A recreation of Georgia O’Keeffe’s Sky Above Clouds IV was painted on a concrete wall outside of my 4th grade classroom. At some point I had learned it was a work of art, but that concept was meaningless until I went to the Art Institute with my parents on my birthday.  We came across the painting while going down one of the museum’s grand staircases.  Mounted high above my head,  I could not see its brush strokes, imperfections or other indications of “realness.” Nonetheless, it was clearly more exciting than the school mural.  I remember wanting to stay because there seemed to be something to figure out about this painting. But, we had to move on because we were standing in the middle of the museum’s stairs.

Georgia O’Keeffe. Sky Above Clouds IV. 1965. Oil on canvas. 8 x 24 ft. Image from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I was not taught how to look at art as much as how to make it until taking a Humanities course in high school, during which we studied art’s masterpieces by flipping between and comparing images in E.H. Gombrich’s The Story of Art at record speed; there was too much art history to be had for a high school class divided into equal parts between visual art, music and literature, but we did what we could.

I studied Ingres’s Une Odalisque during a college Humanities survey course, but I was not prepared for the way such a work could bring a person to pause.  Visiting the Louvre as an American citizen is typically expected to be a pace-driven experience, as one tries to consume as much art as possible in a single day. The chateau’s daunting, 4-wing layout and shopping list of masterpieces-to-be-seen in the map discourage any sort of intimate experience one might want to have with singular works of art.  Une Odalisque was a painting I happened upon while wandering through the rooms of French Neoclassical paintings.  The preciseness of the technique was so much more stunning and the blue so much more bold than I had expected, I felt like I could stay with this single painting until the institution closed and be content.  But for reasons I can no longer remember, we felt compelled to keep on, the art marathon track guiding us away from any impromptu lingering.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Une Odalisque. 1814.  Image from Musee du Louvre.

In The Story of Art, Gombrich offers warnings against the meandering experience:

“People who have acquired some knowledge of art history are sometimes in danger of falling into a…trap. When they see a work of art they do not stay to look at it, but rather search their memory for the appropriate label. They may have heard that Rembrandt was famous for his chiaroscuro…so they nod wisely when they see a Rembrandt, mumble ‘wonderful chiaroscuro,’ and wander on to the next picture.” (Gombrich 34)

Museums are highly conducive to the empty wandering Gombrich describes; Michael Kimmelman recently discussed the phenomenon  and attributed the problem to a desire for self-improvement. His claim that there is pressure to see everything is certainly true. “Everything” could be everything in the museum, everything in an exhibition, everything famous.

“Everything” never means one work of art.  Yet, a painting as rich as Une Odalisque commands a stop, an opportunity for the viewer’s full attention. I disagree with Kimmelman  in that I think a thorough trip to the museum can be meaningful when objects are viewed more quickly but still thoughtfully and as a whole.  However, there are also works of art that need to be seen entirely on their own, without a “white cube,” placement on a time line or the underlying desire to see anything else.

Charlie White’s 1957 is a work I want to return to see on its own.  The photograph is part of This Old, Weird America, an exhibition currently on view at the Frye (see exhibition reviews by Regina Hackett and Jen Graves) comprised of an interesting, and often unexpected,  grouping of artists. However, 1957 is so fascinating I am tempted to come back to see this photograph only.  A composition of filmic and allegorical images combines with a level of attention to period details seemingly comparable to Mad Men to open a space for considering how the past is created in the mind, amid the fictional representations to which we cling.  Although the intrigue of 1957 can be enhanced by the works around it, the experience of seeing it independently is entirely different.

Charlie White. 1957. 2006. C-print photograph. Image from CCF Artist Gallery.

Sky Above Clouds IV and Une Odalisuqe were early occasions in which  I felt compelled to focus on only on one thing and did not.   Since my experience at the Louvre, I have had several opportunities to go into a museum and see only one thing. The evening I arrived in New Orleans to see Prospect.1*, I could only find one work of art to see, as all of the venues were already closed. Alexandre Arrechea’s Mississippi Bucket was listed as being in the Plaza of Good Fortune at Harrah’s Casino, which seemed like a place that would be open all night.

Alexandre Arrechea. Mississippi Bucket. 2008. Plaza of Good Fortune, Harrah’s Casino, Prospect.1 New Orleans.

Predictably, the Plaza of Good Fortune was difficult to find. The Harrah’s tower dominated the modest New Orleans waterfront, but determining the location of a particular plaza housing a work of art was challenging. After walking through an underground tunnel towards the inside of the casino, I made my  way towards the first human in sight.  When I asked about the Plaza of Good Fortune, she directed me back outside.  After wandering the perimeter of Harrah’s for 20 minutes, searching for something to indicate the plaza I needed (Symbols of luck? Pennies falling from the sky?), I happened to look down to see a sprawling, trough-like sculpture made from wood.  After spending so long in search of the Plaza of Good Fortune, I kept reconsidering this empty, quiet bed of tributaries and what good fortune actually meant to them.

