Tribute To a Living Legend Shamshad Begum.

The inimitable Shamshad Begum was the reigning queen of film music in its earliest years. From the 1940s to the early 1960s, her unmistakable voice sang such memorable songs as Kaahe koyal shor machaye re (Aag), Pee ke ghar aaj pyari dulhaniya chali (Mother India), and Kajra mohabbat wala (Kismet). Shamshad Begum was never trained to be a singer; she strayed into a career in music when the Jenaphone music company signed her as their artiste following an audition. She soon began singing on the Lahore radio, gaining popularity with the song Ik baar phir kaho zara. It was music director Ghulam Haider who groomed the young singer and she sang for him in a couple of successful films including Yamla Jatt, Khazanchi and Khandaan. A string of subsequent successes spread her fame to Bombay. Shamshad Begum shifted to the city in the mid-1940s and established herself with such films as Taqdeer, Anmol Ghadi, and Shahjehan.

A Rare Interview of Shamshad Begum - Part 1



A Rare Interview of Shamshad Begum - Part 2

Shamshad Begum’s distinct nasal voice and ghazal-inflected folk style of singing made her a favorite of the leading music directors of the time, including O.P. Nayyar, Naushad, and C. Ramchandra. Under their baton, she moulded her voice to sing songs of every mood — the teasing Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishana (CID), the tragic Hum dard ka afsana (Dard), the romantic Kabhi aar kabhi paar laage teere nazar (Aar Paar), and the incensed Teri mehfil mein kismat aazmakar (Mughal-e-Azam). Although her style was never imitated or challenged, Shamshad Begum went into semi-retirement with the advent of younger singing stars in the late 1960s. Shamshad Begum sang her last three songs in 1981 for Ganga Maang Rahi Balidan. She now leads a quiet life in Mumbai – (Source :- Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema)

Mere piya gaye Rangoon - Patanga(1949) BY Shamshad Begum and Chitalkar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYE7ufCuAO0

O Dilwaloh Dil Ka Laganah Acha Hai , Par Kabhi Kabhi - Patanga(1949) BY Shamshad Begum and Chitalkar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nz2O8mnrx8&feature=related

Miltay Hi Ankhein Dil HuAa - Babul - 1950 by Talat Mehmood & Shamshad Begum.

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goeuRADa45Q

Shamshad Begum, the undisputed melody queen of yesteryear, lives the life of a recluse today. This reclusiveness gives her an aura of mystery befitting her personality. She was, and remains, a reserved person. If she is known and loved today — six decades after she began singing — it is for her immortal voice and unforgettable songs like Piya ke ghar aaj pyari dulhaniya chali (Mother India), Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishaana (CID), Kahe koyal shor machaye re (Aag), O leke pehla pehla pyar (CID) and Ye duniya roop ki chor (Shabnam).

Yeh Duniya Rup Ki Chor - Shabnam (1949) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSGYZT4Xofg

Born on April 19, 1919, Shamshad belonged to a large family of 12 children. She discovered her love for music early in life, but her conservative father didn’t encourage her to train in music. Fortunately, her uncle loved music and persuaded her father to send her for a music test which was being held by the popular music company Jenaphone. She was selected as the company’s artiste when she was just 13. Her first songs were non-film numbers which became so popular that she was invited to sing on the radio. For five years, Shamshad ruled the radio. When films did happen to her finally, she was already a known name.

Kahin Pe Nigahe Kahi Pe Nishana - C.I.D. (1956) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RutPWFgchtQ

“Most of what I sang in those days was non-film stuff because the talkies had just started in 1931 and not too many songs were incorporated in films in the first few years. I remember one song which became almost an anthem in those days — Ik baar phir kaho zara — but it didn’t belong to any film,” she smiles.

Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re - C.I.D. (1956) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLomAdlKopU&feature=related

Lahore was then the hub of the film industry and Dalsukh Pancholi of Dalsukh Arts the biggest film-maker of the time. Playback singing had started in Bombay, but hadn’t yet reached Lahore. When it did, Shamshad Begum had the honour of becoming the very first playback artiste for Pancholi Arts. It opened the gates for a stream of successful films — Khazanchi, Khandaan, Pagli, Shukriya, Yamaljat. At times, even indifferent films did great business, partly because films were such a novelty and partly because of the music. And Shamshad was right at the top of the bracket. Even Lata Mangeshkar once told her, “No one has seen the kind of stardom and respect that you did!”

Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar - C.I.D. (1956) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFqGQ54WT9Y&feature=related

Bachpan Ke Din Bhula Na Dena by Lata Mangeshkar & Shamshad Begum in Deedar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2okBwE8jjys

Her voice was unmistakable. Saawan ke nazare hain (Khazanchi) drove audiences crazy across the country. It was at this time that Shamshad was invited to Bombay. She refused to leave her beloved Lahore till Mehboob Khan personally requested her to. This was in 1942 for the film Taqdeer, which marked the Nargis’s debut. Shamshad came to Bombay, she sang and she conquered. Mehboob Khan signed her on to sing for most of his films. But the times were difficult. The second World War was on and bureaucratic control overshadowed everything else. Shamshad had to return to Lahore, but not before Navyug Chitrapat, a Pune-based company booked her to sing. The film was Panna, another big hit.

Door Koi Gaye - Baiju Bawra [1952] BY Shamshad Begum & Lata & Rafi

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3LDvZcI5UA

While she was with Pancholi Arts in Lahore, its composer was Master Ghulam Haider. If anyone could claim to have taught Shamshad anything, it was Haider. He is the one who gave a professional touch to her singing. Haider had come to Bombay by this time. Shamshad too, finally decided to settle down here because most of the work was then concentrated in Bombay.

