My Favourite Lullaby Songs

Lullaby songs always form a significant & popular part of Hindi film songs. I think, one of the first popular lullby songs from a Hindi movie is ‘So Ja Rajkumari So Ja‘ sung by K L Saigal from Zindagi-1940 (Music by Pankaj Malik). The song is still considered to be an ultimate lori by old hindi film song lovers, especially those who adore the songs from 1940s. It is obviously wonderfully sung by Saigal and its magic is really unparalleled. But unfortunately Saigal’s voice is remembered by today’s youth as a voice to be used for mimicry and to imitate the era of 1940s in a disrespectfully comical way. I really find it disgraceful!
Many of the films from 1950-60s usually have a lori song and one of the representative songs is certainly ‘Dheere Se Aaja Ri Aakhiyan Mein‘ from Albela(1951). It is one of the most popular loris of 1950s. The song is in two parts in the movie, first part is sung by Lata as a solo & second part is a duet by Lata & Chitalkar.

Dheere Se Aaja Ri

The lori songs continued in 70s & 80s as well, with some of the memorable loris being introduced. Even in 90s & after 2000 also, some lullaby songs were composed, I remember a lori from Swades (2005) By Udit Narayan & Sadhna Sargam. I like it very much and find it soothing!

Nealy every time lori is a happy song and mother is pampering the baby, playing with him/her & making the baby sleep.

But sometimes, the scenario changes! There is some miss happening in the family, mostly related to father of the baby. Father is missing or leaving the house after a quarrel and the left alone mother is in a grave situation. She has no one to look after them, is left with nothing and now has the whole responsibility of the baby. She then sings a lori with pathos. She tries to explain her difficult situation to the audience and gains sympathy. Such loris are always full of tears on screen.
We also have some lullaby songs by a male character on screen and though less in number as compared to female songs, are equally popular. Many of the songs cross my blogs timeline and I haven’t included those.
This theme was in my mind for a good many weeks now! But I thought it to be too obvious to have a Lullaby song list on the Hindi film songs blog.
Still, I thought why not? So I started looking for the songs and the task was very easy, I gathered good number of songs from which to have ten or more songs!
I was going to stop at ten songs, but finally I settled for twelve! But one song was very interestingly composed, very unusual for a lullaby. So I decided to include it as a bonus track.

1 Tim Tim Karate Taare – Chirag Kahan Roshani Kahan (1959) Lata Mangeshkar / Ravi – Ravi
This is one of my most favourite lullaby songs. The song is written & composed by Ravi. He has written many meaningful & popular songs, though he was never regarded as a lyricist. (I’m planning a post on this ignored aspect of his musical career.) To me, the song appears to be influenced by Hemant Kumar’s style of orchestration, and I always find the song really similar to HK’s other compositions. The songs talks about the dreams the boy is about to get in his dreams and is really fascinating! I wish we really had all those things mentioned in the dreams.

2 Main Gaoon Tu Chup Ho Ja – Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957) Lata Mangeshkar / Vasant Desai – Bharat Vyas
A masterpiece! Vasant Desai has included various day today sounds to add to the rhythm of the song like window door smashing on a utensil making a sweet metallic sound and the door swinging back to collide with tree branches. Sandhya is making the children sleep, she loves them as her own kids and finally not only the children but adults also go fast asleep with the magic of this lullaby song. And as usual Bharat Vyas and his pure Hindi, just bliss!

3 Khoya Khoya Chanda – Door Gagan Ki Chaaon Mein (1963) Asha Bhosle / Kishore Kumar – Shailendra
Here, we see a boy, who has lost his mother in fire and the shock has made him dumb. He is desperately missing his mother and asks his carer to sing for him just as his mother used to. Though not a popular song, it does have all the qualities of a great lori.

4 Taaron Ki Nagari Se – Waris (1954) Suraiya / Anil Biswas – Qamar Jalalabadi
A lori of the second catagory, where the mother is telling her story metaphorically to the child. How his parents met and separated. Finally she says her child to sleep as the story is endless and she would wait for his father always. I love this song. The song has a typical lullaby rhythm that you can pick up easily.

5 Nanhi Kali Sone Chali – Sujata (1959) Geeta Dutt / S D Burman – Majrooh
I think it to be one of the most popular loris of Hindi films. Sulochana making her daughter sleep in her room, whereas other baby (would be Nutan) is in servant’s room, listening to it. The song has very little music, the interludes are also soft, notably absent is any rhythm instrument.