Since this encounter with Mississippi Bucket, I went to SFMOMA to see only Olivo Barbieri’s site specific_LAS VEGAS 05, I went to the Henry to see only Eve Sussman and the Rufus Corporation’s The Rape of the Sabine Women, and I wandered through the labyrinth of the EMP to find Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean jacket and white glove.  All of these works are highly memorable to me in a way that even standout work in an exhibition is not. One of the reasons for this difference is the individually viewed work of art becomes an experience rather than one object among many.

Creating an “experience” is something museums constantly strive for, and yet the “museum visit” can become so formulaic (get ticket, enter galleries, see special exhibition, see permanent collection, depart) that remembering even a hand-full of works can be challenging by the end of the day. Interacting with a work of art involves both the artwork and the viewer; when a single work is seen alone, the entire context of seeing becomes part of the work.

Although admission fees, large-scale marketing campaigns and highlighted maps may suggest otherwise, seeing one work of art should not be considered a luxury reserved for the admission-less museums in England or the masterpieces of painting in France. The viewing process always under our control, and it is our responsibility to see accordingly.

*For the purposes of this essay, the biennial experience’s qualities of maximum art consumption and presence as a large-scale exhibition make it comparable to the museum experience.

I have posted several songs from “Johny Walker” (1957) and I find that there are a few more songs in this movie that deserve to be posted.

Here is a lovely song from this movie. “Thandi thandi hawaa poochhe unka pataa” is sung by Asha Bhonsle and Geeta Dutt. It is picturised on Shyama and Sheila Vaz. Hasrat Jaipuri is the lyricist and O P Nayyar composed the music.

Geeta Dutt was the main female voice for the songs of O P Nayyar before Asha Bhonsle took that mantle. And this is one of the few songs where O P Nayyar used the voices of his two favourite female singers together.

Song-Thandi thandi hawaa poochhe unka pataa (Johny Walker) (1957) Singers-Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhonsle, Lyrics-Hasrat Jaipuri ,MD-O P Nayyar

Lyrics

laa laa laa laa raa raa raa
hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmmhmm
aa aa aa

thandi thandi hawaa poochhe unkaa pataa
laaj aaye sakhi kaise doon main bataa
thandi thandi hawaa poochhe unkaa pataa
laaj aaye sakhi kaise doon main bataa
thandi thandi hawaa
aaa

ham se darti ho kyun aahen bharti ho kyun
munh se kuchh to kaho us pe marti ho kyun
ham se darti ho kyun aahen bharti ho kyun
munh se kuchh to kaho us pe marti ho kyun
tum ho aisi adaa jis pe duniyaa fidaa
hai wo kitnaa haseen jis pe tum ho fidaa
thandi thandi hawaa poochhe unkaa pataa
laaj aaye sakhi kaise doon main bataa
thandi thandi hawaa

dil se poochhoon mere us mein kyaa baat hai
wo umangon bhari chaandni raat hai
dil se poochhoon mere us mein kyaa baat hai
wo umangon bhari chaandni raat hai
chaand jab jab uthaa usko dekhaa kiyaa
har sitaare kaa dil phir to dhadkaa kiyaa
thandi thandi hawaa poochhe unkaa pataa
laaj aaye sakhi kaise doon main bataa
thandi thandi hawaa

yoon na tadpaao ji ab bataa do hamen
laa ke tasweer hi tum dikhaa do hamen
yoon na tadpaao ji ab bataa do hamen
laa ke tasweer hi tum dikhaa do hamen
dard badhne lagaa seenaa jalne lagaa
dil hamaaraa bhi dekho machalne lagaa
thandi thandi hawaa poochhe unkaa pataa
laaj aaye sakhi kaise doon main bataa
laa lararara rararara
hmm hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hmm
aa aa aa

Actors: Douglas Kirk,Meeker Ralph,Menjou Adolphe,Macready George,Morris Wayne,Morris Wayne,Anderson Richard,Turkel Joe,Hausner Jerry,Capell Peter,Capell Peter,Meyer Emile,Freed Bert,Dibbs Kem,Crime,Drama,War,

Has the easy path and sure thing in the dem's glory year hit a snag?
I love this, Now the dem’s know that the socialist Hussein will have to fight for his own and the media is losing it’s effect for him.

So desperate and bitter have the meaningless attacks broke on McCain and Palin and when it came time to answer they came out punching.Obama couldn’t beat McCain in a fight even though he’s 72.
McCain loves this country calling it ‘ her ‘.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!.

Tom S | Sep 04, 2008

Actors: Balsam Martin,Fiedler John,Cobb Lee J.,Marshall E.G.,Klugman Jack,Binns Ed,Warden Jack,Fonda Henry,Sweeney Joseph,Begley Ed,Voskovec George,Webber Robert,Bond Rudy,Kelly James,Nelson Billy,Drama,

Where do I find these surveys/"notes" on Facebook?
Occasionally, I see a survey type thing that my friends fill out and they look kinda fun, and I wanted to fill some out, but I don’t know where to find them. Here’s an example (with the answers erased xD)

Be honest no matter what!

