The American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Music is the universal language”. This holds even today when songs are heavily dependent on languages for their lyrics. Personally, I never listen to a song for the first time in terms of literary terms. I see how it affects me emotionally with the amalgamation of melody and arrangement of the instruments. Here are the 8 best Tamil songs that you should listen to.
Also read: Best Punjabi Songs of 2022 (So Far) That Are Absolute Bangers
1. Adiye
This is from the “Kadhal” by Mani Ratnam. Like all other A. R. Rahman – Mani Ratnam collaborations, this movie also features an amazing soundtrack. This is based on the blues genre. However, A. R. Rahman masterfully Indian-izes the western genre into the fabric of Indian musical traditions.
2. Inkem Inkem
Sang by Sid Sriram, this song really captures the romantic atmosphere of the film. This song is composed by Gopi Sundar. Needless to say, it was a huge hit not only in the state of its origin but across language boundaries.
3. Yenga Pona Raasa
Another soulful song by A. R. Rahman. I think many of A. R. Rahman’s works in recent times in his native language are under-appreciated. This song is the definition of less is more. It has a very simple but heartfelt tune, with minimalistic orchestration. A masterpiece.
4. Unna Nenachu
This is a song from the maestro Ilaiyaraaja. Unna Nenachu from the movie “Psycho”, directed by Mysskin. It is a romantic song, but the tune intelligently suggests something of a sense of dread. One has to see the movie, to understand what it is.
5. Nenjukkule
This is probably one of the best romantic songs in A. R. Rahman’s career. Another track from the movie “Kadhal”. Nenjukkule has a terrific strings section that has a soul of its own while staying intricately connected with the main line of the song.
6. Thumbi Thullal
Thumbi Thullal was one of the biggest hits in Tamil Nadu. This was a song from the movie “Cobra”, directed by R. Ajay Gnanamuthu which did not get a release date yet. Listen to this song if you really want something energetic.
7. Quit Pannuda
Quit Pannuda is a really fun song from the movie “Master” directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. One of the most interesting elements in this song for me has to be the chord progression. It’s pretty simple, but it’s fun.
8. Enjoy Enjaami
Enjoy Enjaami is one of my favourite Tamil songs of recent times. I am a big fan of Arivu and his band Casteless Collective. This song is written by Arivu, sang by Dhee, and composed and produced by Santhosh Narayanan. The song tells the story of Arivu’s grandmother whom he called “Enjaami”. The song is a mix of various genres including traditional folk music called Opari and R&B.
This was the list of the 8 best Tamil songs of recent times. Hope you like it as much as I do.