What's your goosebump song?

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 12 Dec 2009, 05:43

I could not come up with a better way to ask the question. Over the last 12 years, I've heard quite a bit of music thanks to all the rasikas who generously shared their music and commercial recordings. During the first year of my initiation into carnatic music, I bought a MMI cassette containing Koluvai, Brova Bharama and I think Sarasaksha Paripalaya. I didn't get a chance to listen to it right away though as I was busy with my Uncle's wedding. On the day we came back, it was around 8.30pm and I was really eager to listen to that cassette. That was also the time when I started programming and was very addicted to the computer. I started playing the cassette at around 9pm and started coding. The Bhairavi I listened to just blew me away. I couldn't stop coding either. My creative juices along with MMI's were flowing like never before. I listened to that rendition almost non-stop from 9pm to around 4am. I simply could not stop listening to it.

Over the years I've gone back to that particular rendition a lot of times. In the past 2 years, whenever I listen to that krithi, my mind wonders about the whole beauty of it all. It's as if he couldn't have put a foot wrong if he had wanted to. It just seems perfect and the whole thing just flows. The fact that it was all extempore makes it infinitely better. Maybe I'm deluded or going mad but I see the whole universe unfold before me in that rendition. I feel like crying at MMI's virtuosity, sincerity and simplicity. I invariably end up with goosebumps. So, this has become my goosebump song.

Do you have a 'goosebump' song of your own?

PS: Of late, I've also been addicted to a particular version of MDR's Balagopala. He pretty much defines bhavam in that rendition. His neraval at Drona Karna Duryodhanadhi hara tops it off.

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 12 Dec 2009, 09:07

Every _single_ time I listen to gurulEka eTuvaNTi, the emotions I go through are so intense that I have to stop listening to the song at least 2 or 3 times and start again after a few seconds from where I left off. I make it a point to include this kriti in most of my concerts.

This is what I wrote four years ago in my blog: Every time I listen to this kriti, I experience a feeling of pain and pleasure simultaneously. The last time I listened to it, I had to switch off my walkman exactly 4 times at different places because I couldn't take any more of that ecstatic pain. My guess is Tyagaraja composed this song when he was in agony and he did it so well that the feeling kinda gets through even now when someone sings it.

One more song I have listened to a few hundred times: Brindamma's rendition of the khamAs javaLi mODijEsE vELara

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 12 Dec 2009, 10:26

If goosebump is the only criterion, I would go for Chinna Chinna Aasai and Kaadal Rojave. Until then, music in India had strong regional preferences, tamizhs listening to Illayaraja and people up north sticking to RD Burman. ARR has changed all that and to me he is easily the top Indian musician over the last 2 decades.

narayan · Post by **narayan** » 12 Dec 2009, 11:35

Ososi - Mukhari - Brinda Mukta
[I have no idea what the thing means, and the beginning word sounds like the name of a little known African group of people, but I try not to breathe when listening to it, lest I miss something]

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 12 Dec 2009, 12:22

Oh, there are many such songs, in this vast ocean of CM!!

A few:

*'shrI satyanArAyanam' in shubhapanthuvarAli by DKP
*'koluva maragatha' in tOdi by MSS
*'gOvinda miha' in bAgeshrI by MSS
*'nAnAti baduku' in rEvathi by MSS
*'bhAvayami' in yamunAkalyAni by MSS
*'dinamani vamsha' in harikAmbhOji by SSI
*'yAkE nirdayanA' in rAgamAlika by MLV

....on and on and on

They are uncountable!!

I've listened to these songs hundreds of times!!

Harikamboji · Post by **Harikamboji** » 12 Dec 2009, 19:57

Niveditha wrote about guruleka. MDR sings an out of the world version. He sang this to his guru `Tiger' as he lay in his death bed, as the story goes. What a way to go.... MDR singing at one's bedside!!!!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 12 Dec 2009, 21:04

srinivasrgvn

You have forgotten arasi's
malaiyAy nambinEn in Saama....
your daily dose!

ignoramus · Post by **ignoramus** » 12 Dec 2009, 21:05

A KVN rendering of "Varugalamo" and an outstanding MDR rendering (not sure which concert ) of "Teratiyaga"

arvindt · Post by **arvindt** » 12 Dec 2009, 21:58

Ariyakudi's Subramanyaya Namaste, MDR's Giripai and
Brindamma's Rama Rama Pranasakhi. The former especially
-- I keep coming back and looping it, on and on.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 13 Dec 2009, 00:31

Like Srinivasaraghavan says, there are so many!