Gham ka fasaana kes ko sunaen - Mela (1948) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lufz1kqUr8k

Taqdeer Bani - Mela (1948) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMNwCjUBC9s&feature=related

In 1943, K Asif made Phool and Shamshad was the lead playback singer in the film. Yet again, this film went on to become a big hit and reaffirmed Shamshad’s status as the reigning superstar.

AAG LAGI TAN MAAN MEIN - Aan (1952) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wASsrZvYnGo&feature=related

Subsequently, she was considered to be the lucky mascot for every budding composer. Her spontaneous, open-throated style of singing brought alive each and every word of a song. All the composers approached her to lend her voice to their songs. She obliged, and often, for less than her usual fee because newcomers could not afford her.

Main Rani Hoon Raja Ki - Aan (1952) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz5HlOOLb7w

Looking back, Shamshad says, “I really don’t know how I got into films. I had no training or encouragement at home. But I had been singing as far back as I can remember. When I joined school in Lahore, we used to sing a prayer before our classes started. All of us sang in chorus. One day the principal announced that there was one voice that stood out among the rest. It was me. I was made to stand on a school bench and lead the school prayer after that. It was my first public exposure.”

Darna Mohabbat Karle - Andaz (1949) by Lata Mangeshkar and Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJLGHNgsC8Q&feature=channel

There was not a single big name she didn’t work for in Bombay. Leading music composers like Naushad Ali, Anil Biswas, Sajjad Hussain, C Ramchandra, Chitragupta, Shankar-Jaikishen snapped her up. She sang for practically most of Mehboob Khan’s films. Naushad got her to sing for as many as 19 super hit films. Who can forget the beautiful songs from Aan, Jadoo, Shahjehan, Anokhi Ada and so on? Chhod babul ka ghar (from Babul) remains the favourite bidaai song till today.

NA SOCHA THA YEH - Babul (1950) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YzZ-laWi6I

Jadoo Bhare Nainon Mein - Babul (1950) by Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCpymLNuczU&feature=related

Shamshad sang for S D Burman’s hit Filmistan movie Shabnam. The song, Ek baar tou ban ja mera o pardesi catapulated him to the top rung of composers. He made Shamshad sing this song in 12 different ways symbolising the 12 months. She had already sung in over 50 films before she came to Bombay, so she was always treated with awe. Says her daughter Usha, “Mummy was always very mature in dealing with people. There was nothing flighty or silly about her. She was also very principled. She never compromised on her work, never cancelled dates, never acted starry even at the peak of her career. She spoke formally to people, discussed her work and returned home. Throughout her career she remained an artiste, never did she become a businesswoman cultivating people in order to get work.”

Chaman Mein Rehke Veerana (Deedar 1951) BY Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmBMQFhLkk0&feature=related

The legendary singer talks about how music was made in those days. “Our songs were played and our producers earned money. Today, you have to pay to get your songs played. I’ll narrate an incident. When my songs became popular, Ghulam Haider got a hike in his payment. I hesitantly asked him to give me a hike as well. He told me to approach Pancholi. So I went to Pancholi. He greeted me politely and asked me to sit. When I told him what I had come for he immediately asked how much I wanted. I used to get Rs 100 for a song, so I asked for Rs 700. He agreed. I was thrilled. Then he said, ‘Even if you’d asked me for Rs 2000 even, I’d have agreed!’ I told him to give it to me, but he replied, ‘I’m a businessman first. I’ll pay you what you asked for.’ So that was that,” she recalls.

TERI MEHFIL MEIN QISMAT AZMA KE - Mughal-E-Azam (1960) by Lata Mangeshkar , Shamshad Begum

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTj5Zt-t404

Shamshad became a legend very early in life and her generosity was even more legendary. Her magnanimity, non-assertive nature and professional approach earned her the fond nickname ‘appa’ in the film industry. But unfortunately, Shamshad’s life became a series of generous gestures,to the extent that sometimes composers used her to get a platform before moving on to other singers. Madan Mohan, who had beseeched her to sing for his debut film Aankhen, turned to Lata Mangeshkar, O.P. Nayyar, who just couldn’t compose without her at one time (Aasman, CID, Aar Paar) focussed his attention on Asha Bhosle. During this time, Shamshad’s faith in God stood her in good stead. It never occurred to her to cultivate composers or appoint agents to do her work. She maintained her dignity and her professionalism throughout her career, preferring to go into oblivion if destiny willed it for her. Today, she speaks with the dignity of one who has emerged stronger.

Encouragement was something she never had. Shamshad, herself a Muslim, married G L Batto, a Punjabi lawyer. “When I got married, my husband was just not the sort of man who would want his wife to sing but I made it a condition that I wouldn’t quit. Thereafter, he didn’t stop me, but when our daughter was born he was very strict with her. Though she too had a good voice, she was not allowed to train,” rues the mother. Shamshad Begum has fond memories of her contemporaries — Zohrabai Ambalewali, Amirbai Karnataki, Begum Akhtar, Noor Jehan, Juthika Roy, Rajkumari. “When we were together, we were great friends,” she claims. “We had a pleasant relationship, though we didn’t socialize with each other after work. At least, I didn’t. But our professional association was good. We were all fans of K L Saigal. No one thought of harming the other, nor did we try to snatch work away from anyone.” She also explains why singing was harder those days. “Each song had to be recorded twice — once for the film and once for the recording company. So even if you were working full time you could do only about four songs a day. Recordings took place in the evenings and shootings during the day. We worked in an atmosphere where composers put their soul into the compositions and the results are there to see — even today — isn’t it?” asks Shamshad.