6 Main Jaagoon Saari Rain Sajan Tum – Bahurani (1963) Lata Mangeshkar / C Ramchandra – Sahir
A completely unexpected situation for a lori! Here we have a heart broken wife singing the song to her husband, who is a simple minded young man, who is mentally more or less a child. He has no courage and confidence to stand up to his step brother. He is looking to his wife more as a mother figure.
His wife is disappointed on the first night and curses her fortune for this. All her dreams are shattered and she is left with agony.
‘Phiki Pad Gayi Chand Ki Jyoti
Dhundale Ho Gaye Deep Gagan Ke
So Gayi Sundar Sej Ki Kaliyan
So Gaye Khilate Bhaag Duhan Ke‘
For an excellent review of the film visit Dusted off.

7 Aari Nindiya Ki Pari -Rishte Naate (1965) Lata Mangeshkar / Madanmohan – Hasrat Jaipuri
Though it’s a typical lori, Lata’s voice makes it special. As such she sings all the songs with equal devotion, this one sounds really too sweet & full of emotions.
I don’t recollect any other lori by Madanmohan, who was busy composing ghazals and other sad songs.

8 Chandan Ka Palna – Shabab (1956) Hemant Kumar / Naushad – Shakil Badayuni
One of the male lullaby songs on my list. The scenario is entirely different in this song as well. It’s from a fantasy movie; here we have a princess who suffers from insomnia. She is unable to sleep. The king has tried all that he could, but without any good. The problem persists! Even renowned singers have failed to make to make any difference. Then Rattan, a singer from the village, takes up the challenge and sings this beautiful lori and what a miracle! The princess sleeps peacefully. Finally the King finds an effective way for his problem! In my opinion, Hemant Kumar’s voice suits the purpose perfectly. He has sung only a couple of songs for Naushad and both are equally great.

9 Main Gaoon Tum So Jao – Brahmachari (1968) Rafi / Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri
Second male song on my list. The song is so famous that no one feels the list complete without it! It’s a well known song, where we can see Shammi Kapoor running an orphanage and making the children sleep with this soothing and melodious lori. Excellent rendition by Rafi. It also has a sad part, when one of the boy has been adopted by a couple and going to leave next morning. The other children can’t cope up with this and they start crying.

10 Chand Gagan Mein Ek Hai – Aandhi Aur Toofan (1964) Mubaraq Begum / Robin Bannerji – Faruq Kaiser
A less known song, from a lesser known movie & music director! But by a well known versatile singer! Mubaraq Begum’s talent was otherwise wasted by singing mujra songs, dance numbers and songs of less importance.
She has sung this beautiful lullaby effortlessly and with equal devotion. Just listen the way she sings, La La La La at the end of each antara. Just wonderful!

11 Chanda Dhale Pankha Jhale – Pyar Ki Pyas (1961) Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt / Vasant Desai – Bharat Vyas
A nice, melodious lori, once again by Vasant Desai. The song has three parts in the movie. The happy parts are sung by Geeta Dutt & the sad one by Lata. All the parts are worth listening. We can see Nishi & Honey Irani in all the parts. The little girl is alone, apparently in a scary jungle where her mother’s spirit comes to sing for her. Honey Irani looks very innocent. Again Bharat Vyas creates magic with his words.

Now, Lata Mangeshkar’s song

12 Nanhi Si Gudiya Aafat Ki Pudiya- Masoom (1960) Suman Kalyanpur / Robin Chatterji – Raja Mehdi Ali Khan
This is perhaps, a lesser known song from the movie. Cute & chubby little Honey Irani is seen sleeping on the bed, while two boys are peeping from the window.
The lori has very soft words, the mother is requesting the breeze to be gentle as it enters the room & telling the birds to be quiet, as her princess is sleeping.
Suman’s voice sounds so different! Her voice had a unique sweetness that gets highlitghted in this particular song. Although Robin Chatterji was the main composer for the movie, the more famous song ‘Nani Teri Morani Ko’ was composed by Hemant Kumar & sung by his daughter Ranu Mukharji.

Now a bonus song,
§§ Door Ke O Chanda – Ek Dil Sou Afsane (1963) Lata Mangeshkar & Chorus / Shankar Jaikishan – Shailendra §§
It’s very unusual & surprising to have Waltz rhythm to a lullaby song! And also a chorus running in the interludes that makes us feel like listening to an opera song. Still it is also successful as a lori! A great composition in this respect.
It’s like watching Wahida dancing a waltz with a baby in her arms while listening to an opera song and feeling sleepy. I just couldn’t stop thinking please don’t drop the baby.
I don’t recollect offhand any lullaby song that has used chorus in such a prominent way.

 

Which is your favourite lullaby song?