As a father, Smt. MLV's 'cinnanciru kiLiyE' wins hands down, followed by 'himavAn perum bhAygyavAn' (especially the line 'candravadani umai "tandai" yenrAzhikka enna puNNiyam SeidAnO?') and S. Rajeshwari's 'tunabam nErgayil yAzh eDuttu nI yemakkinbam SErkka mATTAyA'.

Another relates to listening to 'SrI candramouLISvarArdhanArISvara' by Smt. MSS after spending a morning watching the paramAcAryA of kAncI worship SrI candramouLISvarar - always gives me goose-bumps now, when I listen to it.

Being a Mylaporean in my heart, all of Sri PS' songs on the first couple of mayilai like kANa kaN kOTi vENDum and karpagAmE always bring goose-bumps.

Finally, many of Sri MD's songs manage to do that at some time or another.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 13 Dec 2009, 01:06

No hindi film songs like
'ChaudavI ka chaand ho' ?

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 13 Dec 2009, 02:37

narayan wrote:Ososi - Mukhari - Brinda Mukta
[I have no idea what the thing means, and the beginning word sounds like the name of a little known African group of people, but I try not to breathe when listening to it, lest I miss something]

Here is the meaning:
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... yyene.html

smala · Post by **smala** » 13 Dec 2009, 04:19

Off the CM scene...who can forget Geet Dutt , the forgotten nightingale, or her several masterpieces that had you either crying, or feeling sad....if you've been there, done that.....waqt ne kiya...will give you goosebumps..

.".....When she sang "Thandi Hawaa Kaali Ghata" you can feel the cool breeze of an overcast day. When she sang "Koi Door Se Awaaz De" you can sense the feelings of a hauntingly disturbed soul celebrating the resplendence of life on one side and yet lamenting setbacks on the other. As critic Subhash K. Jha puts it aptly "Geeta Dutt's voice conveys the sweetness of honey and the pain of the bee sting." .................

".....During the romance and early years of her marriage she sang some of her best songs for pictures involved with Guru Dutt in one capacity or another. Some of the most beautiful romantic songs Geeta ji sang were during these days and they were spilled and richly splashed with her youthfully exuberant voice. On one side she sings "Babu Ji Dheere Chalna" and the next moment she scolds her lover by singing "Jaa Jaa Bewafaa". Next she entices her lover with the song "Hoon Abhi Main Jawaan". When he is crossed with her she begs by singing "Yeh Lo Main Haari Piya". This whole gamut of romantic spectrum emotional rainbow was never repeated with such vibrant verve of vocals and velvety velocity of spells of splendor by anyone else before or after Geeta Ji........"

http://www.geetadutt.com/professional.html

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 13 Dec 2009, 04:37

I like How Goosebump song became Goosebump musician to so many...Rahman! I somehow cringe everytime I hear Jaiho...ugh!

For me, MLV's Muralidhara is always an automatic goosebump song.....Bhairavi is my goosebump ragam....Balamurali's is my goosebump voice, the neerajakshi he sings in 1978 MA is an ethereal benchmark voice.....Semmangudi Thatha's marubalka is a goosebump renedition...RTPs my goosebump moment in a kutchery....narayanaswamy's neraval in punniyam oru koti....any of MS's prayers are my goosebump shlokams...

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 13 Dec 2009, 04:58

Any day, any one, it does not matter the singer is just a mere child ( not that it is an appropriate song for a child) I stop every thing and listen with intent. Every thing around me comes to a complete halt. When I am accompanying some one on violin and this song starts, I have even stopped playing...

St. Thiagaraja's "Eti Janmamu" in Varali..

I would love to get my hands on this song played by Sri MSG, Sri Lalgudi and Sri TNK

Nageswaran Sri, are you hearing me?

