One
When a melody is copied, it becomes an ‘other’ tune. Sometimes the copied tune becomes so famous that the original melody disappears behind everything else. Many popular tunes that are exact copies from other melodies have won awards many, many times. Genius or talented composers have given such ‘rebirths to songs’ by changing the tune slightly, or keeping it completely unchanged! Many unpopular, unknown songs—ones that nobody would ever bother to track down—their melodies end up playing in our hearts or on our lips wearing the mask of other songs. Especially, many renowned composers have done such work by lifting melodies from songs in various foreign languages, becoming tremendously famous and reaching the pinnacle of popularity at different times. This piece is about some such songs. I’m placing the song created by copying the melody and the song with the original melody side by side. For the convenience of my readers in finding them, I’m using exactly the same phrases unchanged in this writing that you can copy-paste to find both songs on YouTube.
In my writing, I’ll use ‘Copy’ to mean ‘copied music’ and ‘Orig’ to mean ‘original music’.
Pritam is one of India’s finest music directors. He has many ‘hit songs’ that we’ve heard countless times. It doesn’t even occur to us that the melodies of these songs have been very cleverly ‘stolen.’ Of course, Anu Malik calls this phenomenon ‘composing songs inspired by other songs.’ But there’s surely a difference between being inspired and creating something yourself versus passing off someone else’s creation as your own—in simple Bengali, between stealing!
Let’s look at some of Pritam’s ‘immortal thefts’:
One.
Copy…..Aashiyan – Barfi! Orig…..Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass – Salud, Amor Y Dinero
Two.
Copy…..Lamha Lamha – Gangster Orig…..Kal Shab Dekah Mein Nay Jarokay – Waris Baig
Three.
Copy…..Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai – Gangster Orig…..Sacral Nirvana – Oliver Shanti & Friends
Four.
Copy…..Ya Ali” – Gangster Orig…..Ya Ghali” – Guitara (I mean, if nothing else, Pritam-da could have at least changed the song title to something different!)
Five.
Copy…..Dhoom Machale – Dhoom Orig….. Mario Takes a Walk – Jesse Cook (the beginning of the music is copied from here) Enta Ma Oltesh Leih – Amr Diab (the rest is from here)
Six.
Copy…..Haan Tu Hai – Jannat Orig…..Ana Ayesh – Amr Diab
Seven.
Copy…..Bheegi Bheegi – Gangster Orig…..Mohiner Ghoraguli -Prithibita Naki Choto Hote Hote
Eight.
Copy…..Jaane Kya Chahe Mann – Pyaar Ke Side Effects Orig…..Mahi – Hadiqa Kiyani
Nine.
Copy…..Jaane Kaise – Raqeeb Orig…..Allem Alby – Amr Diab
Ten.
Copy…..Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai – Woh Lamhe Orig…..Tak Bisakah – Peterpan (Peterpan is an Indonesian band. How many of us even listen to their songs? If you steal from their songs, who has the ability to catch you?)
Eleven.
Copy….. Zara Zara Touch Me – Race Orig….. Zhu Lin Shen Chu – Leehom Wang
Twelve.
Copied….. Pehli
Nazar Mein – Race Original….. Sarang Hae Yo – Kim Hyung Sup
Thirteen.
Copied….. Badtameez
Dil – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Original….. Ranjana Ami Aar Asbo Na – Anjan Dutt
Fourteen.
Copied….. Hare
Krishna Hare Ram – Bhool Bhulaiya Original….. My Lecon – JTL
Fifteen.
Copied…… Yeh
Ishq Hai – Jab We Met Original….. Etra Una Femme – Anggun
Sixteen.
Copied….. Halka
Halka – Chocolate Original….. Breeze from Saintes Maries – Jesse Cook (Perhaps Pritam sir absolutely loves Mr. Cook!)
Seventeen.
Copied….. Bheega
Bheega Sa – Chocolate Original….. December – Abrar Ul Haq (This time he’s given it to us complete with lyrics!)