1. Who was your last text from?
ERASED

2. Where was your default picture taken?
My room.

3. Your relationship status?
Single.

4. Have you ever lost a close friend?
Not really.

5. What is your current mood?
Good and frusterated.

6. What�s your brother(s)/sister(s) names?
ERASED

7. Where do you wish you were right now?
With friends.

9. Have a crazy side?
Meh.

10. Ever had a near death experience?
No.

11. Something you do a lot?
Breathe. haha

12. Angry at anyone?
Not really.

13. What’s stopping you from going for the person you like?
The fact that I don’t like anyone.

14. When was the last time you cried?
A few nights ago.

15. Would you do anything for someone?
ERASED

16. Who/what do you think about when you are falling asleep?
Making sure my alarm is on and that I have everything ready before the next day.

17. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
ERASED

18. What is your favorite song?
ERASED

19. What are you doing right now?
Talking on the phone, facebooking, typing, breathing, blinking.

20. Who do you trust right now?
Few people.

21. Where did you get the shirt you are wearing?
Wal-maaaaaaaart. xD

22. Have you kissed someone in the past week?
Nah man,

23. Does your best friend live close to you?
ERASED

24. Describe your life in one word?
Life.

25. What are you thinking of right now?
Life.

26. What should you be doing right now?
Sleeping, i’m so tired. lol

27. What are you listening to?
Silence.

Actors: Astaire Fred,Auclair Michel,Flemyng Robert,Del Val Jean,Gerry Alex,Booth Nesdon,Romance,Comedy,Musical,

What's wrong with me?
It’s usually easy for me to go to a date with a girl I like, but always after the date they don’t like me anymore!! They don’t answer my calls, they reject my calls and things like this…
I think I’m kind of good looking and I think my personality is interesting. I am a little bit closed and shy though but they know that before the date…
So do you have any suggestions why this happens??
could it be the circles I do with the cigarette smoke that makes my face look funny?

Some time back, I was not even aware of a movie called “Agra Road” (1957). Once I became aware of this movie, I found a couple of great forgotten gems from this movie that I posted here.

Now I have discoverd yet another forgotten gem from the same movie.

This song is a club song that was quite common in movies of 1950s. The location of such songs would be a bar. A female dancer would descend from the staircase and star singing and dancing with seedy looking customers with glasses in their hands watching. The bar would often be a haven for baddies who would use the place to keep people kidnapped by them.

Here in this song, we find a pretty Sheila Vaz descending from the staircase and singing this song. A seedy looking Bhagwan, dresses like a ruffian, joins in her singing. While they are singing, the picturisation shows Meena Kumari gagged and handcuffed in one of the rooms of the bar. But the baddies of those days were not professionals, and so they would do an amateurish job. If I know my B grade Bollywood movies well, then the hostage, even Meena Kumari, would be able to free herself in the three minutes that the song was going to last.

The song is sung by Geeta Dutt and Rafi. Prem Dhawan is the lyricist and Roshan composed the music.

This song is yet another confirmation of the fact that there are countless gems lying there forgotten that are in urgent need of being brought to the notice of the music fans. And it is so kind on the part of the fans who upload such rare gems on internet.

song-Ghazab huaa Raam Zulam huaa Raam (Agra Road) (1957) Singers- Geeta Dutt, Rafi, Lyrics-Prem Dhawan,MD-Roshan

Lyrics

Ghazab huaa raam
zulam hua raam
dil kho baithi
hai jo hone waali baat thi
ho baithi
Ghazab huaa raam

Pyaar ki Ganga
aisi Ganga ulti jiski dhaar
ho ulti jiski dhaar
pyaar ki Ganga
aisi Ganga ulti jiski dhaar
ho ulti jiski dhaar
arre jo nikla so doob gayaa
aur jo doobaa so paar
jo doobaa so paar
inhi logon mein to dil ko dubo baithi
haay jo hone waali baat thi
ho baithi
Ghazab huaa raam

sabse teekhaa teer nazar ka
jaaye kalezaa cheer
ho jaaye kalezaa cheer
sabse teekhaa teer nazar ka
jaaye kalezaa cheer
ho jaaye kalezaa cheer
haay
phir bhi pyaari laage dil ko
meethi meethi peer
meethi meethi peer
yahi teer to jigar mein chubho baithi
haay jo hone waali baat thi
ho baithi
ghazab huaa raam

sochaa thaa ke bhool ke bhi
na lenge pyaar ka naam
na lenge pyaar ka naam
sochaa thaa ke bhool ke bhi
na lenge pyaar ka naam
na lenge pyaar ka naam
lekin bas na chalaa liya jab
haath kisi ne thaam
haath kisi ne thaam
tere nainon mein wo man ko piro baithi
hai jo hone waali baat thi
ho baithi
Ghazab huaa raam
dil kho baithi
haay jo hone waali baat thi
ho baithi

I have mentioned it earlier that some of the finest songs created by O P Nayyar were in movies produced by Johny Walker.

Here is a case in point. This song was not supposed to be a timeless classic. It is just a timepass fun song. Johny walker and his friends are having a party on new years eve. Johny walker is drunk along wit others and they are having a drunken revelry.

This song is a rare song where we find Rafi and Manna Dey singing a light hearted song in tandem. Rafi sings for Johny Walker, but I am not familiar with the other actor who sings in Manna Dey’s voice. Can anyone help me identify him ?

Hasrat Jaipuri is the lyricist.