Regards

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 13 Dec 2009, 07:22

Ayyane vaa,appane vaa, hariharasudhane, rathna jaditha sinhasane ,both by TNS, ;SARASERUHASANA PRIYE' in nattaiby the legendary Karaikudy Sambasiva Iyer ,tiruvadu charanan bty Musiri are some of my favourites. and to conclude every song by by TNS .
film music . Chhota sa balma, chain ko hum ko kabi both by Asha, phir miloge kabi is raat ko wada by Rafi and Asha' , many of OPNAYYAR'S SONGS, Let me end with 'Shukriya, shukriya by TALAT MOHD. GOBILALITHA

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 13 Dec 2009, 08:21

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 13 Dec 2009, 08:23

cmlover wrote:srinivasrgvn

You have forgotten arasi's
malaiyAy nambinEn in Saama....
your daily dose!

Well, I don't know about 'vEnkatavA' but there is one song in the album which is definitely a goosebump song, which is 'unnai ninaindhE innisai pAdi ennAlum irundhidhalAmO?' in punnAgavarAli.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 13 Dec 2009, 22:49

Gayathri Girish singing Bharathi's songs... Saagaa varam, Chandiran Oliyil, Vellai thaamarai...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 14 Dec 2009, 02:05

My skin has been roughened with 'goose bumps' over the years. The original goose bump was MMI's Thaaye yashoda followed by Manakkal's unfogettable one eons ago!
Most recently it is DRS's magnificent 'KaLLa nArI..' in nArI ritigauLai sung eloquently by maruthi prasad. I can't yet get it off my head...

CRama · Post by **CRama** » 14 Dec 2009, 11:43

srinivasrgvn wrote: Yes, I completely agree. I regularly get goosebumps nowadays, even before the RTP alapana is started! Not due to emotional or musical elevation but due to fear. What if another of your favorite artistes sings behAg RTP or gujjari RTP?

I have been longing to hear Behag RTP from my favourite artist- TNS. But I cannot enjoy it from everybody. According to me, the raga alapana should be given considerable importance while rendering RTPs. A 3 minute alapana is a no no for me. The other day Gurucharan sang Varamu for 3 minutes for the RTP.It was not because of lack of time. But it has become the in thing nowand people applaud such efforts also.

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 15 Dec 2009, 01:48

Mine is a Dehi Tavapada Bhaktim (Sahana, Tyagaraja) sung by KJY sometime in the 70s. It was the very essence of Sahana and I haven't heard a better one yet.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 15 Dec 2009, 02:02

srkris
Here you have your goosebump

http://surasa.net/music/tyagaraja-archi ... ehitava.rm

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 15 Dec 2009, 02:11

CML that's the one, thanks. But I don't know the voice sounds like a bit older than what I heard. Maybe I heard a better version.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 15 Dec 2009, 02:56

Excellent Sahana there by KJY. Ever so tantalizingly he goes close to Dwijavanthi in a few places and gets back to the core of sahana without going any further.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 15 Dec 2009, 03:22

I agree KJY sounds older here. His 70's would be the one when he was with Chembai. I personally know Chembai was a great teacher.

smala · Post by **smala** » 15 Dec 2009, 10:19

Jnaana Mudalvane Vinayakane -- seerkazhi govindarajan

rajesh_rs · Post by **rajesh_rs** » 15 Dec 2009, 14:09

It would have to be Tulasidala Mulace in Mayamalavagowla by Thyagaraja. Matangi Marakatangi Maheshwari Uma in Revati is another one of the "goosebumps" songs.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 15 Dec 2009, 16:10

jambUpatE. The line 'sarva jIva dayAkara shambhO' especially...

narayan · Post by **narayan** » 15 Dec 2009, 17:48

Enna_Solven wrote:
narayan wrote:Ososi - Mukhari - Brinda Mukta
[I have no idea what the thing means, and the beginning word sounds like the name of a little known African group of people, but I try not to breathe when listening to it, lest I miss something]
Here is the meaning:
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... yyene.html

Thanks! I guess goosebumps (or goosepimples?) are purely instinctive things without knowing what anything "means". Many people have listed songs they like very much or listen to a lot. That's different. I don't want to listen to this song too often, for example, as it is quite uncomfortable (I try not to breathe, etc. etc.)

Music · Post by **Music** » 15 Dec 2009, 23:01

There is TNS' rendition of Soundara Rajam that always gave me gooesebumps. It is a feeling that I find hard to describe, but the song & the rendition were just so good. The weird thing is - somehow after I got addicted to it and listened to it a zillion times, I still love it, but doesn't give me goosebumps anymore. Some other song took the spot. My current goosebump song is - perfectly uttered rishabham or gandharam or daivatam in any any slow/relaxed rendition of the raga Mohanam....doesn't matter whether it is a kriti or a shloka or an alapana. The note has to just blend in very well with the tambura and be heard with the perfect frequency.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 16 Dec 2009, 06:48

I had to think hard about this one. Just like narayan, I too do not listen to my goosebump song[s] regularly, but I avoid them to preserve their impact on me.

SSI-LGJ-Sankaran - cEta shrI (with swaras). SSI singing the line "nava campaka..." always gives me goosebumps, as does the moment when he sings the tara dhaivatham in the climax of the kalpanaswaras in that piece.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 16 Dec 2009, 08:45

It may be a bit silly to bring this up among these great CM songs and performances, but occasionally a specific voice causes something like a goosebump reaction. It does not necessarily have to be in one's top 10 or top 20.

Recently, I came across this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMacLF4RnTo . It is a great CM based film song and sung very well originally by Vani Jayaram. This singer may or may not match the quality of VJ but her voice timbre has a dimension which caused sort of a similar reaction the first time. ( not quite sure if that can be described as goosebump ).

musicfan_4201 · Post by **musicfan_4201** » 16 Dec 2009, 11:01

ranganayakam by DKP/DKJ
enna kavi pAdinalum by Madurai Somu
sankaracharyam by Voleti
nAnati Brothuku by Nedunuri
rama nee samana by Nedunuri

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 16 Dec 2009, 12:06

When I close my eyes and listen to the lines "Sri Rama Rama Rameti, Rame Rame Manorame, Sahasranama Tattulyam, Rama Nama Varanane" (Vishnu Sahasranama), I not only experience the goose bumps but I am also elevated spiritually to a higher plain altogether.

CRama · Post by **CRama** » 16 Dec 2009, 12:30

Excuse me for a slight deviation. But I wanted to share my expereice with the forum friends. Two records of the great MSS- one Radhamadhavam- is one full LP -verses in Malayalam by Swami Atmananda rendered excellently in the choicest ragas like Saveri, Kedaragowla, Mukhari, Subhapanthuvarali, Revathi eic (11 ragas). The rendering and the meanig of the slokas are so touching that I have heard thousands of times. About 10-12 years back, daily I will hear that before going to bed. The music is simply haunting. But you will enjoy it only if you can understand Malayalam. Second the Melaragamalika also by MSS. Ten years back, I used to think, that when I buy a car, daily I will hear this song. Even now I am not tired of hearing the song.
Another song-Ithani naal aana pinnum - a song by Kalki recorded by MSS after the death of Gandhiji. The lyrics are so touchnig and very emotionally rendered by MSS that tears will come from my eyes whenever I hear the song.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 16 Dec 2009, 13:57

vasanthakokilam wrote: Recently, I came across this link ).

you may like this too!

http://charulathamani.blogspot.com/2009 ... un-tv.html

( not quite sure if that can be described as goosebump ).

Yeah... may not technically qualify as one

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 16 Dec 2009, 20:10

Goosebump... Sanjay's Kamboji last year in MA, TMKs neraval of O rangasayee, varamulosakhi (N,S), MMIs
enduku pedhala neraval with chowdaiah, Mathrubootham song (anybody, anytime), gowri manohari renditions,
Todi krithis like koluvamaragada, kaddanu (MMI , Vijay siva, DKP), SEmmankudi Bairavi RTP neraval & Sree venkata girisam, Maharajapuram
sankarabaranam alapana and Boo samboo, Mandolin U srinivas & Rajesh duet swara prastharam, Petra thayum MSS rendition,
MLV mathyamavathi alpana...

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 16 Dec 2009, 20:12

Even DKP's jaganmohini RTP!

mridangamkid · Post by **mridangamkid** » 17 Dec 2009, 03:35

Manavyalakim by Mali sir. Specifically during his Bombay concert. Something about gives me chills every time I hear it.