Eighteen.
Copied….. Zehreeli
Raatein – Chocolate Original….. Aadat – Atif Aslam (The original song is more popular among listeners!)
Nineteen.
Copied….. Shikdum
– Dhoom Original…..
Sikidum –
Tarkan (If someone
searches by the name and catches on! Didn’t this occur to them?)
Twenty.
Copied….. Ada –
Garam Masala Original…..
Ana – Amr Diab
(Amr Diab
again!)
Twenty-one.
Copied….. In
Dino – Life in a Metro Original….. Mere Naam Hai Mohabbat – Waqar Ali (In Dino is one of my favorite songs. That is, I ended up liking the original too after listening to it later!)
Twenty-two.
Copied….. Baatein
Kuch Ankahee Si – Life in a Metro Original….. OST Sam Soon- Ah Reum da oon sa ram (Many thanks to Kim Sam Soon. Because of her, we got such a wonderful Hindi song!)
One thing. Pritam has actually bought the rights to several of the original songs above. That means he’s used others’ tunes in his songs through legal processes.
Now let’s take a tour of the home of Bollywood music’s plagiarism guru, Anu Malik. When it comes to copying tunes, Anu Malik is Pritam’s biggest rival. If Anu Malik weren’t around, we could easily place Pritam on the guru’s throne in the field of plagiarism in the Bollywood music industry! I mean, Anu Malik once complained that Pritam had apparently copied a tune from one of his songs! Anyway, let’s see where the tunes for some of Anu Malik’s famous songs have floated in from.
One.
Copied…..Kaho Na
Kaho – Murder Original…..Tamaly Maak – Amr Diab (Ah! Poor Amr Diab has become so beloved by Bollywood!)
Two.
Copied…..Neend
Churayee Meri – Ishq Original…..Sending All My Love – Linear (Readers, do listen to the original song, won’t you? Wonderful music! It really makes you want to dance!)
Three.
Copied…..Raja Ko
Rani Se – Akele Hum Akele Tum Original…..The Love Theme – Godfather – Nino Rota (Both the copy and the original are famous! Thanks to Anu Malik! Hahahaha…….)
Four.
Copy…..Dil
Mera Churaya Kyon – Akele Hum Akele Tum Original…..Last Christmas – Wham! (I’m amazed by Anu Malik’s audacity!
The English song is quite famous!)
Five.
Copy…..Aisa
Milan Kal Ho Na Ho – Hameshaa Original…..The Phantom of the Opera – Andrew Lloyd Webber
Six.
No one other than Anu Malik should hold the record for copying twice from the same song.
If you don’t believe it, you can check for yourself! Copy…..Dil Le Le Lena – Auzaar Copy…..Dil Maka Dina – Dhaal Original…..Macarena – Los Del Rio
Seven.
Copy…..Aisa
Zakhm Diya Hai – Akele Hum Akele Tum Original…..Child In Time – Deep Purple (Listen to the original music! So
cute! I mean,
it’s no less than the tune of Akele Hum Akele Tum!)
Eight.
Copy….. Bheegey
Hont Tere – Murder Original….. Menu Tere Naal – Najam Sheraz (There’s something special in the original song!
It awakens the body somehow!)
Nine.
Copy….. Jaane
Jaana – Murder Original….. Firiye Dao – Miles (Just a petty attempt to gain popularity by copying Miles!)
Ten.
Copy….. Tu
Waaqif Nahin – Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi Original….. Fernando – ABBA
Eleven.
Copy….. Yeh
Kaali Kaali Ankhen – Baazigar Original….. Because of You – The Cover Girls (The opening part of this song has been
copied perfectly.) Original…..The Man who plays the Mandolino – Dean Martin (If you listen to the song you’ll understand that Anu Malik ‘composed’ his song after listening to this one.)
Twelve.
Copy….. Is
Tarah Aashiqui Ka – Imtihaan Original….. Autumn Leaves – Nat King Cole (I mean, what I was saying is, the original song is from 1957, so it can be said that among Bollywood’s ‘music creators’, Anu Malik still holds the record for stealing music from the oldest song!)
