KK would have turned 54 today if he were alive. Unfortunately, we lost the legendary singer with an incomparable voice earlier this year, simultaneously losing the opportunity to listen to more of his soulful renditions that fit the bill of any human emotion. On his birthday, we pick out five phases of life with two of his songs under each category that describe the feelings aptly.
Friendship
Friendship is one of the very first social bonds that we experience after stepping out of our parental protection. This unique relationship is something that we often place right next to our family, and remains a constant throughout our lives. Some of KK’s soulful tunes celebrate the eternal beauty of this bond that remains even if we move far away from each other.
Pyaar ke Pal: Pyaar ke Pal is undoubtedly one of the most significant KK songs out there as it brought the late vocalist to the forefront career wise. If you were born in the 90’s, it’s quite unlikely for you to not have come across this evergreen song that was a part of almost every other school farewell. The song celebrates the sweet nostalgia of growing up together, and having to choose individual ways as a part of life’s journey. This song quite literally shaped our adolescence, and was a part of some of our first landmarks in life where the next chapter of our lives were still uncertain and required change.
Yaaron Dosti: Yaaron Dosti is yet another soulful track by KK, that celebrates friendship in all its glory. The song teaches us that friendship isn’t all about walking on a bed of roses, but has its own little moments of differences yet remains loyal to you. The song can be taken as a handbook guide to what an ideal friendship should look like, as they not only celebrate the good moments together but also help you gather yourself at your lowest moments in life.
Infatuation
Sweet moments of adolescence, and early years of college constitute multiple moments where we often went jittery at the sight of someone. This feeling is unmatchable as the adrenaline rush that comes as a part of infatuation, and not being able to express your feelings through enough words is one of a kind. KK belted out numerous chart toppers that delved into the different shades of this phase, from which we pick out two of our absolute favourites
Aankhon Mein Teri: Have you ever gone wobbly on your knees, and felt a thousand butterflies in your stomach at the sight of that special someone? Aankhon Mein Teri is all about the ethereal feeling of falling in love and wanting to immerse yourself in that unmatchable moment of crossing paths with your crush. The song defines being love struck by a person who is yet to reciprocate your feelings, or by someone you are yet to express to. “Teri nazron ne dil ka kiya jo hashar, asar yeh hua; ab inme hi duub ke ho jau paar, yehi hain dua” celebrates a love that isn’t bound by conditions and explains the feeling similar to being on cloud nine.
Zara Si Dil Mein de Jagah Tu: If you have ever been in love with someone who is yet to conform to your feelings, but you just cannot hold yourself back from falling head over heels for them- Zara Si Dil Mein de Jagah Tu is the apt KK song that describes the situation. The song is like a request to your lover, asking them to give you a special place in their heart as you can go to any extent to make them happy. It’s about being sure that no one else can love them as much as you do.
First Love
You have expressed your love successfully, and received the first signs of reciprocation. Surreal isn’t it? The below mentioned KK songs are all about accepting the first moments of reciprocated love, that goes beyond butterflies in the stomach.
I Am in Love: This song describes the exact moment of realisation when you start acknowledging being in love with someone. It talks about everything that comes along with falling in love for the first time, and eventually developing a habit of being with a person. This song is a declaration of love, which makes you want to tell everyone how you feel.
Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar: This 2007 song from a film called MP3 makes one question themselves as to why they don’t feel entertained by friends as they should anymore, and only long for the companionship of one particular individual. It is like a wave of realisation hitting you slowly where you start realising how differently you have been behaving lately and then suddenly it strikes you that this is exactly what first love might feel like.
Romance
Love comes with a sense of calm, and can often be compared with a heavenly feeling. It is all about celebrating the love of your life, and accepting the right as they are without wanting to change a single thing about them. The following KK songs aptly describe what love feels like
Khuda Jaane Ke: This song from 2008 Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone starrer film Bachna Ae Haseeno compares love to a heavenly feeling. Its lyrics translate into wanting to give one’s love that spot on a pedestal, where everyone else and their opinions don’t matter anymore. The song makes you want to dedicate your love to the will of God, and talks about feeling alive as a result of falling in love with that particular someone. This song’s visuals shot on the cobbled, whitewashed roads of Bari and by the vivid waters of Italian shores took the song a notch higher and made it to many of our vacation wish lists for sure.
Tu hi Meri Shab Hain: This track is one of those perfect songs to dedicate to your partner, if you want to tell them how important they are to you. It talks about your love being a constant part of your life now, from dawn till dusk. It tells them how they complement your life in every aspect, and how they are like no one else you have met till date. It describes their beauty through poetic metaphors and the wish to unearth every sorrow and secret they are hiding underneath their beauty.
Heartbreak
Where there is love, there has to be pain. Journey of love is not an easy task and comes with its moments of ups and downs. If we have to quickly think of songs that perfectly describe the heart shattering feeling of a breakup, the following KK numbers do absolute justice
Tadap Tadap: Tadap Tadap from 1999 Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan starrer Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam can be considered as the epitome of all sorrowful heartbreak songs. This hits you right at the centre of your heart and evokes every feeling of regret, repentance and grief that comes along with a break up. It describes how a love that built you up and was your pride, ended up destroying every hope of being together forever. Much like we often end up blaming ourselves for the failure of a relationship, this song too asks what grave mistake might have led to this abrupt end of a beautiful relationship.
Sach Keh Raha Hain Deewana: This evergreen love song paired with R Madhavan’s crush-worthy cuteness, from the classic romance movie Rehna Hain Tere Dil Mein talks about making a promise to oneself that they must not fall in love ever again. It denies anything beautiful love brings, and tags it as something entirely made of false promises and hopes. This song is about convincing oneself that love is just not worth it, and is only a source of great sorrow. However it also dwindles between moments of sweet reminiscence and shifts back to making oneself believe that whatever happened is for the greater good.
