When one thinks of songs for Father’s Day today, the image of Aamir Khan lip-syncing to Papa Kehte Hain in the 1988 film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak immediately comes to mind. Written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by Anand-Milind, the song gave singer Udit Narayan his breakthrough. The hit was recently recreated by composer Aditya Dev using Udit’s voice in the film Srikanth, where Rajkumar Rao plays a visually impaired industrialist.
This song would surely top many father’s song playlists. But before we mention other Hindi and English tunes, let’s talk about the new track Kiss The Bride by American rock band Bon Jovi, from its new album Forever released on June 7. Here, a father wishes his daughter on her wedding day – “A father’s prayer only angels hear, may your days be many, the way be clear, may the road be kind, your eyes stay bright, may your life be as beautiful as you look tonight.”
In some ways, this is like the ‘bidaai’ song Sahir Ludhianvi wrote in the 1968 film Neel Kamal – “Babul ki duwayein leti jaa, jaa tujhko sukhi sansaar mile, maike ki kabhi yaad na aaye, sasural mein itna pyaar mile”. Filmed on Balraj Sahni and Waheeda Rahman, it was composed by Ravi and sung by Mohammed Rafi.
‘Bidaai’ songs can be emotional and tearful, but they make listeners nostalgic too. Examples of traditional numbers are Babul Mora, written by Wajid Ali Shah, or Kaahe Ko Byahe Bides, written by Amir Khusrau. In films, there’s Mukesh’s Chal Ri Sajni composed by S.D. Burman and written by Sultanpuri in Bambai Ka Babu (1960).
Let’s get into something peppy and children-friendly to lighten the mood. We can begin with Hai Na Bolo Bolo, composed by Shankar-Jaikishan in Andaz (1971) or the title track of Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995), composed by Anu Malik. The latter has the lines “O I love you Daddy” and “But you love me Daddy”, which became popular among children. Also memorable is Luk Chipp Luk Chipp Jao Na, picturised on Amitabh Backchan, and sung by Kishore Kumar in Do Anjaane (1976).
Other songs have become classics. For instance, the image of Balraj Sahni on Ravi’s composition Tujhe Suraj Kahoon Ya Chanda is etched in one’s memory. Sung by Manna Dey, it was written by Prem Dhawan in the 1969 movie Ek Phool Do Mali. Other songs that have created great impact are Kishore’s Chandni Re Jhoom (Nauker, 1979) and the Arup Ghoshal version of Tujhse Naraaz Nahin (Masoom, 1983). Because of the film situations, Aa Chal Ke Tujhe (Door Gagan Ki Chaaon Mein, 1964) and the lullaby Aari Aaja Nindiya (Kunwara Baap, 1974) can also be played on Father’s Day.
Let’s move to English songs. The first choice could be Paul Anka’s Papa, which begins with the classic line, “Every day my papa would work to help to make ends meet, to see that we would eat, keep those shoes upon my feet.” Then we have Cat Stevens’ Father And Son and Paul Simon’s Father And Daughter – both titles are self-explanatory.
Cliff Richard’s Bachelor Boy, which begins with, “When I was young my father said, Son, I have something to say, and what he told me, I’ll never forget, until my dying day”, can be sung by unmarried men. On the other hand, fathers can sing Neil Young’s My Boy to their sons, beginning with the lyrics, “Why’re you growing up so fast, my boy, oh you better take your time.”
The playlist could include Boney M’s Daddy Cool, Eric Clapton’s My Father’s Eyes, Beyonce’s Daddy, Camila Cabello’s First Man, or the soul classic Papa Was A Rolling Stone, first performed by the Undisputed Truth and popularised by The Temptations. The jazz tune Song For My Father by pianist Horace Silver would provide a change. Finally, you could play the old favourite Papa He Loves Mama by Donald Peers and Janet Osborne. That can take you back to Hai Na Bolo Bolo – “Papa ko Mummy se, Mummy ko Papa se, pyaar hai, pyaar hai”. Happy Father’s Day.
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