Thirteen.
Copy….. Jaane
Mujhe Kya Hua (Baazi) Original….. Fur Elise (Beethoven) (Even Beethoven won’t be spared!)
Fourteen.
Copy….. Paagalpan
Chha Gaya (Jaanam) Original…. And I Love Her (Beatles) (Listen to both songs. Notice how wonderfully Anu Malik has fused the original music! Isn’t it fun?)
Fifteen.
Copy….. Teri
Chaahat Ke Siva (Jaanam) Copy….. Taarein Hain Baaraati (Virasat) Original….. Simon & Garfunkel : El Condor Pasa (1970) (El
Condor Pasa is one of the most beautiful tunes I’ve ever heard. Those interested can listen to the original music and also get lost for a while in Leo Rojas’s flute rendition. I promise, the tune won’t disappoint you. I can’t resist giving another recommendation. Listen to Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence along with this. You’ll truly be mesmerized! El Condor Pasa has been delighting music lovers for ages. Anu Malik is a connoisseur of music. It would be foolish to think he wouldn’t incorporate such a tune into his songs. Naturally, he has incorporated it, not in one song, but in two!)
Sixteen.
Copy….. Sun
Sun Barsaat Ki Dhun (Sir) Original….. Jose Feliciano – Rain (Rain is one of the most beautiful songs about rain. Anu Malik’s taste is indeed of high caliber, one must admit.)
Seventeen.
Copy….. Ek
Sharaarat Hone Ko Hai (Duplicate) Original…..Slip And Slide (Laura Allen) (Though Anu Malik copied the tune of Ladna Jhagadna from the movie Duplicate directly from A-Tisket A-Tasket (Children’s song), one can assume that for Ek Sharaarat Hone Ko Hai, he was only inspired by hearing the same la lai lai portion from A-Tisket A-Tasket!)
Eighteen.
Copy….. Love
Hua (Jaanam Samjha Karo) Original….. Brotherhood Of Man – Angelo (As Malik said, knowing the original from the fake, I loved the fake.)
Nineteen.
Copy….. Yeh kaali
kaali aankhen [Film: Baazigar] Original….. Dean Martin – The Man Who Plays the Mandolino (It wasn’t just Anu Malik who copied Dean Martin’s tune—Snehal Bhatkar did too. Listen to Lahron pe lahar from the 1960 film Chhabili in Hemant’s voice. It’s an exact copy-paste tune!)
Twenty.
Copy….. Hai
mera dil [Film: Josh] Original….. Gipsy Kings – Djobi Djoba (the opening is taken from here) Original….. Brian Hyland – Sealed with a
Kiss (you’ll find the tune for much of the middle portion here!)
Twenty-one.
Copy…..Title
song [Film: Soldier] Original….. Modern Talking – Cheri Cheri Lady (This is a very famous Modern Talking song! You have to say Anu Malik has nerve!)
Twenty-two.
Have you heard Agar tum mil
jao (Zeher)? Now listen to Agar Tum Mil Jao –
Tassawar Khanum. What do you think?
Twenty-three.
Copy….. Dil ko
hazaar baar [Film: Murder (2004) Original….. Mazal Tov! – The Jewish Wedding Song
There are some other music directors in this group as well. Let’s take a look at their ‘creations’ too.
One.
Copy….. Haan
Haan Yeh Pyaar Hai (Dillagi) Original….. Can’t Take My Eyes off You – Frankie Valli and The 4
Seasons (Not a note out of place in the tune! Jatin-Lalit are in this group too!)
Two.
Copy….. Tumne
Jo Kaha (Laawaris) Original….. Barbie Girl (Aqua) (Someone copying from such a popular song! Of course, I don’t know whether Rajesh Roshan admitted to this or not.)
Three.
Copy….. Koi
Nahin Tere Jaisa (Keemat) Original….. Cotton Eye Joe (Rednex) (Rajeshji strikes (please read, copies) again!)