During her heydays, Shamshad Begum was paid Rs 12.50 for a song by the recording company and Rs 100 by the producer for singing in the film, “but in those days, it was a lot of money,” she adds. Does she have any regrets? “Yes,” says Shamshad, “My greatest regret is that I never got to sing with K L Saigal, though we did sing for the same film, Shahjehan. I was really shy of getting photographed. Once the two of us ran into each other at the recording company, but he didn’t know me because no one had seen my pictures. It was funny because we were then introduced and he said, ‘arre kudiye … tera bhala ho… tu kitna sona gaati hai… (God bless you, girl, you sing so well).’ Her eyes glint as she narrates this incident, recalling every nuance in the voice of her favorite singer. It also makes one realize the kind of talent these singers had and the respect they commanded from each other.

Ironically, each time Shamshad gave a hit song, she had to start all over again. All those composers who had once begged her to sing for them started giving her a raw deal. For instance, she recorded the song O leke pehla pehla pyar for CID which was, and remains, a popular song. After the recording, the sadder version was given to Asha Bhosle to sing, and this was publicized with great gusto. Despite that, it is Shamshad’s version that remains in the memory of listeners. But she read the sign loud and clear, and preferred to opt out of the messy situation, rather than stoop to stay in competition. And in spite of life’s vagaries, she made everything that came to her a big success. Her songs gave the careers of several music directors a boost — Shaukat Dehalvi Naashad (Nagma), O.P. Nayyar (Aar Paar), Chitragupta (Sindbad Jahazi). Her number with Kishore Kumar, Mere neendo mein tum mere khwabon mein tum will perhaps survive another century.

Shamshad still remembers her first impression of the young Kishore Kumar. Says she, “He was a fine boy, always full of life, but professionally low because he wasn’t reaching where his brother had. I remember telling him, ‘destiny is a great thing tomorrow you may become more popular than anybody else.’ And he actually did.” Such was the demand for Shamshad Begum that film-makers waited for her to be free to sing for them. Tarachand Barjatya wanted her to come to Madras to sing for his film. But she couldn’t spare the time, so he came to Bombay. In his film Bahar, she sang Dil ka qarar leke aaja re aaja pardesiya and Duniya ko laat maro. Guru Dutt had a superb singer at home in Geeta Dutt, but if he decided that Shamshad had to sing a particular number, then he awaited her pleasure and convenience. That speaks for the talent and virtuosity of this singer, particularly when one sees how replaceable some others have been. It was when people started playing games that Shamshad went into self-imposed oblivion. Today, she leads a retired life with memories of another day to keep her company. But she retains that regality which made her rule musicdom once – Lata Khubchandani - Interview has been edited for accuracy – Ummer Siddique. REFERENCE: Shamshad Begum – Profile http://cineplot.com/music/shamshad-begum-profile/ Shamshad Begum – Interview http://cineplot.com/music/shamshad-begum-interview/

A Tribute to Ghazal King Late. Talat Mahmood (1924 – 1998).

ln his quivering voice you could hear the rustle of silk and the muffled sound of a broken heart. Few singers could put the listener in a blue mood like Talat Mahmood, who passed away on May 9 exactly 10 years ago [now 12 years] . And thanks to a website created by his son Khalid that gets about 150,000 hits every week from Indians and Pakistanis all over the world — “and a few Israelis”, Khalid adds — his memory is fresh as ever. “Talat saab came from Lucknow and his Urdu pronunciation was perfect. He could exactly reproduce a song the way a composer had conjured up in his mind. He was an original singer whose distinctive voice was near impossible to duplicate,” recalls master class music director Khayyam.

Talat Mehmood himself in Raat Ne Kya Kya Khwaab Dikhaaye by Talat Mahmood in Ek Gaon Ki Kahani

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL-E6KuwvB4

Talat Mahmood Live (rare footage) Meri Yaad mein

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6J7PMZpAJQ

Ay Dil Mujhay Aisi Jaga Lay Chal (Live)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04XPIBCeUrM&feature=related

Phir Wohi Shaam (Jahan Ara - 1964)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5knS4_3OHNE

Bechain Nazar Betab Jigar - YASMIN-1955

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqQE2FWMwr4

Koi Nahin Mera Is Duniya Mein (Daagh 1952)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE1UKk977NU&feature=related

One of the veteran music composer’s memorable compositions — Shaam-i-gham ki kasam (film: Footpath) — was sung by Talat, also known as king of ghazals. Khayyam recalls that in that memorable song he had experimented with the orchestration by not using any rhythm instrument like tabla.

Hum dard ke maron ka (Daagh 1952)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol8N3X93wdQ

Aye Mere Dil Kahin Aur Chal (Daagh 1952)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOYDw_jKMc8

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSo_CmveMek&feature=related

“We used a piano, guitar and solo vox, a basic version of the synthesizer used in those days. Recording the number took plenty of time. But Talat saab ke mathe pe shikan nahin aaye,” he says.

Milte Hi Ankhen Dil Hua BY Talat Mahmood & Shamshad Begum Babul (1950)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP4BHbO38hM&feature=related

Senior lyricist Naqsh Lyallpuri remembers a recording with the singer. The song was Zindagi kis mod pe laye mujhe, from the film Diwali ki Raat. Snehal Bhatkar was the music director. Says Lyallpuri, “We had only two musicians at the rehearsal. They were playing the tabla and the sitar. But the producer liked his singing so much that he said, there is no need for any other instrument. We recorded the song with just those two instruments.”

Sham e Gham Ki Qasam

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoN8oGPh-8c&feature=related

Jalte Hain Jis Ke Liye (Sujata 1959)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8SdF8NHS7g

Lyallpuri remembers Talat as an extremely soft spoken man. Which Khayyam affirms. “He was a perfect gentleman. With him there was no loose talk. He was always well-dressed: His shoes shining and his trousers perfectly creased.”