Radhika-Rajnarayan · Post by **Radhika-Rajnarayan** » 17 Dec 2009, 09:50

'Mai Hari charanan kee daasi' - by the angel of music M S Subbalakshmi, ( and most of the others in 'Meera') and 'Bhavaani Dayaani' -Begum Parveen Sultana.
'Geethardhamu' by Emani Sankara Sastri (almost any ragam by Emani

)
'Krishna nee begane' by T Vishwanathan
'Kandu Dhanyanaade' by KVN
Sahana ragam (actually, any ragam) by Mali
'Mohanakara Muthukumara' by S Balachander

sridevi · Post by **sridevi** » 17 Dec 2009, 10:08

enta muddo in BindumAlini - Not sure whose rendition I heard this but has captured my heart ever since that first time.
O RangaShaayi with those complex sangathis - MSS
nannu brovu Lalita - Mysore Nagamani Srinath
eti Janmamidhi - An absolute favorite - ( time to listen to it again

Sridevi

vanajan · Post by **vanajan** » 17 Dec 2009, 22:08

There are no goosebump songs for me, but finitely many goosebump moments. Sometimes it could be just one note or just a phrase/line or the way violin/mridangam/kanjira/gatam accompanies that particular moment or the pause(silence) at that moment.

Random three:

1. Brindamma's ososi, the way "na" in namadi is sung in second sangathi.
2. The moment/way PSN mama starts "Rama Neeyada" after a soulful Karaharapriya alapana by Shri.VVS in a
PSN-VVS-UKS concert.
3. The line "Akanda Sachidhanandam" in chintayamam as sung by Brindamma in Carnatica's CD.
This CD has very many such moments for me and it also (re)defined our Cleveland-2007 experience.

Vanaja

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 17 Dec 2009, 22:45

Momentary goosebumps....

1) "Kanrin kuralaik kettu kanindu varum pasu pol" - Mukhari. Starting at the higher sthayi, especially by a person singing with high sruthi, even better by a female duo. Last experience was with the Ranjani Gayathri album.

2) nI daya rAdha - Vasantha Bhairavi - not quite the regular goosebumpish feel but close, there is some inexplicable connection for me to this song as sung by NCV.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 17 Dec 2009, 23:19

VK
You should hear Musiri's rendering of "Kanrin kuralaik kettu kanindu varum pasu pol" which is immortalized in vinyl... Intead of goosebumps it will bring tears in your eyes!

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 18 Dec 2009, 00:00

Thanks CML. I will try to find it and listen.

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 18 Dec 2009, 23:27

Momentary goosebumps - mostly MDR

1) The way MDR sings 'Mandamarutopi', the starting word of the Kamboji charanam in Pannagendrashayana, the first time.
2) The way he sings jaya kandarpasundarAnga for the first time in Jaya Jaya Padmanabha (Manirangu)
3) The first time he sings 'Anandakara' in nirupamanAdakara in Balagopala
4) A particular response by Lalgudi in MMI's Music Academy concert when he responds to MMI's Thaye Yashodha neraval
5) In the same concert, Lalgudi's response to the first tanam round in RTP Kamboji. He produces what at that time felt to me and my brother like the sound of a train's horn?

When I ran my first marathon earlier this year, I had put my ipod on shuffle and the first song that played when I started running with scores of people around me was Somu's Suddha Dhanyasi varnam Ninnu nammi. I did get goosebumps all over and ever since whenever I listen to the starting phrase, I'm reminded of that experience.

I'll try to come up with clippings of these moments.

smala · Post by **smala** » 24 Dec 2009, 05:06

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6ryE5lxjno&NR=1

KILLER stuff ! - the strains AND the voice/singing. If this didn't get your goosebumps...!

isramesh · Post by **isramesh** » 24 Dec 2009, 10:04

Sri rangapura vihara by MSS
Nanati bratuku & Deenuda nenu devudavu neevu by MSS / Nedunuri
Many BMKs & Voleti's renditions
Emani Sankara Sastry's ragams (any)
Chittibabu's Bantureethi

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 25 Dec 2009, 21:13

bilahari wrote:I had to think hard about this one. Just like narayan, I too do not listen to my goosebump song[s] regularly, but I avoid them to preserve their impact on me.

SSI-LGJ-Sankaran - cEta shrI (with swaras). SSI singing the line "nava campaka..." always gives me goosebumps, as does the moment when he sings the tara dhaivatham in the climax of the kalpanaswaras in that piece.

This song (osOsi) had such an impact on me that I spent countless hours trying to get the lyrics/meaning till I found rasikas. In general I find Mukhari impacts me hard.

bilahari, do you have the link for the SSI cEtah (if it is not commercial)?