Four.
Copy….. Tumhe
Kaise Main Bataoon (Dastak) Original….. The Windmills Of Your Mind (The Thomas Crown Affair) (Don’t feel like giving the same side note repeatedly!)
Five.
Copy….. Rajkumar
– Payal Meri Jadu Jagati Hai Original…… Faith (George Michael) (Laxmikant-Pyarelal, you didn’t ruin the tune by copying it!)
Six.
Copy…..Na Tum
Bolo (Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge) Original….. A Whole New World (Aladdin) (Listening to both pieces of music, it seems Jatin-Lalit made the original tune even more melodious!)
Seven.
Copy…..Jab Koi
Baat Bigad Jaaye (Jurm) Original…..Five Hundred Miles (Peter, Paul, & Mary) (Stealing from such a famous song’s melody is rather foolish, but I loved the Hindi song so much that I couldn’t stay angry at Rajesh Roshan for this bit of foolishness!)
Eight.
Copy…..Itna Na
Mujhse Tu Pyar Badha(Chhaya) Original…..Symphony No. 40 (Mozart) (Salil Chowdhury did very well taking inspiration from Mozart. Without it, where would we have gotten such a heart-touching Hindi song?)
Nine.
Copy…… Tum
Kya Jaano (Aashiq) Original…..Theme from The Godfather (Anyone can easily catch this—Sanjeev-Darshan took the tune from The Godfather movie theme. However, the quality of the adapted work is undoubtedly good!)
Ten.
Copy…..Suno
Zara (Bada Din) Original…..You Needed Me (Anne Murray) (Jatin-Lalit’s copying style is amazing! They remain faithful to the original melody from beginning to end, showing such loyalty!)
Eleven.
Copy…..Yeh
Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke (Old) Original…..The Breeze And I (Al Stillman and Ernesto Lecuona) (Back in 1963, could Asha Bhosle have imagined that the tune she was singing, assuming it belonged to music director Ravi, actually belonged to someone else?)
Twelve.
Copy……Ae Dil
Hai Mushkil (C.I.D.) Original…..Oh My Darling Clementine (O.P. Nayyar saheb copied in 1956 from a 1946 movie. The style of copying is quite amusing when you notice it!)
Thirteen.
Copy…..Chim
Chimni (Ghoonghat) Original…..Chim Chimney (Mary Poppins) (Anand Raaj Anand could have avoided such brutal treatment of the original tune! Imitating an extraordinary children’s singer like Mary Poppins isn’t easy, it seems!)
Fourteen.
Copy….. Mere
Rang Mein (Maine Pyar Kiya) Original….. The Final Countdown (Europe) (Both are my favorites. Thanks to Ram-Laxman for copying.)
Fifteen.
Copy….. Aate
Jaate (Maine Pyar Kiya) Original….. I Just Called To Say I Love You (Stevie Wonder)(Ram-Laxman must have decided beforehand to bring some of the world’s masterpiece songs’ music into the Maine Pyar Kiya movie without a second thought! Brilliant!)
Sixteen.
Copy….. Khullam
Khulla Pyaar Karen (Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen) Original….. Bailamos (Enrique Iglesias)
(Anand-Milind couldn’t create another famous song like Bailamos using Bailamos’s tune.)
Seventeen.
Copy….. Chura
Liya Hai Tumne (Yaadon Ki Baraat) Original….. If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Belgium (Walter Scharf) (Dear readers, before attacking me for discussing R.D. Burman’s songs, please listen to the original music at least once. That song’s beauty is no less remarkable, believe me!)
Eighteen.
Copy….. Jeena
Pyaar Se Jeena (Yeh Tera Ghar Yeh Mera Ghar)Original….. Nina Pretty Ballerina (ABBA)
(No changes whatsoever—Anand-Milind copied the tune completely straight! It seems many in Bollywood have become ABBA devotees!)
Nineteen.