Ishq Mujhko na Sahi Vehshat hi Sahi Mirza Ghalib(1954)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kazJjYwPbzw

Dil Matwala Lakh Sambhala Bewafa (1952)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8G5RTsoxHw

To honour his father’s memory, Khalid Mahmood set up a website, talatmahmood.net, just a few months after the singer’s death in 1998 at the age of 74. Apart from the huge number hits every day, he also gets about 200-300 emails every week.

“The choice for me was between doing a book and setting up a website. I settled for the latter because it is more accessible,” says Khalid.

Seeney Me Sulagthe Hain Armaan (Tarana 1951)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpOmOmAwTMo&feature=related

Talat recorded his first track way back in 1941 and sang around 750 songs in 12 languages. He also acted in over a dozen films such as Dil-i-Nadan, Lala Rukh and Ek Gaon Ki Kahani.

Nain Mile Nain Hueay Bawarey (Tarana 1951)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofRNPzjZwPU&feature=related

Few know that the singer-actor aroused mass hysteria when he arrived in Trinidad in West Indies on a concert tour in 1968. Fans thronged the roads from the airport to the city. The local group, West Indies Steel Band, composed a Calypso track in his honour. They sang, “Talat Mahmood we are proud and glad, to have a personality like you here in Trinidad.”

Ek Main Hoon Ek Meri Bekasi (Tarana 1951)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4VvXR7lTzo&playnext=1&list=PL3BE1EBA1EFCF3EF7&index=3

Talat is long gone. But as long as the human heart knows how to fall in love and emerge with ache, his velvet voice will live on. Although Talat Mahmood was a popular vocalist in the United India, after Partition, some of his family members migrated to Pakistan. Talat stayed back as there was no reason for the successful singer-actor to sacrifice his established career in India for a budding one in the then newly formed Pakistan. He, however, visited his relatives in Pakistan twice during the ’60s and sung a handful of ghazals and geets besides two film songs, Kuch hua hasil na ab tak and Mushkil nikla dil ka sambhalna for Fazal Karim Fazli’s film Chiragh Jalta Raha which was the launching pad of legendary film actor Mohammad Ali.

Ae gham-e-dil kya karoon (Talat Mahmood)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8ZVHyyygvo

Talat sang over 750 songs in all — both geets and ghazals — during his 40-year career but acted in only a dozen films. He first faced the camera in Rajlaxmi (1945) where his dashing looks and impressive acting ability was noted by cinegoers and directors alike. Although he was the sole hero of Ek Gaon Ki Kahani (1957) opposite the beautiful Mala Sinha, was paired with Nautan in Sonay Ki Chiriya (1958), was also cast opposite Nadira in Raftaar (1955) and shared the screen with the great singing actress Surraiya in Waris (1954) and Maalik (1958), he gave up his successful acting career to concentrate on singing.

Humse Aaya Na Gaya Tumse Bulaya

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiCJCPgjRC0

In the ’50s, Talat’s popularity rivaled that of Mohammad Rafi and Mukesh and he was more liked because of his perfect Urdu diction. His fame around the world can be gauged by the fact that during one of his US tours, he was invited to the vastly popular The Joe Franklin Show and introduced as the Frank Sinatra of India!

Tasvir banata hoon tasvir nahi banti

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OwjFboPjSc&feature=related

Talat was also only the second Indian singer after Lata Mangeshkar to be invited to perform at the world renowned Royal Albert Hall in 1979. In Pakistan, he had a huge fan following with many budding singers still rendering his numbers. The King of Ghazal was presented a shield by the Gramophone Company of Pakistan with his own geet Khuda woh waqt na laye inscribed on it.

His list of fans included the late Malika-i-Tarannum Madam Noor Jehan as well as Shahenshah-i-Ghazal Mehdi Hasan who complimented the legendary singer by saying that it was through the vocals of Talat saab that he discovered the goldmine in his throat. — Seema Faruqi . REFERENCES: TRIBUTE: Remembering Talat Mahmood By Avijit Ghosh Talat in Pakistan Seema Faruqi June 01, 2008 http://dawn.com.pk/weekly/images/archive/080601/images8.htm Talat Mahmood http://cineplot.com/music/legends-talat-mahmood/ Khalid Mahmood, singer son of the great Singing Legend Talat Mahmood, welcomes you to his website in memory of his legendary father. With over 800 rare photographs, fact file, press clips, complete songs list and tons of nostalgic memorabilia, all from the personal collection of the 'King Of Ghazals' himself, this website promises to be a treasure trove for all Talat Mahmood fans! With millions of hits every year from fans all around the world, this is easily one of the most popular websites since 1998 on the internet today. So take a walk down memory lane with the ‘Shahenshah E Ghazal’ Talat Mahmood…http://www.talatmahmood.net/

Super Hit Persian Song "Man Aamadeam" by Googoosh.

Googoosh is the most familiar name for Iranians. Just search for her name or photos on the net, and you will see for yourself. Fa-egheh Atashin, nicknamed Googoosh, was born in 1950 in Sarcheshme Street in Tehran, Iran. Her parents separated when she was an infant, and she had to live with her father, Saber, who was an entertainer and a comedian. It was Saber who encouraged Googoosh to sing in bars and cafés in Laleh-Zar Street in Tehran when she was only 3 years old. The story goes this way: One night Saber, who was supposed to start his program, complained of heartburn and was rushed to the hospital. The owner of the Crystal Cafe, who had seen little Googoosh singing, woke her up and asked her to sing for the audience. They brought a chair and made her stand on it to reach the mike, and she started singing popular songs of Delkash and Pouran. The chemistry she left on the ordinary Googoosh child star on people was magical in a way that the owner of the café retired her father and hired her for 500 Rials a night. Official Website: Googoosh aka Faegheh Atashin http://googoosh.com/

