WOWWW!!!! I'm awestruck listening to the Thee Thee song now.. still
cant believe its rendered by a Chinese gurl!!! I bet she will put all
the presentation in Tamil TV channels / Movie actress to shame with
her pronounciation..
Hey Vithur,
Really applaud your dedicated effort to bring these gems to thousands
of fans every day... You are truly amazing!!!
I'm still is awe!
On Shobha Palaniappan - Im not surprised, if Rahman called me for a
recording I would even dump Armstrong and fly back from Moon.
:) Srini
On Jul 30, 2008, at 4:05 PM, Vithur wrote:
Vairamuthu Neram – Discussion abt singers who have sung only very
few songs but have created impact in the few renditions itself
Margazhi Poove ( Shoba Palaniappan )
In Singapore Aiport, a lady came running towards me. She introduced
herself, as a singer. She said that she was living in America. She
asked for a help from me. She wanted to meet A.R. Rahman by some
means possible, and wanted to leave her voice with him. When I
returned to Chennai, I suggested to Rahman to listen to her voice,
and if found suitable, to use it in some song. I will tell that
much only. I will not recommend anyone to make them sing for him.
But whosoever comes, I will introduce them to him. A.R. Rahman
received the CD of that lady and I returned home. That night, he was
to board flight to US. At that juncture, he had listened to that CD.
He liked the voice, and desired to use it ,and tried reaching that
lady. But the lady was flying on board, and was not reachable.
That news was sent to America. When that lady arrived in US, there
was a notice there saying that Rahman has requested her to meet him.
That lady, didn't go home, and took a flight from there immediately,
and arrived in India. She came, and sang a song in A.R. Rahman 's
Music studio. That was the only song sung by her. That song was
enough to say who was Shobha Palaniappan, for her entire life ….
Thiruda Thiruda Songs
In my career , I consider the songs of Thiruda Thiruda to be the
ones which blended with the music perfectly. After Roja, Rahman had
the urge and the passion to do something different , and Thiruda
Thiruda was that movie. In that film, there was a tune like this ,
" Tha Tha Thattata thaaa….. ( Thee Thee song )"
There is always a confusion for the lyricists, when the songs are to
be written in one letter, one language ( oreyzhithu ; oru mozhi )
There are so many letters in Tamil, which are elongnated ones .
( Nedils )
For eg. Maaa meaning cow. Vaa ; theee; poo; yee… These are the
Elongnated words, which stand separate. When we have to put these
words into the song, there wont be much scope for writing them.
The place given is small, but we have been asked to think big. We
have desires to drive a ship, but we have only a small railway track
which is available. The difficulty is to drive the ship through this
railway track. After writing much also, this song didn't give a new
effect. After getting frustrated, I told Maniratnam, that I am on my
way to Yercaud ( Salem ) . I will come back and write the lyrics for
you. I started off. But, then, Maniratnam told me, that the singer
had already arrived, and requested for the lyrics of the song. I was
on an urge to leave in my car, and gave my lyrics in a hurry, and
that was
" Theee Theee Thitukkum theee". ( written in a hurry by VM ) .
The news that I had told till now are not that important, and there
is something more coming up. I wasn't there, when this song was
recorded. After writing the lyrics, I was on my way to Yercaud in
train. After coming back, I asked , whose voice was that ?. a
mesmerizing voice . a wonderful voice just like that of a parrot.
She has spelt all the words in a superb fashion. A.R. Rahman told me
that she was a Chinese girl.
I was thrown aback. He told, " Sir. She doesn't know Tamil. She
knows only Chinese, English. She has sung it". Her name was
Caroline. The only song sung by her.
This song will last till the time, there is fire in this world, and
it would be sweet enough to hear it anytime.
Minmini – Chinna Chinna aasai
Many a times, we don't get Singers to sing a song immediately. We
have waited for SPB for a month, for Jesudas, for Chitra. If a song
has to be done then and there, sometimes, alternatively, a small
time singer is used. This is natural.
We couldn't finalise on whom to make a song sing, due to the time
constraints. There was a singer who was sitting in front of A.R.
Rahman Studio, waiting for an opportunity. They wanted to experiment
with that singer. After the recording was done, it was thought
whether there was any need to change the singer at all. The song
blended so well. The tune with the voice, the voice with the lyrics.
The feel of the singer on the song, giving it fresh feeling. The
song and the voice gave a new mesmerism to everyone hearing it. We
hear the voice for a day, for some days, and then over weeks, and
decide that the voice shouldn't be changed at all for ever. This
song either had to be sung by Janaki, or Chitra, or Sujatha, and
this was our assumption. But, this new singer's voice got into us,
and tempted us by saying, " Pls don't change me; Pls don't change
me". Such a singer, who couldn't be eliminated was Singer Minmini.
The song, which can never be changed or forgotten is " Chinna Chinna
Aasai ".
Its not a condition, that only people who know Tamil should sing
Tamil songs. Any person, with any mother tongue can sing Tamil
songs. But a small request to them. They should try to read the
lyrics well, and then start singing it. They can sing, after
learning the language. People who can spell the language properly,
can learn the language and sing in it.
For eg :- Magnetic voice singer TMS … His mother tongue wasn't
Tamil. It was Saurasthra. How many people can spell Tamil so well
like him ?
Susheela 's mother tongue was telugu. But she belongs to the
category of singers who taught Tamil to the Industry
Jesudas – Mother tongue Malayalam.. he utters Tamil words to the
tune of 91% perfection.
SPB – Mother Tongue Telugu. But, when he utters Tamil words, one can
even learn from it.
--
regards,
Vithur
ARR -- The Sweet Cube always