Copy….. Mujhe
Neend Na Aaye (Dil) Original….. Chunni Ud Ud Jaaye (Alaap – UK band) (Channi
Singh, founder, director, producer, and lead vocalist of the Alaap band, is called the godfather of Bhangra music in the Western world. His song Chunni Ud Ud Jaaye was hugely popular in the UK. The Bollywood music legends Anand-Milind brilliantly appropriated the tune of this song without any permission!)
Twenty.
Copy….. Koi
Yahan Naache Naache (Disco Dancer) Original….. Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles) (Bappi Lahiri created his popular song using a portion of the world-famous Video Killed The Radio Star!)
Twenty-one.
Copy….. Day By
Day (Godspell) Original….. Day By Day (Godspell) (Once again, Jatin-Lalit!)
Twenty-two.
Copy….. Jaana
Suno Hum (Khamoshi) Original….. Bring The Wine (Paul Anka) (Jatin-Lalit worked very carefully on this one. Listen to both songs. It’s a perfect copy. You won’t find a single mistake!)
Twenty-three.
Copy…..Koi Mil
Gaya (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) Original…..Take That Look Off Your Face (Song And Dance) (Jatin-Lalit weren’t behind in the game of taking parts of other melodies and making them their own either.)
Twenty-four.
Copy…..Yunhi
Kat Jaayega (Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke) Original…..Lovely Lady Of Arcadia (Demis Roussos) (Enter the gentlemen—Nadeem-Shravan!)
Twenty-five.
Copy…..O Mere
Sapnon Ka (Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin) Original…..Bachelor Boy (Cliff Richard) (The trend continues……though yes, the Hindi song does sound quite pleasant.)
Twenty-six.
Copy…..Pehli
Baar Mile Hain (Saajan) Original……Solitude Standing (Suzanne Vega) (We’ve heard the song from the movie Saajan countless times. Listen carefully to the original music with attention. You’ll enjoy noticing the subtlety of Nadeem-Shravan’s work!)
Twenty-seven.
Copy…..Laaoon
Kahan Se (Jaane Jigar) Original….Hotel California (Eagles) (What have you done, Rajesh Roshan! Watch with the video!)
I’m speaking of a great Greek composer. His name was Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, known to everyone as Vangelis. This Vangelis created the background music for many world-famous movies. He won an Academy Award for his work on the movie Chariots of Fire. Rajesh Roshan, the younger uncle of superhero Hrithik Roshan, is an extremely successful composer in Hindi cinema. If you observe his musical work, you’ll see that in many films he has quite smoothly copied the melodies of the Greek musical master Vangelis without any acknowledgment or gratitude, using them as themes in his various projects. I’ll start with Hrithik’s first movie Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai:
Twenty-eight.
Copy…..Chaand
Sitaare (Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai) Original…..Voices (Vangelis) (I would request you to listen to Voices in its entirety. You’ll be amazed!)
Twenty-nine.
Copy…..Badan
Judaa Hote (Koyla) Original…..Conquest Of Paradise (Vangelis) (Doesn’t the opening of the original music make your hair stand on end?
How many of us even know about this? I can’t understand why people haven’t learned to give credit to the true creator!)
Forty.
Copy…..Humko
Pyaar Hai (Moksha) Original….. Messages (Vangelis) (Thank goodness Mr. Vangelis doesn’t know Mr. Roshan!)
Forty-one.
Copy…..Tirchi Topiwaale (Tridev) Original…..The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You (Miami Sound Machine) (Biju Shah, way way…..nah nah!)
Forty-two.
Copy…..Gupt Gupt (Gupt) Original…..Deep Forest (Deep Forest) (Mr. Shah! Bravo bravo!!)
Forty-three.
Copy…..Babuji Dheere Chalna (Aar Paar) Original…..Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps (Doris Day) (O.P. Nayyar, I know countless people adore this song of yours. I’m a fan of this song myself! But, “truth is harsh, yet I have loved the harsh”)
Forty-four.