Watching the picturisation, I observed that Johny Walker, despite playing a drunk in this song, could dance gracefully. This song is a wonderful example of graceful drunken dancing. Well, what an interesting new category I just thought about. And to see ladies in western dress dancing shows that Indian ladies were “modern” more than 50 years ago too.

This song is a gem of a song on many counts. A nice find indeed.

Song-Munh se mat lagaa cheez hai buri (Johny Walker) (1957) singers-Rafi, Manna Dey, Lyrics-Hasrat Jaipuri, MD-O P Nayyar

Lyrics

munh se mat lagaa cheez hai buri
dekh bach zaraa cheez hai buri
chhod de ye maikashi
mere hamnasheen mere hamnasheen
arre
baat mat badhaa chhod dillagi
hosh kar zaraa chhod dillagi
jhooth boltaa hai tu
maine pi nahin
maine pi nahin
ta raa raa raa ru
raa raa raa raa
ta raa raa raa ru
raa raa raa ru

degi ye dagaa phoonk degi ghar
degi ye dagaa phoonk degi ghar
mujhse naa sahi par Khudaa se dar
mujhse naa sahi par Khudaa se dar
wo gunahgaar hai jo pi le aadmi
he
munh se mat lagaa cheez hai buri
chhi chhi chhi
dekh bach zaraa cheez hai buri
chhod de ye maikashi
mere hamnasheen mere hamnasheen
ta raa raa raa ru
raa raa raa raa ru
ta raa raa raa raa ru
raa raa raa raa ru

apni raah le mujhse mat jhagad
apni raah le mujhse mat jhagad
tod doongaa dil mujhse mat akad
tod doongaa dil mujhse mat akad
are khaali-peeli chhed di hai yaad rakh buri
hoy
baat mat badhaa chhod dillagi
hosh kar zaraa chhod dillagi
jhooth boltaa hai tu
maine pi nahin
maine pi nahin
ta raa raa raa ru
raa raa raa raa ru
ta raa raa raa ruu
raa raa raa raa ru

dekh saamne hawaldaar hai
dekh saamne hawaldaar hai
gar pakad liyaa bedaa paar hai
gar pakad liyaa bedaa paar hai
jail mein kategi phir to saari zindagi
he
munh se mat lagaa cheez hai buri
dekh bach zaraa cheez hai buri
chhod de ye maikashi
mere hamnasheen mere hamnasheen
ta raa raa raa raaru
raa raa raa raa ru
ta raa raa raa raaruu
raa raa raa raa ru

jaantaa hoon main pahredaar hai
ho
jaantaa hoon main pahredaar hai
bachpane kaa ye apnaa yaar hai
bachpane kaa ye apnaa yaar hai
darne waalaa main nahin bas aaye koyi bhi
hoy
baat mat badhaa chhod dillagi
hosh kar zaraa chhod dillagi
jhooth boltaa hai tu
maine pi nahin
maine pi nahin
he
munh se mat lagaa cheez hai buri
dekh bach zaraa cheez hai buri
chhod de ye maikashi
mere hamnasheen mere hamnasheen

Written by: Otis Blackwell, Jack Hammer
Produced by: Sam Phillips
Released: Nov. ‘57 on Sun
Charts: 21 weeks
Top spot: No. 2

With Lewis pounding the piano and leering, “Great Balls of Fire” was full of Southern Baptist hellfire turned into a near-blasphemous ode to pure lust. Lewis, a Bible-college dropout and cousin to Jimmy Swaggart, refused to sing it at first and got into a theological argument with Phillips that concluded with Lewis asking, “How can the devil save souls?” But as the session wore on and the liquor kept flowing, Lewis’ mood changed considerably — on bootleg tapes he can be heard saying, “I would like to eat a little pussy if I had some.” Goodness gracious, great balls of fire, indeed.

Bollywood movies typically sell on the name of their Hero/ Heroine. Then there were movies that sold because of the music.

It is interesting to note that Johny Walker, who was not a hero, nor a music director, also became a big draw for movie goers. Yes, Johny Walker became the first comedian (Mehmood being the second) whose name began to sell movies. To take advantage of public fascination, Johny Walker would invariably be given one song to sing in every movie, even if he was not the hero.

In fact, Johny Walker himself began to make movies casting himself as the hero. In one case, he was not only the hero, even the title of the movie was “Johny Walker”.

Johny Walker tended to sign up O P Nayyar as the music director of his movies, and some of the finest music created by O P Nayyar came in movies featuring Johny Walker as the hero.

Here is a lovely duet from “Johny Walker” (1957). It is sung by Geeta Dutt and Rafi and it is picturised o Shyama and Johny Walker. This song discusses places like Bambai (Bombay, now Mumbai), Dilli (Delhi), Taj, Kalkatta (Kolkata) and are picturised in these locations. The song is a bicycle song as well.

