Chhaayaageet #166 - "Ye kya leke aaye? It's just noise."
What is this you have brought? It's just noise.
The composer is traveling in America. It is nice to get away from the busy schedule of recordings and music sittings, and meeting with filmmakers and lyricists. It can just seem unending at times. The days blur into the dusk and nights into the dawn. So it is a nice welcome respite from it all.
But old habits die hard. The ear is trained to pick up strange sounds, even on a holiday. That's exactly what happens one evening in a club. It is a decidedly strange sound. How are they creating it? He decides to get to the bottom of this mystery. It is a device that seems to be simulating the effect of two tracks being played simultaneously. He immediately procures the device to bring with him to India, and can't wait to play with it.
Back from holiday, work begins on a new film. One day as he is sitting around with his core group of musicians, he comes up with a tune. It is a rather simple tune.
"Yeh ek simple si tune hai. Aap ispe likh dijiye", the composer shares the tune with the lyricist, who is a good friend. It is a dummy recording that he has made with dummy words. This is a simple tune. You write something for this.
As the song progresses further, the composer decides this might just be the time to try this new toy that he has brought from America. He proudly holds up the new purchase. He asks his guitarist to play the instrument with the device attached. Now, this device changes the sound to such an extent, that you can no longer recognize the instrument. It can even sound downright out of tune.
Everyone around them breaks out into a laughter at the weird sound that comes out of the guitar. "Yeh kya leke aaye? It's just noise", they pass verdict. What have you brought? It's just noise.
"Isey achhi tarah use karenge, to bahot achha sunai dega", the composer insists. If we use this properly, it will sound very nice.
The other musicians just shake their heads. What new experiment are we getting into now, they wonder. The song is completed, with largely just one main instrument playing with this device attached, the weird sound in a loop over and over again.
RD Burman composed and sang the song Dhanno ki aankhon mein for the film Kitaab (1977), written, directed and co-produced by Gulzar. The song is filmed on character actor Ram Mohan with the backdrop of Master Raju running away from his sister's home in Mumbai to go back to his mother in the village.
Pancham da used the flanger to create the weird sound playing continuously as the central music piece of the song. To his own admission, it is a nothing tune. But he made the song famous with his musical genius and his own singing of this song. He understood screen characterization very well and decided only his voice would suit the character of the train driver. The music and Pancham da's voice makes this song special.
When Shammi Kapoor heard the song, he asked Gulzar, "Why didn't you ask me to perform this song?" Gulzar explained, "How could I ask you to appear in just one song?" Shammi Kapoor replied, "I would have come for this song."
Enjoy this additional video of Pancham's music sitting where he sings this song with dummy words.
Other songs in which Pancham da used the flanger effect in films like Kudrat, Rocky, The Burging Train, etc.
Music: RD Burman
Singer: RD Burman
Lyrics: Gulzar
*ing: Ram Mohan
Director: Gulzar
Film: Kitaab (1977)