighted not only the aforementioned radio show from Joe Strummer London Calling, but would even strike a chord in Belgrade, being one of the top ten albums of the year according to revolutionary student radio station B92 during the Yugoslav Civil War (for more on the remarkable story of this radio station see the book This Is Serbia Calling by Matthew Collin). Though this band has pioneered their very own genre of British-Asian fusion pop/punk fusion, jumping from genre to genre between their albums, I will highlight briefly three songs of note:
Spectral Mornings – Nearing the end of their concept album Handcream for a Generation this 14 minute long journey highlights the Punjabi language, sitar hooks, and even Noel Gallagher’s guitar.
6am Jullandar Shere – Opening their 1995 album Woman’s Gotta Have It it is easy to imagine many mornings being awoken to prayers during Tjinder’s childhood and many others. Easily stuck in one’s head, this song is easily recognizable, even accounting for linguistic separations, and ends far too quickly.
Norwegian Wood – Finally, this little gem of a cover is powerful not only because of the original song itself but because of the literal translation of the lyrics to Punjabi (rather than attempting to poetically create rhythm in the translated language). Additionally, this track was both Yoko Ono and Sir Paul McCartney approved, so perhaps that says something.
So this just about sums up my modest list of Desi-influenced music. What started as a simple recommendation for a friend turned into a bit of a pedantic and opinionated rant on Desi culture and music, but perhaps that is what a blog is for. Let me know what you may think, what you agree with, what you disagree with, and what I tragically did not include in the list.
To end this off, I will leave the mixtape Strictly for my Jatts by Lil India and Genie here. Showcasing desi music from a span of decades seamlessly mixed in with the hip hop and club music of the past twenty years, the mixtape is named after the largely pastoral class of individuals (of varying ethnic and religious backgrounds) of the Northern regions of India and Pakistan, the Jats.
Varasi Academica 