Googoosh (man aamadeam)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpcE2svAstk&feature=related

Interestingly enough, her father's wage was only 200 Rials, and the three-year-old Googoosh became the actual bread-winner of the family. Although in her private life she experienced hardship and bitterness, growing up with a mean step-mother, her fame grew day by day, and people from all over the country came to Crystal Café to see this new artistic phenomenon. Her singing at such an early age prevented her from getting on with her education, and she left the school after completing primary school. In 1957, when she was only 7 years old, Googoosh started her acting career in the movie Bim va omid (1960), and the following year, had a successful role in the movie Fereshteh farari (1961), both directed by Gorji Ebadia. She Acted in more than 40 movies and got a Sepas prize for her wonderful appearance in the 1970 avant-garde movie Bita (1972). Googoosh was discovered by Iranian composers for her natural singing talent, where she created a unique style in modern Iranian music Googoosh at 19 and became a pop-culture icon among Iranian youth. She recorded more than 200 songs in Farsi, which were embraced by various generations. She also made numerous trips to Europe and recorded songs in Italian, Spanish, English and French with Barclay Records and RCA Italiana. Her French numbers and Italian Album reached the top of the charts in 1970 and brought her international fame. She received the first prize at the Midem festival in Cannes and took part in San Remo Festival in 1973. She was also embraced in her trips to Arab and North African countries Googoosh in a movie and got the honorary medal of arts from Tunisia. In 1970s, the notorious "mini-joupe" dress was a fashion among young Iranian girls who imitated Googoosh. Her famous short haircut in 1975 is still popular among females in Iran. With the Islamic commotion of 1979, Googoosh stopped her 25-years of singing and acting career for good. She also refused to leave Iran, and Googoosh on the stage consistently rejected lucrative offers for recording new albums outside the country. Googoosh left Iran right after the revolution and stayed in New York for a little while. This stay, however, was so short that many Iranians don't remember it. Despite her reclusion and silence, her fame and popularity grew by the hour in the central Asian republics, especially in Tajikestan. On July 2000, Googoosh finally broke 21 years of silence by announcing an unexpected, but much anticipated, North American tour, starting in Toronto and later on in 26 more destinations including Los Angeles; Oakland; New York; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Atlantic City; Las Vegas; Chicago; and San Jose, as well as European cities and the Middle East. On her comeback tour, she released an album called Zoroaster, which is said to be one of her best works ever, some of its melodies were composed by herself for the first time. More than 300,000 Iranian ex-patriots welcomed her on her return tour and filled sport arenas all over the world in her honor. She now travels between her two houses in LA and Toronto and is said to be recording new songs. Her latest album, Akharin Khabar (Last News), made sky-rocket sales all over the world and broke records of all Persian albums ever. Rumors has it that Googoosh is recording new songs in English and Spanish and, of course, Farsi. She has recorded many new songs and acted in many music videos; in one of them, she played 'Charles Chaplin', which shows her spectacular acting capabilities. REFERENCE: Googoosh http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0329598/bio

Googoosh Golden Hit - Man Amadam ( with Lyric )

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8-duSlrJYY&feature=related

من آمده ام وای وای

man amade am, vay vay

I've come, woe woe

من آمده ام

man amade am

I've come

که عشق فرياد كند

ke eshgh faryad konad

that the love shouts out

من آمده ام

man amade am

I've come

كه ناز بنياد كند

ke naz bonyad konad

that the coquetry makes a foundation

من آمده ام

man amade am

I've come

اي دلبر من الهي صد ساله شوی

ey delbare man, elahy sad sale shavi (2x)

o my sweetheart, may you live for 100 years

در پهلوی ما نشسته همسايه شوی

dar pahloye ma neshaste, hamsaye shavi

you sat at my side, may you be my neighbour

همسايه شوي كه دست به ما سايه كنی

hamsaye shavi, ke dast be ma saye koni

may you be my neighbour, so that your hand gives me shade

شايد كه نصيب من بيچاره شوی

shayad ke nasibe mane bichare shavi

maybe you will be my destiny

من آمده ام وای وای

man amade am, vay, vay

I've come, woe, woe

عشق آمد و خيمه زد به صحرای دلم

eshgh amad o kheyme zad be sahraye delam (2x)

love came and pitched a tent in the field of my heart

زنجير وفا فكنده در پای دلم

zanjire vafa fekande dar paye delam

love threw its faithful chain at my heart's feet

عشق اگر به فرياد دل ما نرسد

eshgh agar be faryade dele ma naresad

if love doesn't respond to the yells of my heart

ای وای دلم واي دلم وای دلم

ey vay delam, vay delam, vay delam

من آمده ام

man amade am, vay vay (2x)

I've come, woe woe

که عشق فرياد كند

ke eshgh faryad konad

that the love shouts out

من آمده ام

man amade am

I've come

كه ناز بنياد كند

ke naz bonyad konad

that the coquetry makes a foundation

من آمده ام وای

man amade am, vay

I've come, woe

بيا كه برويم از اين ولايت من و تو

biya ke beravim az in velayat man o to (2x)

come so that we can leave here, me and you

تو دست منو بگير و من دامن تو

to daste mano begir o man damane to

you take my hand and I will take your clothes

جايي برسيم كه هر دو بيمار شويم

jaee beresim ke har do bimar shavim

until a point where both of us fall ill

تو از غم بي كسی و من از غم تو

to az ghame bi kasi o man az ghame to

(we get sick) you because of the sorrow of loneliness, and I because of your sorrow

URL: Lyrics: MAN AMEDE AM http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090830170917AA2zRR2

Super Hit Songs from Mera Saaya (1966)