Copy…..Mehbooba Mehbooba (Sholay) Original…..Say You Love Me (Demis Roussos) (Everyone’s doing it, so what’s wrong if RD Burman does it? A tune is a tune, isn’t it? Just because the film is called ‘Sholay’ does it mean every melody has to be the composer’s original? Where is that written in law?)
Forty-five.
Copy…..Tumse Milke (Parinda) Original…..When I Need You (Leo Sayer) (Yes, RD Burman again! What’s so surprising about that? Just because the movie is Parinda, does that absolve him of seven murders? Hahaha…….just kidding!)
Forty-six.
Copy….. Tera Mujhse Hai Pehle (Aa Gale Lag Jaa) Original….. The Yellow Rose Of Texas (Elvis Presley) (I found it quite amusing comparing this work of Mr. Burman with Elvis Presley!)
Forty-seven.
Copy…… Tinak Tin Taana (Mann) Original….. Yang Sedang-Sedang Saja (Iwan – Malaysian)(Sanjeev-Darshan did the right thing! Who even listens to Malaysian music? Thanks to this copying, we got to discover this wonderful piece of music. It’s our gain!)
Forty-eight.
Copy….. Na Bole Tum Na Maine (Baaton Baaton Mein) Original….. When Johnny Comes Marching Home (Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore) (Uncle Rakesh has borrowed a tune from an American Civil War song to create a romantic number—the critics will say he copied it. Let them say it! We want to see more seeds of love planted in the midst of war! Come forward, Uncle Rakesh and others like you!)
Forty-nine.
Copy ….. Khambe jaise [Film: Dil] Original….. Blue Suede Shoes – Carl Perkins (Anand Milind)
Fifty.
Copy….. Akele Hain [Film: Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)] Original….. The Shadows – Return To The Alamo (Anand Milind copied it without changing much!)
Fifty-one.
Copy….. Bin tere kuch [Film: Jaan se pyaara (1992)] Original… Endendu Ninnanu – Eradu Kanasu – Kannada Classic Rajkumar (Anand Milind stole the tune exactly from the Kannada song Endendu ninnanu. The original was created by Karnataka’s famous composer Rajan Nagendra, which was later used in the classic 1974 movie Eradu Kanasu starring Rajkumar.)
Music
Whether it’s our own or borrowed from elsewhere, each of the songs mentioned above has merged intimately with our souls. These melodies are so deeply ours that when they come to mind, the scenes from those songs spontaneously float before our mind’s eye. This is where the creator’s success lies. Whether that creator is the first, second, or sometimes even third in line! We offer our gratitude and reverence to those great composers who stand by us like friends in times of sorrow or joy. Every creator is godlike, therefore… yet still worthy of love. It’s difficult to accept that a melody I love isn’t original; but what can be done—I’ve already fallen in love with that tune! This creates a nagging feeling in the mind, but it doesn’t interfere with floating on the boat of melody. Whether music is original or copied doesn’t matter much; what matters is that the tune resonates in our hearts.
I’ll end this piece with some interesting facts. Read on—you should find them quite enjoyable.
Many know O’Neil Bryan by the name Elephant Man. He’s the creator of many popular Jamaican dances. His name has appeared on US and UK billboards several times. Most of his biggest hits are set to melodies from other people’s songs, completely identical! The popular sixties singer John Fogerty was penalized by a court fine because his famous song “The Old Man Down the Road” (1984) copied the melody from “Run Through the Jungle” (1970). A lawsuit for $587,000 was filed against George Harrison in 1970 because his song “My Sweet Lord” (1970) used the melody from The Chiffons’ “He’s so Fine” (1963) without permission. Later, however, he escaped when the court gave him the benefit of the doubt. You’ll find the melody of Eric Carmen’s famous song “All By Myself” (1975) in “Piano Concerto No 2 in C Minor” (1900), and his other famous song “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” (1976) used the melody from the instrumental “Symphony No. 2 Op 27 in E Minor” (1893). Both original melodies were creations of the great Russian composer Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff.