There is just no comparison. Contemporary Bollywood music might be peppy and all fancy but it is nowhere close to what we had decades ago. We might have better technology today, but they had more substance and meaning. And don’t even get us started on the remixes. We had barely gotten over ‘Humma Humma’ when they killed us with the remix of ‘Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast’. 

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The nightingale of India Lata Mangeshkar in a recent interview spoke about how songs today are lacking soul. Speaking in an interview she said, “I think playback singing has a lot to do with voice acting. I would suggest to all the youngsters to understand the character, situation and the story behind the songs. That is when you can add soul to the rendition which, I think, is missing in today’s music.” 

She goes on to say that “perhaps that is why people still love to listen to retro songs, and new songs are going out of listeners’ memory faster”. 

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We couldn’t agree more. The Bharat Ratna awardee who has given us some of the most melodious Bollywood numbers like ‘Lag Ja Gale’ or ‘Bahoon Mein Chale Aa” is right when she says, “As a singer, you have to bring the soul to the song.” 

With mediocre remixes cropping up every day, seems like Bollywood has stopped making good original music that has the power to move. We are waiting for the time when a song as passionate as ‘Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Na Karo” is made again. Till then we will keep our old playlists by our side. 

What’s your favourite song from the yesteryears? Tell us in the comments below!