Hasrat Jaipuri is the lyricist of this song.

song-Bachke balam chal ke rasta hai mushqil (Johny Walker) (1957) Singers-Geeta Dutt, Rafi,Lyrics- Hasrat Jaipuri, MD-O P Naiyyar

Lyrics

bachke balam chal
ke rasta hai mushqil
muhabbat ke bazaar ka
kabhi bhoologe tum
kabhi bhoolenge ham
hai ajab raaz is pyaar ka
bachna hai mushqil
jo milte hain do dil
mohabaat ke bazaar mein
kabhi gham ki ghata
kabhi thandi hawaa
hai muhabbat ke gulzaar mein

ye jawaan Bambai ke nazaare
ho ho
ke churaa lenge dil ko tumhaare
aa haa
ye jawaan Bambai ke nazaare
ke churaa lenge dil ko tumhaare
bahaaron ke mele mein jhagda na karna
ye mausam hai ikraar ka
haay
bachna hai mushqil
jo milte hain do dil
mohabaat ke bazaar mein
kabhi gham ki ghata
kabhi thandi hawaa
hai muhabbat ke gulzaar mein

ye Dilli ki madhosh galiyaan
hai ulfat ki rangeen kaliyaan
ye Dilli ki madhosh galiyaan
hai ulfat ki rangeen kaliyaan
yahaan to milenge hazaaron hi jalwe
muhabbat ke darbaar mein
bachke balam chal
ke rasta hai mushqil
muhabbat ke bazaar ka
kabhi bhoologe tum
kabhi bhoolenge ham
hai ajab raaz is pyaar ka

ye haseen Taaj Jamuna kinaara
hai muhabbat ka dildaar nazaara
ye haseen Taaj Jamuna kinaara
hai muhabbat ka dildaar nazaara
yahaan so rahi hai muhabaat ki malika
khazaana liye pyaar ka
bachna hai mushqil
jo milte hain do dil
mohabaat ke bazaar mein
kabhi gham ki ghata
kabhi thandi hawaa
hai muhabbat ke gulzaar mein

Ye ujli sadak Kalkatte ki
suno baat tum ek pate ki
Ye ujli sadak Kalkatte ki
suno baat tum ek pate ki
yahaan har kadam par machalte hain jaadu
haseeno ke bazaar mein
bachke balam chal
ke rasta hai mushqil
muhabbat ke bazaar ka
kabhi bhoologe tum
kabhi bhoolenge ham
hai ajab raaz is pyaar ka
haay
bachna hai mushqil
jo milte hain do dil
mohabaat ke bazaar mein
kabhi gham ki ghata
kabhi thandi hawaa
hai muhabbat ke gulzaar mein

Written by: Boudleaux and Felice Bryant
Produced by: Archie Bleyer
Released: May ‘57 on Cadence
Charts: 27 weeks
Top spot: No. 2

“Bye Bye Love” had been turned down by thirty other artists before Cadence Records owner Bleyer offered it to the Everly Brothers for their first single. Phil and Don took it happily, if for no other reason than the sixty-four dollars they would each earn for making it.

The Everly’s hard, percussive strums on their acoustic guitars were apparently the inspiration for Pete Townshend’s power chords. And they were something new under the sun — a country brother act that (unlike the Delmores, the Louvins, or the Stanleys), embraced the teen-oriented rock & roll present and pop future. It helped that they practically were teenagers; no one with more years under their belt could so cheerfully, even blithely, sing about giving up on women entirely. You can tell they don’t mean it, even if they think they do, and where the older duos would have imbued the song with a dignified pathos, the Everlys sound relieved to be rid of the pressures of a relationship and ready to start playing the field again.

There are so many modes of transportation in India viz foot, bullock cart, tonga, car, bus, trains,etc. And Bollywood movies have songs picturised on all these modes of transportation. In fact, Bollywood movies have songs on some unusual modes of transportations as well. For example, there have been songs where hero is seen riding an elephant and singing away.

But I have noticed one thing, that one of the ubiquitous mode of transportation has been grossly underrepresented. Yes, I am talking about the humble cycle rickshaw. Bahut nainsaafi hai.

Recently I found a cycle rickshaw song picturised on Madhubala and Shammi Kapoor from “Boyfriend” and I posted that song.

I have discovered another cycle rickshaw song. This song is the kind of song that I love to post here. It is as rare as they come. Apart from the singers (Talat Mehmood and Asha Bhonsle), others involved in this song are quite unknown to most people. For instance, this song is written by Prem Saxena and the music director is Nashaad (not Naushad). The song is picturised on Ameeta and Anant Marathe. Now, tell me , my dear readers, out of these names, how many names are familiar with you !

The song is as unknown as the people behind this song. But is it just another song ? Not at all. Right from the time I stumbled upon this song, I have bbeen absolutely mesmerised by this song. I liked this song so much that I decided that I will post this song on a special occasion for the blog. And those special occasions come when the blog is completing a century of songs. And that time has come again.

Yes, my dear readers of this blog. This song is the 2200 th song of this blog, and I proudly present this rare gem from this movie called “Badaa Bhai” (1957). The picturisation shows the hero Anant Marathe hauling a cycle rickshaw where his beloved Ameeta is seated. And the song that commences is a song that deserves to be known to all the music lovers of Bollywood movie songs.

And I take this occasion to thank all my readers and well wishers for their continued patronage and encouragement. The blog has recently clocked 5,00,000 hits. Half a million hits in just over one year is an indication of the fact that the blog has found favour with the lovers of classic Bollywood music in a big way. Please keep up showering your love and affection, and I promise many more great songs and many more features that I am sure you will find useful.

