Songs mistaken as IR songs

Most of us stumble upon this one way or the other. We think it is a Raja song, and someone points out that it is not.  I have had this experience as I wrote many of my blog posts, where someone would point out that I was wrong. This thread is to document the songs that are popularly attributed to IR, but was never done by IR. This applies to all languages.
 
While some songs, in hind sight are easy to identify that they are not by IR, others are not that easy. Other MDs try to imitate Raja style and it gets harder to spot the place where they deviate from him. I hope this thread is useful to those who reference some of these songs in their work.

Kanukkul Nooru Nilava from Vedam Pudhidhu tops the list of songs wrongly identified with IR. The song was done by Devendran who tried a lot of IR style in the music of this film.

The song 'Poomedaiyo' from Aayiram Pookal Malarattum (Tamil 1983) is a hard nut to crack. You will find counterpoints, guitar use all making you believe that this song is by Raja. I got mislead too. This film was done by VS Narasimhan who was very close to IR and only information related to the film can tell you that it is not IR.

Oru Kadhal Devathai is one song I see confused very often with IR. It is by Shankar Ganesh. I see TV channels (across the board from Jaya to Kalaignar) play it as IR music. The interludes tell me it aint IR but it is clear SG tried imitating IR's style. And it does show.



One song I mistook as IR's till I checked and rechecked was Aagaayam Boomi Endrum Ondra, Samandhi Poo. Music by Malaysia Vasudevan.

Many of GA songs,  especially the song,  mazhaiyin thuliyil in chinna thambi periya thambi..

Paadi Azhaithaen Unnai from Rasigan Oru Rasigai - This is a Tamil version of the famous Malayalam song 'Thenum Vayambum' by Raveendran. When Raveendran took this song to Tamil, he altered the interludes to sound like Raja, and I mistook him for Raja in my early days of writing as I did not have much exposure to MFM.

Aval Oru Menagai
Music - Shankar Ganesh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljJ9FeXNhw4

"enakkena poRandhava" from kizhakku karai
Music by Deva

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxmSfWaCvXg

This movie released right after Chinnathambi and the same pair Prabhu-Kushpoo acted. As CT is still running packed houses in all patti-thotti theaters of TN, this particular song also went in air along with CT songs thus people thought this movie also from IR. In one of the Antaksharis we participated last year with friends and families, one praised it as "wonderful melody from ilaiyaraja!"

Possibly because I was always on the lookout for IR titbits on mags, I didn't mistake any of the above mentioned songs (being pre-warned about the MD's of the respective movies)!

However, my contact with Thamizh media greatly diminished in the later part of 80's and then 90's.

Especially 90's was the time period when Deva was trying hard to imitate IR and at least on one occasion I got confused (which was also due to the SPB-SJ combo helping it in a big way).

'enakkenap poRandhava Rekka kattipiRandhava iva dhAn' of kizhakku karai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xrGM7hLylY

Gangai amaran music....  niraiya iruku...   IR's songs ku.. romba pakkathil irukum.......

 Sankar ganesh........  sila paatu.. perfect aga yematrum... Deva...... yematrum.anal
namba thonadhu...........

pattu vanna rosavam... indha paatu......  Vel.. IR chart la parthu shock anen.. apadi yematrum.........

Vanamae mazhai megamae......... 

sondha sumaiyai thooki  - KJY

pattula selai  kazhuthula rathina maalai....  MVD and Vani jayaram...  Sankar ganesh madhiriyum irukum.......... Gangai amaran madhiiryum irukum....

Pon vaanile poondhotamae  - KJY... Beautiful Madhyamavathi........

Pon maana thedi nanum poovodu vandhen

Naalu vagai poovil adhil

Nee dhana nejam thana  -  first time keatadhum.. IR paatu madhiiri iruku.. ana ilai nu thonithu. Recent interview of GA.. sonnar... Raja kuda irukara apo indha paata kaetutu.. raja kaetar.. epada indha paatai naan poten nu.........

Malar polae manam vendum........

In Kannada, I find songs of Upendra Kumar in the same paradigm. Did IR work for or with/him ?

sasasa dha sa ni from vasanth's doomed 2nd movie nee paadhi naan paadhi
had heard the song first only pallavi..
then much later heard the charanam and interlude.. 
till then i was convinced that it was from Raaja.

kiru wrote:In Kannada, I find songs of Upendra Kumar in the same paradigm. Did IR work for or with/him ?

Om had music by Hamsalekha.. those songs were classy enough to be confused as Raaja's - but the interludes always show up other MDs..
In Om, I was a sucker for O Gulaabiye and Hey dinakara by Dr.Raj..

I refuse to give credit to GA for 'kasturi mAn ondru' and 'paadhi kaLin mayakkam' from the film Shankarlal. They are far too interesting and intelligent to be someone else's works.
Usha, naalu vagai poovil is a good example.A lovely song too.

