As the trailer of the movie Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga released today, it transported me back in time and had me listen to the song on loop. 1942: A Love Story was that rare album that got everything right. Every song, every melody in the album, still remain unmatched.
Composed by R.D. Burman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, this was the soundtrack that literally put ‘melody into words’.
Whether the song is about heartbreak or the rush of first love, each individual track takes you on a pleasant journey, one that leaves you with a warm feeling in your heart and a smile on your face.
1. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh
This track is probably one of the most innocent and tender descriptions of what a person goes through when they see, or rather dream, of their crush. And it’s impossible to not smile as you listen to the endless comparisons that Javed Akhtar has penned down. A classic!
You can listen to the song here.
2. Kuchh Na Kaho
Sometimes, a lover’s embrace holds more meaning than all the words that the two could use to express their emotions. And that meaningful silence is what this melodious track captures with perfection.
You can listen to the song here.
3. Pyaar Hua Chupke Se
That rush of feeling when you realize you’ve actually fallen in love is what this song was all about. Because falling in love can be sudden and slow in equal measures!
You can listen to the song here.
4. Rimjhim Rimjhim
Not all tunes and lyrics can convey brilliant imagery with a simple song, but this track does exactly that. The visual descriptions in the song are so wonderfully written, that you’re never just listening to the song, you’re also instinctively picturing it.
You can listen to the song here.
5. Rooth Na Jaana
Every classic Bollywood movie of the 90s had the ‘wooing song’- the one where the hero convinced the love of his life why he was the man for her. But none were as innocently sweet as this track.
You can listen to the song here.
6. Yeh Safar
This is the song that comforts and inspires at the same time. A heavy piece and the only song in the movie to not have been sung by Kumar Sanu but by Shivaji Chattopadhyaya, the song’s sombre tune and thoughtful lyrics are like a soothing balm at the end of a harsh fall.
You can listen to the song here.
The soundtrack is timeless not because of its simplicity, but because of the emotions that it invokes in listeners, even today, years after we first heard these songs. Clearly, such music is magic.
Design credits: Lucky Mehendiratta