Once again, I thank one and all.

song-Chori chori dil ka lagaana buri baat hai (Badaa Bhai) (1957) Singers-Asha Bhonsle,Talat Mehmood, Lyrics-Prem Saxena, ,MD-Nashaad

Lyrics

hmm hmm hmm hmm
chori chori dil kaa
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
dil ko lagaake pachtaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai

ho ho ho
dil se dil jab takraataa hai
pyaar nazar mein sharmaataa hai,
sharmaataa hai
pyaar mein dekho sharmaanaa buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
dil ko lagaake pachtaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai

ho ho ho
teer nazar ke jab chalte hain
dil mein shole se jalte hain
haay jalte hain
dil ki aag dabaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
dil ko lagaake pachtaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai

ho ho ho
hanste hain jab chaand sitaare
lut jaate hain dil ke maare
dil ke maare
dil ke maaron ko tadpaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
dil ko lagaake pachtaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai

hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hmm
ho ho
chhuptaa hai jab koyi nazar se
uthti hai ek aah jigar se
aah jigar se
aahon se dil ko jalaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
dil ko lagaake pachtaana buri baat hai
chori chori dil kaa lagaana buri baat hai
hmm hmm hmm
aa haa haa hmm
hmm hmm hmm
aa haa haa haa

Here is a bicycle song from an obscure movie called “Zamaana” (1957). The song is picturised on Ameeta and Kamaljit (later better remembered as Waheeda Rehman’s husband). This song is a duet, mostly sung by Asha Bhonsle, with some male voice too. I have no idea about the male voice. It sounds like G M Durrani, but then he was no longer around in 1957 I think. The singer could well be Kamaljit himself.

Prem Dhawan is the lyricist and Anil Biswas is the music director. Listen to this song a few times, and one may well find oneself warming up to this song. It is a lovely light hearted song.

Song-Chale bajaa ke seeti jeewan ki raahon mein(Zamaana) (1957) Singer-Asha Bhonsle, Lyrics-Prem Dhawan, MD-Anil Biswas

Lyrics

chale bajaa ke seeti jeewan ki raahon mein
dhun chhed ke meethi meethi
chale bajaa ke seeti jeewan ki raahon mein
dhun chhed ke meethi meethi

duniya se begaane
ulfat ke parwaane
duniya se begaane
ulfat ke parwaane
aaj kahin nikal pade masti mein do deewaane
aaj kahin nikal pade masti mein do deewaane
deewaane jo mil gaye ham chale bajaa ke seete
dhun chhed ke meethi meethi
chale bajaa ke seeti jeewan ki raahon mein
dhun chhed ke meethi meethi

tera dil mera hai mera dil tera hai
tera dil mera hai mera dil tera hai
dono par kaisa ye pyaar ne jaadu phera hai
dono par kaisa ye pyaar ne jaadu phera hai
jitne dil ko badalte ham chale bajaa ke seeti
dhun chhed ke meethi meethi
chale bajaa ke seeti jeewan ki raahon me
dhun chhed ke meethi meethi

man ki sunoon chaldi hai
haathon mein haldi hai
man ki sunoon chaldi hai
haathon mein haldi hai
pyaar kahe kadam badhaa
laaj kahe kyaa jaldi hai
pyaar kahe kadam badhaa
laaj kahe kyaa jaldi hai
manzil khud aayegi
jab dil se bajegi seeti
dhun chhed ke meethi meethi
chale bajaa ke seeti jeewan ki raahon mein
dhun chhed ke meethi meethi

Sorry to report that there’s not much happening 50s Westerns-wise on the DVD front.

Warner Archive has Stewart Granger in Gun Glory (1957) on the way. Since their debut, Warner Archive has become a good source for this stuff.

Ormai è quasi assodato che la nuova generazione- quella dei trent’anni con mamma e papà o, come dice qualcuno, del vivere dissoluto- è vista con occhi discretamente smessi e considerata di retaggio etico inferiore con picchi di malinconica memoria del tempo che fu; l’epoca in cui gli attuali grandi crescevano a pane e lavoro – e come amano ricordare- facendosi da soli. Considerato che appartengo a questa odiatamata generazione post-moderna e sopportando a stento le continue analogie, mi son chiesto, alla luce di questo abnorme divario ostentato, quali siano stati i fattori che hanno giocato in favore degli eroici padri, a cui va la mia più sincera stima, cercando sinteticamente di sondarli in correlazione delle contingenze storiche coeve, visto che le valutazioni di qualsiasi sorta non possono mai prescindere dal contesto, per non ricadere in osservazioni che si scostano da ogni tipo di trasparenza, che hanno visto in altri campi paragoni di infondata pregnanza, come lo storico dilemma calcistico su Maradona e Pelè o musicale con Battisti e Vasco Rossi coinvolti in mille discussioni tra giovani e adulti. Ritornando al nostro discorso una chiara realtà balza all’attenzione con lampante ovvietà ossia il divario socio-economico tra le due ere: gli anni sessanta sono stati il palcoscenico della strabiliante ripresa economica italiana con il made in Italy che si avviava ad essere epigonizzato da tutto il mondo, con le FIAT 500 come il sale o i cinesi che dir si voglia (vista la cospicua presenza) che si elevava a simbolo di quella classe medio borghese tanto colpevolizzata nel dopoguerra, per non parlare delle politiche a sostegno della casa, varate dal DC Fanfani con un piano settennale, che nel concreto erano dei veri mutui sociali visti i tassi di interesse agevolati. Queste in sintesi sono le componenti più importanti del puzzle che fungeva come sfondo alla nascita  consolidata della società italiana che avrebbe visto i nostri “vecchi” primi attori di tale ripresa dandoci in dote un mondo decisamente migliore. Passando al vaglio la società coeva, malgrado il buon punto di partenza, ci si rende conto che qualche ingranaggio forse doveva essere meglio lubrificato per dare un giusto seguito auspicato ma mai raggiunto in pieno, creando quel malessere esistenziale che attanaglia molti giovani, aldilà del ceto sociale di appartenenza, poiché il figlio del contadino avrà il problema di arrancare inizialmente, mentre il figlio dell’imprenditore sentirà per tutta la vita addosso l’ombra del padre e la gente magari lo riconoscerà vita natural durante come il figlio di….Nel concreto vediamo come la così rosea situazione socio-economica sessantina abbia acquisito delle sfumature olivastre con l’entrata del nuovo millennio. Certo molti passaggi sono stati dovuti, come l’entrata della moneta unica ( giacché l’Italia con il trattato di Roma nel 1957 fu una delle prime 6 firmatarie della CEE ed in seguito della CECA e CEEA), o l’ampliamento ad est dei mercati mondiali ( risvolto naturale dopo l’abbattimento della cortina di ferro comunista), ma ciò non toglie l’evidente handicap arrecatoci. Innanzitutto, come anticipato, il made in Italy è stato epigonizzato o meglio ancora clonato da molte altre aziende, riducendo i costi di produzione ed finalizzando con prodotti a primo acchito simili- le conseguenze di ciò sono note ai più- la più grossa casa automobilista italiana sopra menzionata ultimamente in Sicilia ha avuto qualche problemuccio ( i tagli al personale di Termini Imprese), la Parmalat ha chiuso i battenti, la Cirio quasi, molti brand italiani sono stati accorpati da aziende estere ect. La politica si attiene sempre meno alla sua condicio sine qua non, ossia la promozione sociale, pensate che a distanza di 50 anni un pur sempre democristiano a “Porta a porta” dichiara che i mutui sociali sono una utopia (Casini). A fronte di questi problemi il giovane d’oggi è solo in mezzo ad altri soli e solo unendosi ai soli altri si creerà da solo.

Lorenzo Mannarà

A cheap (some say really cheap) black and white CinemaScope Western from 1957.

Starring and co-produced by Rory Calhoun.

Costarring Anne Francis, who’d been in Forbidden Planet the year before.

Directed by Ray Nazarro — who did a slew of these things.

Shot at Lone Pine.

Runs just over an hour.

I’m dying to see it.

Here is yet another song that I thought I had already posted but I had not.

This is a lovely song sung by Mukesh and Lata. It is the lyrics (Rajinder Krishan) of this song that catch the attention. Chitragupta’s music ensures that this song would go on to become a timeless classic. This is an awesome romantic song as well as a “chhaayaageet” category of song by my definition

This song was picturised on Anant Marathe and Nanda. Of course, the link to this song here only has the audio and not the video.

Song-Ek raat mein do do chaand khile(Barkha) (1957) Singers-Mukesh , Lata, Lyrics-Rajinder Krishan, MD-Chitragupta

Lyrics

Ek raat mein do do chaand khile
ek ghoonghat mein ek badli mein
ek raat mein do do chaand khile
hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
apni apni manzil se mile
ek ghoonghat mein ek badli mein
ek raat mein do do chaand khile

badli ka wo chaand to sabka hai
ghoonghat ka ye chaand to apna hai
aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa
badli ka wo chaand to sabka hai
ghoonghat ka ye chaand to apna hai
mujhe chaand samajhne waale bataa
ye raat hai ya koyi sapna hai
ye raat hai ya koyi sapna hai
ek raat mein do do chaand khile
ek ghoonghat mein ek badli mein
apni apni manzil se mile
ek ghoonghat me ek badli mein
ek raat mein do do chaand khile

maalooom nahin do anjaane
raahi kaise mil jaate hain
phoolon ko agar khilna hai to wo
veeraanon mein khil jaate hain
veeraanon mein khil jaate hain
ek raat mein do do chaand khile
ek ghoonghat mein ek badli mein
apni apni manzil se mile
ek ghoonghat mein ek badli mein
ek raat mein do do chaand khile

Playboy’s November 1957 write-up on the lovely and talented Marlene Callahan provoked me to dig a little in to a subject I generally hate, the modern history of Southern California.

Photographed by Vivienne Lapham, a woman. More on her another day, promise.

See, the little blurb about her, which has a grating amount of purple prosaic references to her Irish heritage as though she is from freaking County Cork and not sunny California, which annoys me too much to reproduce it here, I’ll just link to it, also overemphasized her wholesome, small-town upbringing. But my eyebrows raised when I read this was in Ventura.