"Ammammaa Saranam Saranam" is one another gem from Amar. Very good arrangments. The interludes just move you with the flow we already familiar with Raja's. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyZ1bCy7x7c

Not to rub it in - but you know 100% record of never identifying an IR song as others' and vice versa. ZIlch.
And I have had several opps  to fail - being away from TN during Deva's peak, several of his songs I listened to first anonymously without knowing the MD. Never have I failed to identify this is non-Raja.
Similarly, ipPO Hyd pOgum bOdhu FM kEkum bOdhu, when suddenly an IR song pops up - one which I have never heard before - promptly identify it as IR.

I cant explain the reason - it is an intuitive process which has never failed

Raveendran. Mallu songs... Radio days...  IR music endru yemandhu irukiren... first time matumae.. repeated aga kaetkum podhu
therindhu vidum.. IR song illai endru..........

1. malarum kiliyum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-zcLZg46bE

Rajeevam vidraum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydqZlP91o5c

Ragangalae mohangalae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFhqJN_PL4E

Doore kizhakudhikum manika.....  Perfect one.........  IR ku romba pakkathil irukum indha paatu....... anal IR ilali endru thondrugiradhu....

2nd stanza.. Beautiful one.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdkZVMDw2mI

Maragadhamani......  Jammu rathiri ........ nichayam yematrum...... IR Endru.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG6fhfHk9zg

Priyanu mathram nyaan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsg6komMZ3Y

Apart from the ones mentioned, Thathithom from Azhagan.   Also Poo Thendrale from Manasukul Mathappu.

Neethaana Nesanthaana - I have heard GA mention proudly in some TV show/interview that IR and him were once listening to the radio when this song was being played, apparently IR thought it was his composition and was trying to recollect the movie name, and GA had to correct IR that it was actually his composition !

I have listened to this song a few times to see why IR may have thought so (assuming the anecdote is true), the prelude/pallavi  has the 'promise' of an IR song but quickly fizzles out IMO.. and edho oru 'abhaswaram' is there w.r.t. to rhythm section throughout the song..  definitely not tightly co-ordinated as typical in countless IR songs..

I saw a few posts by Kiru, Plum  and Jai on identifying a Raja composition. While all these are valid points, one must understand a few things here:

1. Raja keeps changing all the time. His sound, whether we like it or not are defined by the period when we listened to him the most. For example, I can easily relate to his 21st century sound till 2010 and he changed again.

2. Most people identify Raja's sounds by his 80s work. If you start exploring closely, his sounds from the early 80s and late 80s were different

3. In the 70s, he still tried many compositions on MSV, KVM lines

There are a few signature Raja sounds such as tabla with the bass lines that are unmistakably Raja. However, Raja changes even these in small doses and confuses you.

  For example, MSV and Vidyasagar have very similar tabla sounds. Vidyasagar tries to get inspired by several composers, but his tabla gives it away that his predominant influence is MSV.  

  Raja is a very hard nut to crack. None of his listeners have the knowledge of all the genres he is a master of. You will slip somewhere - that is the reality. Just the nature of the beast. With Raja, it gets worse as you are bound to miss something when you are dealing with 1,000 plus albums.  No amount of musical knowledge can help as we are dealing with someone who has been doing just that (accumulating and applying musical knowledge) for the past 6 decades - I just discount his first 12 years of childhood :-)

Devaragam is a Tamil movie in the 90s (I think 1996), that has songs that appeared like Raja's on the surface.

Azhagiya Kaarthigai
Ya ya Ya Yadhava

However, something was not exactly right. The arrangements were mixed and played hide and seek for some time. Later on, I found that the composer is Keeravani

Hamsaleka


Selai katum pennukoru vasam

Gaps ellam irukum... analum... arrangements.. IR's styleil irukum......

Usha wrote:Hamsaleka


Selai katum pennukoru vasam

Gaps ellam irukum... analum... arrangements.. IR's styleil irukum......

Usha ..amazing that you mention 'gaps' .. actually  this song is not bad but this is where you can see the other MDs letting their guard down. IR makes sure that in transitions/bridges there are more than one voice (instrument) playing. Even the much derided tabla songs are bass or chords filled. That brings me to the point from Ravi - IR's tabla usage seems to me to be exactly like a bassline. The tabla seems to be there just for the flavor.. Maybe I am mistaken, but there are so many songs, I feel, if you deleted the tabla backing, you can still sing the song with the bassline. Sometimes though the bass actually plays harmony and not rhythm.
And BTW, the bass line/chords in IR's is like drinking coffee with whole milk vs fat-free milk (yuck) :-)

Adhi kalai katre nillu..........  from Bala barathi........ Really a great MD......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8IykGa_8o0

97% IR's style........... niraiya yemaralam... IR paatu endru..........

Putham pudhu malare en asai....... one more Sweet number........ Orchestration and the Instrumentation style...... without the  gap........ yemara niraiya chance.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh3131qU6qA

Again, what a coincidence Usha should bring up adhi kaalai kARRE .. I also spotted this in my collection. I dont know why a MD (Bala Bharathy) who made such a brilliant song has not done well.