Lawyer Rakesh Singh is devastated when his wife, Geeta, passes away after a brief illness. After the funeral Rakesh can think of nothing but her, and this leads him to depression. To confound this, Inspector Daljit informs him that a thug named Sunaina, who has been recently apprehended by the police alongwith members of her gang, claims that she is Geeta, Rakesh is astounded at this and goes to meet this woman, who does indeed resemble his wife. Rakesh, however, does not believe that she is his wife, as he himself had cremated her with his own hands. But this woman is adamant, the matter goes to court, which must find out whether this woman is really Geeta or an imposter, before trying her for her crimes. The film was a remake of Marathi film called Pathlag. The film's music is by Madan Mohan and lyrics by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan. The film stars Sunil Dutt and Sadhana. This is director Raj Khosla's third film with Sadhana after Ek Musafir Ek Hasina(1963) and Woh Kaun Thi? (1964). The film became a "superhit" at the box office. It won the Filmfare Best Sound Award for Manohar Amberkar, the only win for the film. REFERENCE: Mera Saaya (1966) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060689/plotsummary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mera_Saaya

Naino Mein Badra Chaye by Lata Mangeshkar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moLtGICevDY&feature=related

Tu Jahan Jahan Chaley Ga by Lata Mangeshkar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK6m7zmZEuk

Naino Wali Nai Hai Mera Dil Luta

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr_jbyBID0w&feature=related

Jhumka Gira Re

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9__fHwQn2ik&feature=related

Tu Jahan Jahan Chaley Ga by Lata Mangeshkar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z7sfcOHfrc&feature=related

Tribute To Great Music Maestro Ennio Morricone [Courtesy: The New York Times]

In his long career, Ennio Morricone has received many awards other than the Golden Lion and the Honorary Oscar, among which 8 Nastri D’argento, 5 Baftas, 5 Oscar Nominations, 7 David Di Donatello, 3 Golden Globes, 1 Grammy Award and 1 European Film Award. In the 2009 the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, has signed a decree appointing M° Ennio Morricone to the rank of Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honor. - In the recording field, Morricone has received 27 Golden Records, 7 Platinum Records, 3 Golden Plates and the “Critica discografica” award for the music of the film “Il Prato”. The soundtrack from the film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly has been included in the list of inductees for the Grammy Hall of Fame 2009.

FOR many filmmakers through the years, a certain kind of pilgrimage to Rome leads to the opulent parlor of the composer Ennio Morricone. It’s the place where he has discussed grand concepts and crucial details, and often unveiled new themes on the piano, for the distinctive film scores he has written over the past four decades, from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” to “The Mission.” There are more than 400 of them, though he hasn’t kept count.

Ennio Morricone, Five Man Army.

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L2eQcHkSCg

ENNIO MORRICONE -"Death Rides a Horse" (1967)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L2eQcHkSCg

Next Saturday Mr. Morricone, 78, makes his long-overdue American concert debut with 200 musicians and singers at Radio City Music Hall. It is the beginning of a triumphal month in the United States that will also include festivals of his films at the Museum of Modern Art and Film Forum, and the release of a tribute album, “We All Love Ennio Morricone” (Sony Masterworks), with performances from Bruce Springsteen, Renée Fleming, Herbie Hancock and Metallica, among others. On Feb. 25 he will be presented with an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement, atoning for past omissions. After five nominations, he has never won.

ENNIO MORRICONE -"Sixty Seconds To What?" (1965)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtmdorQG-U&feature=related

MORRICONE-"Harmonica/ Man With A Harmonica/ Death Rattle" (1968)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL-X53ze5O0&feature=related

Massimo Gallotta, the promoter who is producing the concert, has been working for more than a year to present Mr. Morricone’s American debut. “It was strange for me that Morricone had never performed here in the past,” Mr. Gallotta said. “He agreed right away. And then I was lucky about the Oscar, the CD, everything.”

ENNIO MORRICONE -"As A Judgement" (1968)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS2-CktchfM&feature=related

Once Upon A Time In The West - 26 - Addio A Cheyenne

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uosnQ3g-f7U&p=674FC2D08D2338A4&playnext=1&index=18

Mr. Morricone has given concerts periodically in Europe, including a December performance that drew 50,000 people to the Piazza del Duomo in Milan. At Radio City he will lead the 100-piece Roma Sinfonietta orchestra, along with the 100-member Canticum Novum Singers.

ENNIO MORRICONE -"El Colpo" (1965)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfwHZSiR0ec

Everyone except Maestro Morricone, as he is called in Rome, considers him startlingly prolific. Along with his hundreds of film scores, he has composed a sizable body of concert music like “Voci dal Silencio” (“Voices From the Silence”), a cantata he wrote in response to “the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and all the massacres of humanity all over the world,” he said. He will be performing that work on Friday at the United Nations, at a concert welcoming the new secretary general, Ban Ki-moon.

A Fistful of Dollars

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeTRcssdEjE&feature=player_embedded

“The notion that I am a composer who writes a lot of things is true on one hand and not true on the other hand,” he said in an interview at his home, speaking in Italian through a translator. “Maybe my time is better organized than many other people’s. But compared to classical composers like Bach, Frescobaldi, Palestrina or Mozart, I would define myself as unemployed.”

For a few dollars more

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9w2sqfNJuE&feature=player_embedded

Il Mercenario Theme (Ennio Morricone)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyZg3FdxJG8&feature=related

Maestro Morricone is a flinty, pragmatic character, but one who marvels at what he called “the strange miracle of music.” He looked like a bespectacled businessman, wearing a sport jacket, dark trousers, white shirt and tie. He greeted any generalizations about his work with a shrug, or a terse, “That is up to the audience to decide.” But through the years he has created music that is as memorable as the films it accompanies, and sometimes more so.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESxWyPoK6tA&feature=related

Ennio Morricone - Duck You Sucker - Giu' La Testa

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxTTF_8Pyso

Audiences respond to the operatic sweep of themes like the ones he wrote for “Cinema Paradiso” and “Once Upon a Time in America.” Musicians prize the ingenuity of his writing: the unexpected harmonic turns, the odd meters (even in tunes that seem to be marches), the use of silence and wide spaces between instruments. Meanwhile hipsters and producers delight in the almost sardonic themes he wrote for films like “Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion” and the striking, sample-ready timbres he has invented.

