It was eight in the evening. After quite a tyrannical sequence of examinations, I was lying on the sofa, enjoying a Zee MGM special screening of'The Sound Of Music'. The movie reminds me of Gulzar's'Parichay'*ing Jeentendra and Pran. One of the most remarkable songs in the movie, '?Saare Ke Saare Gaa Ma Ko Lekar Gaate Chale' is about the building blocks of music melodies.
How are humans different from animals.? Not only can we smile, but we also have the amazing ability to distinguish between the seven musical notes.BOOM!
Boom.Boom.Boom!
Next thing I know, my fifteen-year-old cousin was on the top of my chest, his eyes popping with excitement, and said, 'Did you listen to that? That's the latest party album by the Vengaboys! Ain' it just cool?'
'YOU BOOMING BUFFOON! Bomb blasts aren?t supposed to be cool! Am I not entitled to a few minutes of peace? Especially when I am planning what to write on mouthshut.com?'
I was quite sure my cousin could make neither head nor tail of this question. Anyways, long and short of that was:
Music, like every other art, has some well-defined boundaries. Music may not have a formal definition, but nevertheless, there exists a limit to it that makes it the most pleasant thing in the world, apart from silence. A musician has to travel within the bounds of such limits in order to maintain the beauty of his music.
Nowadays, with the market flooding with vulgar music videos and remixes, it is quite difficult to find artists who truly are artists in the real sense and not copycats. Such artists are people who recognize music like they do themselves, people who rely on creativity rather than resorting to copying.
I don't quite recall whether or not I have met the Backstreet Boys, but I got acquainted with them a couple of years ago in a department store. One of their famous songs(It's Gotta Be You?) was being played in the store. I asked the cashier about the song. He raised his eyebrows to the heavens, as if to say, 'You don't recognize that song? Are you nuts?'(I guess he should have a look at this article!)
I gave them an ear, and truly, I guess they are easily the best pop group after The Beatles.
Here are my favourites:
- Everybody
(*Everybody yeah, rock your body yeah,
rock your body right, Backstreet's back, alright!)
This one sent the audience screaming. Listen to this song for it's vocals, drums, and guitars. This is much similar to Larger Than Life from the Millennium.
- As Long As You Love Me
(*I don't care who you are, where you're from,
what you did, as long as you love me.)
Nick Carter and Howard Dorough stole the show at Oprah Winfrey's talk show where the Boys were performing this song. Again cool vocals. This one is one of the greatest love songs I've heard.
- Back To Your Heart
(*It's not that I can live without you, it's just that I don?t even wanna try,
Every night I dream about you, ever since the day we said goodbye
If I wasnt such a fool, right now I'd be holding you
There's nothing I wouldn't do, baby if I only knew,
The words to say, the road to take, to find the way back to your heart.)
The only English song with better lyrics is George Michael's?Jesus To A Child. Hats off to Dennis Gallo from the Backstreet Band on excellent work with guitars and keys.
- Show Me The Meaning
(Show me the meaning of being lonely. Is this the feeling I need to walk with?
Tell me why I can't be there where you are?There's something missing in my heart.)
That was Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell on the vocals and Billy Chapin and Louie Vigilante on the bass and guitars. This one is was a smash hit from the MILLENNIUM album.
- Don't Want You Back
(Don't want you back, coz you're no good to me, I know
That's all I can say, don't want you back, forgive my honesty but you gotta go)
That's the western version of'Patthar Ke Sanam'. I like this song, but I keep praying to god that I don't have to sing it for anyone! This one is famous for the sax, percussion and keys by Paul Howards.
It's not as if the Backstreet Boys are famous only for their songs. They are amongst some of the most posh celebrities. If you happen to have a look at their music videos, just look at their art direction, photography and clothing.
Returning to the remark I made in the beginning, 'A musician has to travel within the bounds of music in order to maintain the beauty of it.' When it comes to music, originality is the key.
In this case, The Backstreet Boys won't disappoint you.