I don’t think of Ventura as wholesome and oldtimey: I guess I’m tarring it with the brush of my feelings toward more major cities in its vicinity to be guilty and glutted by filthy, phony, decaying greed by association. You know, trash everywhere, traffic jams, cement as far as your eye can see, no one gives a shit about anything but their phone and their fake tan — I just have strong feelings about that area. It offends my eyes. But I don’t have the whole story on it, I told myself, so I decided to look in to Ventura a little. Visions of carhops and mall parking lot mazes dancing in my head, I smugly decided to give this situation the ol’ googly-moogly and see just how “rural” a lass Miss Callahan was in 1957.

Answer: Pretty reasonably freaking rural. In my face!

Not easily accessible, Ventura was not a target of immigrants, and as such, remained quiet and rural. For most of the century which followed the incorporation of Ventura in 1866, it remained isolated from the rest of the state.

From the south, travel by auto was slow and hazardous, until the completion of a four-lane expressway (US Highway 101) over the Conejo Grade in 1959. This route, now further widened and improved by 1969, is known as the Ventura Freeway, which directly links Ventura with the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

The wiki reports that in “1950 the population reached 16,643, by 1970 the population was 57,964,” so this spread, photographed in 1957, and its accompanying blurb, were published just as the city’s population and industry were poised to explode due to the freeway’s construction. This town could have really stayed in a kind of innocent, mill-town type isolation (everyone in town relying on the industry of the citrus and nut farming in a symbiotic relationship of trade, labor, and self-sustenance) were it not for the freeway coming through. That is a mindfuck to me.

Of course, it is also the home of what was once the California Fruit Growers Exchange, which grew in quick order in to Sunkist Growers, Inc., a company with a history of up and down labor and ethical practices vis a vis immigrants, other farmers, and influence over politics and land use. (Until today I would have said “fie” upon them, but now I’m just a little up in the air on all kinds of my feelings.) I’m torn and conflicted by this. Being the county seat of an area essentially owned by Sunkist by the ’50’s means that the “innocence” and rurality of the leaders of the town were questionable at best, but the majority of people in the area were just living their lives, doing their best, taking simple pleasures in county fairs and cakewalks.

I’m not supposed to feel compassion or empathy for Southern California and its denizens. I need to go watch Chinatown. Yes, Chinatown needs a movie moment or two. Arg. I’m still going to wander away muttering “Fuckin’ freeways…”

K- You embody the ideal that to give is better than to receive.

Auden agrees,

The More Loving One- 1957

Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.
How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.

Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.

Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total darkness sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.

I have posted one song from “Miss Bombay” (1957) in the past. Today I stumbled upon another song from this song. And what a song it is ! Such a lively song ! I do not know too many songs that are this full of joie de vivre.

And I am talking about it just by listening to the audio, since its video is not available.

The song is sung with gusto by Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur. Prem Dhawan is the lyricist and Hansraj Bahl composed the music.

What a gem of rare quality this song is !

song-Din ho ya raat ham rahen tere saath ye hamaari marzi(Miss Bombay) (1957) Singers-Rafi, Suman Kalyanpur,Lyrics-Prem Dhawan, MD-Hansraj Bahl

Lyrics

ho ho ho ho ho
ho ho ho
ho ho ho
din ho yaa raat ham rahen tere saath ye hamaari marzi
din ho yaa raat ham rahen tere saath ye hamaari marzi
tumhaari marzi
ji hamaari marazi
tumhaari to hamaari bhi yahi hai marzi
din ho yaa raat ham rahen tere saath ye hamaari marzi

tu dor main patang udoon tere sang-sang ho ho ho
ho ho ho
aa haa haa haa haa
tu hai phool to main rang rahoon tere sang-sang
ho ho ho
hmm hmm hmm
aa haa haa
ho ho ho
rang daalo is rang mein hamaaraa angnaa
rang daalo is rang mein hamaaraa angnaa
ye tumhaari marzi
ji hamaari marzi
tumhaari to hamaari bhi yahi hai marzi
din ho yaa raat ham rahen tere saath ye hamaari marzi

le ke aaun main baaraat thaamoon mehandi waale haath
ho ho ho
ho ho ho
aa haa haa
main to mukh se na boloon chali chaloon tere saath
ho ho ho
hmm hmm hmm
ho ho ho
nit-nit kare chandaa se chakori mulaaqaat
nit-nit kare chandaa se chakori mulaaqaat
ye tumhaari marzi
ji hamaari marzi
tumhaari to hamaari bhi yahi hai marzi
din ho yaa raat ham rahen tere saath ye hamaari marzi

ik banglaa ho pyaaraa saari duniyaa se nyaaraa
ho ho ho
ho ho ho
aa haa haa haa haa
jiski chaandi ki deewaaren aur sone kaa ho dwaaraa
ho ho ho
hmm hmm hmm
ho ho ho ho ho
jiske angnaa mein aake bhool jaaun jag saaraa
jiske angnaa mein aake bhool jaaun jag saaraa
ye tumhaari marzi
ji hamaari marzi
tumhaari to hamaari bhi yahi hai marzi
din ho yaa raat ham rahen tere saath ye hamaari marzi
din ho yaa raat ham rahen tere saath ye hamaari marzi