The Sicilian Clan Theme (Ennio Morricone)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFJfco3vBY

Chi Mai / Le Professionnel

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DSzGQVTTRs&feature=related

Ennio Morricone - Le Marginal

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZANZE1GvUs&feature=related

For “1900” he wrote a score that encompasses Italian folk songs and dance music as well as symphonic arrangements. “He is someone with two identities,” said Bernardo Bertolucci, that film’s director. “One is the composer of contemporary music, and the other is this composer of big epics, this popular music for movies. All his life he has been trying to nourish one identity with the other one, and it is as if the two voices were enriching each other. He has a great capacity of harmonizing in himself.”

"The Untouchables"

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3C82Q5I80U&feature=related

"The Untouchables"

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O22CM5oYJng&feature=related

Maestro Morricone’s parlor, in a palazzo with a view of the Campidoglio hill in the center of Rome, is a Baroque room so large that the grand piano is almost lost amid the lavishly ornamented chairs, couches and tables. A small silver frame holds a family photo full of children and grandchildren. (He has three sons and a daughter; one son, Andrea, is a composer, and another, Giovanni, is a film director.)

At one corner of the room, a doorway leads into the office where Mr. Morricone writes his music. An unobtrusive movie screen, big enough for some multiplexes, can unroll down one wall of the parlor. On the other walls an antique tapestry of the abduction of the Sabine women is flanked by surreal, turbulent 20th-century paintings full of striking colors and brooding shadows.

Once Upon A Time In America - Music Of Ennio Morricone

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj5Xczethmw&feature=related

The room’s mixture of elegant history and menacing modernity echoes the qualities that have made generations of directors — from Sergio Leone with “A Fistful of Dollars” to Terrence Malick with “Days of Heaven” to Roland Joffe with “The Mission” to Giuseppe Tornatore with “Cinema Paradiso” and “Malèna” — seek out Mr. Morricone.

Once upon a Time in America - Ennio Morricone - Amapola

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vxo2kz_4hs

He composes not at the piano or on a computer but at an imposing desk in his writing studio, amid shelves of books, LPs, CDs, tapes and DVDs. On a coffee table supported by a realistic rhinoceros is a neat stack of score paper with all the parts for an orchestra written in pencil: Mr. Morricone’s next batch of soundtracks.

Once upon a time in America ♫ - 02 Poverty

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvrWV3jryA8

His extensive background in classical music can be heard in his swelling love themes and in his meticulous orchestrations, which can suggest the stateliness of the 18th century or the eerie dissonances of the 20th. Unlike younger film composers who create their music as studio recordings rather than manuscripts, or who hand off their themes for others to arrange, Mr. Morricone writes full scores and conducts them himself.

ENNIO MORRICONE - The Lost Interview

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0gm8BAYNx8

“He doesn’t have a piano in his studio,” said the director Barry Levinson, who commissioned Mr. Morricone for “Bugsy,” a soundtrack nominated for an Academy Award. “I always thought that with composers, you sit at the piano, and you try to find the melody. There’s no such thing with him. He hears a melody, and he writes it down. He hears the orchestration completely done.”

Ennio Morricone documentary - Part 1

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9uMeQoDf5Y&feature=related
Ennio Morricone documentary - Part 2

Ennio Morricone documentary - Part 3

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N6wAm0nZrQ&feature=related
Ennio Morricone documentary - Part 4

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqZeE_CFNCs&feature=related

Mr. Morricone grew up playing trumpet like his father, who worked in jazz bands and opera orchestras; sometimes Ennio substituted for him at gigs. While studying trumpet and composition at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Mr. Morricone was also arranging and sometimes writing pop songs. His film scores invoke centuries of popular music, from tarantellas and polkas to psychedelia, lounge pop and avant-garde jazz.

Ennio Morricone "Deborah's Theme", live in Warsaw

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmsRFrN97ek

Mr. Morricone has also experimented constantly with timbre, using surf-rock guitar or jew’s harp, panpipes or synthesizer, wordless voices or exotic percussion. For the beginning of “Once Upon a Time in the West,” he persuaded the director, Mr. Leone, not to use conventional instruments at all: just amplified ambient sounds, from the creak of a swinging sign to the screech of an arriving train.

He pushes instruments to the extremes of their ranges and dynamics, and voices too. For “Navajo Joe,” he drew yowls and shrieks from the singers he hired. “When they finished recording, they were crying because what had been done sounded so terrible to them,” Mr. Morricone said with satisfaction.

His approach, he said, reflects his education and his era. “I have studied the expressive methods of the entire history of musical composition,” he said. “At times I turn more toward light music, at times I turn more toward serious music. I mingle things, and sometimes I turn into a chameleon. We are living in a modern world, and in contemporary music the central fact is contamination, not the contamination of disease but the contamination of musical styles. If you find this in me, that is good.”

