Preserves for perfection - Sollayo Solai Kili

Preserves for perfection

“Sollaiyo Solaikili” from “Alli Arjuna”

ARR never used SPB for every songs like other composers, and he always preserves SPB for perfect numbers. Notwithstanding, SPB is the singer who sang the maximum number of songs (149 songs) for ARR, he always called by ARR for the perfect numbers, which can’t simply possible with others who doing gimmicks like swara aalaphana, which is jargon for amateur music lovers like me. And ARR always uses SPB for the songs, which are remade from Bollywood and rendered by Udit Naryanan, who holds the record of singing in many regional languages. There are many hit songs by SPB, which are originally sung by Udit, starting from “Taal” songs for which Udit bagged state award to the recent hit “Ye Tara” from spirited SRK’s Swedhesh for which Udit bestowed with the national award. Eventhough both SPB and Udit got different singing styles, they are known for their hard work and importantly for the perfection. I love to lend my ears for both the versions from these legendary singers, but this particular song “Sollaiyo Solaikili” from “Alli Arjuna” (“Sunthahai mera kudha” from Pukar) is the top of all other songs, which rendered by SPB with Swarnalatha inTamizh.



If you notice keenly the duet songs of SPB for ARR, there will a humming from the female voices, and SPB usually takes the songs very steadily, and joins the female voice very effectively, hence in this song too. What I love with SPB is that even though he sings with full swing, never misses the sruthi and in this song too, listen to the lines “Indha Oomai naadagham Mundindhadheeeeeee”, Spectacular, suffice word to extol.

Swarnalatha, a singer holds the unique record of singing with SPB under all the popular composers like MSV, Raaja, ARR, Harish Jeyaraj, Deva, Vidhyasagar, Manisharma, Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar, and neither Janaki, Sushila nor Chitra done this. Especially ARR’s uses this vintage pair for delivering diverse emotions, in the “maaya machindra”, you will feel the impish love, in the “Endan Vaanil”, a love pathos, and my all-time favorite “Kaadhelenum”, one will feel the melodious mood and love environment. In this song also, one will feel the heaven in the earth, and both SPB and Swarna voices are in vibrant form.

Swarna leads the way in the charanam, but SPB never let the female singers to dominate in the duet songs, and he pushes Swarna to the back with his usual weapon of laughing in the lines “Vetkkam unnai Kattikoduka”, listen the smile keenly, you can visualize the smug of SPB over Swarna, but anyway Swarna competes SPB very well, like her predecessors PS, SJ and KSC.


Once ARR expressed that he uses singers to sing for his music, but SPB makes music to sing, may be ARR uttered this after recording this song “Sollaiyo” from “Alli Arjuna”, here even Music itself melts in SPB’s soothing voice, and forgot to tell my Mom loves Swarnalatha’s voice always.

-S.Balasubramanian
www.prodigyhub.org