In the films that established his reputation in the 1960s, the series of spaghetti westerns he scored for Mr. Leone, Mr. Morricone’s music is anything but a backdrop. It’s sometimes a conspirator, sometimes a lampoon, with tunes that are as vividly in the foreground as any of the actors’ faces. The sound of an ocarina, the humble potato-shaped ceramic flute, made his name in the 1960s in the theme for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

That theme was typical Morricone: a tenacious melody put across by an unlikely, unpretty, arresting combination of instruments. “I always follow an idea,” he said, “and if an idea tells me I’ve got to use strange combinations of instruments, then I do what works.” For Mr. Morricone the plan was simple. “I wanted to differentiate three timbres — the good, the bad and the ugly,” he said. “A silver flute, sounding sweet, is the good. The ocarina is the ugly. And the bad is the voices of two men singing together, off key.

ENNIO MORRICONE -"Barbara E Tagliente" (1968)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwgYDf58g5U&feature=related
ENNIO MORRICONE -"Sensi" (1968)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh3FCIc4Dso&feature=related

“I should not be revealing this,” he continued. “These are family secrets.”

Metallica has been using “The Ecstasy of Gold,” from the same movie, as its entrance music since 1983, and performs its own version of the piece on the new tribute album.

“To me his music is just absolutely inspirational, corny as that may sound,” said James Hetfield, Metallica’s singer and guitarist. “He has taken so many risks, and his music is not polished whatsoever. It’s very rude and blatant. All of a sudden a Mexican horn will come blasting through and just take over the melody. It’s just so raw, really raw, and it feels real, unpolished. You hear mistakes in it, and that’s just great — if they are mistakes. Who knows? There’s so much character in it, and I appreciate that in such a polished world of soundtracks.”

ENNIO MORRICONE -"Il Tramonto (The Sundown)" (1966)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9VobpqsRSU&feature=related

ENNIO MORRICONE -"Sentenza (Sentence)" (1966)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d_JPZCk_BI&feature=related

ENNIO MORRICONE -"Navajo Joe" (1966)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN1bJqU50iA&feature=related

After he became known for Mr. Leone’s spaghetti westerns, Mr. Morricone went on to write for every imaginable genre: crime films like “The Untouchables,” historical epics like “Burn!,” horror movies like “The Thing,” art films like “Teorema,” even an occasional comedy. He has worked with virtually every major Italian director after Fellini, as well as a long international list.

Mr. Morricone chooses his commissions based almost entirely on his trust in the director, he said. “Sometimes I read the script, sometimes I read the main part of the story, and sometimes I just watch the film when it’s done and that’s it,” he said.

“When you work in cinema, you can’t exclude anything,” he added. “Lately I have scored a film, and the film had not been shot yet. It was just being shot, and I just heard the director’s story of the film. This is not as negative as it seems to be, because it gives the composer the possibility to just express music — music and only music.”

Mr. Levinson said that unlike many film scorers, Mr. Morricone does not want to hear the temporary music many directors use while shooting. He watches a movie without accompaniment and takes notes, sometimes coming up with themes immediately. “They usually give you less time than necessary, but I usually ask for a month,” he said. “When I have to compose I have no holidays. I write every day. And Saturday and Sunday are even better, because the phone doesn’t ring that much.”

Mr. Morricone is wary of having too much music in a film. “It’s useless,” he said. “After a while the audience loses track, and you cannot appreciate the psychological idea and aim that the music has.”

He often presents himself as the servant of the director and the film. “Time is the element they have in common, music and cinema,” he said. “You have to take into account the actors, the plot, the intention of the director and the story you are going to score.”

But he is more than a functionary. His own personality, what he has called a “musical calligraphy,” comes through. “A composer is conditioned by the film, but he has to find a way to overcome these limits,” he said. “And how does he do this? Through his musical culture, through his great passion for musicians of the past. And doing it time after time, little by little it becomes a style.”

Is his own story in the music? “That’s a romantic idea of composing, that there is autobiographical inspiration in things,” he said. “Some composers, perhaps, they see a woman and say, ‘I’m going to write something extraordinary because I’m thinking of her.’ ” And has that happened to him? He scowled. “Niente,” he said emphatically. “Never.” REFERENCE: The Maestro of Spaghetti Westerns Takes a Bow By JON PARELES Published: January 28, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/arts/music/28pare.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/arts/music/28pare.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/arts/music/28pare.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1 Ennio Morricone - Official Site - News http://www.enniomorricone.it/uk/news.php

Marvelous Songs from Julie (1975)

Julie is an anglo-Indian girl with a loving, but alcoholic father and a domineering mother, a younger brother and sister. She falls in love with her best friend's brother Shashi Bhattacharya, a Hindu boy, and she has a passionate encounter with him, which leaves her pregnant. He goes away to college, not knowing about her condition. Her mother is distraught when Julie tells her about the pregnancy. They don't tell the rest of the family. Her mother thinks about getting Julie an abortion, but a devout Christian talks her out of it. Julie is sent away to have her baby in secret. The rest of the family is told that Julie got a job. When she comes back home, she runs into her Hindu boyfriend and tells him everything. He agrees to marry her, but his mother objects to the mixed marriage, not knowing about the baby born in secret. Julie's mother doesn't want the marriage either, as she and the rest of the family want to go to England. It is a rare Hindi film based around an Anglo-Indian family. It is a remake of a Malayalam hit film titled Chattakari (1974), which also starred Laxmi. REFERENCE: Julie (1975) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187192/plotsummary Timeless, ageless NITA SATHYENDRAN Online edition of India's National Newspaper Friday, Jan 23, 2009 http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/23/stories/2009012350710100.htm

Dil Kya Kare Jab Kisi Se by Kishore Kumar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8diCXD773o&feature=fvst

Bhool Gaya Sab Kuchh by Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSy6YjynmIo

Yeh Raatein nayi Purani by Lata Mangeshkar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjwblYfKRns

My Heart Is Beating Julie by Preeti Sagar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QLLOLsqzhQ

Sancha Naam Tera - Asha, Usha Mangeshkar

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sAfXMXyGjM