The 24 hr song

If I like a song, I listen to it repeatedly. But most of the songs I like lose their likeability after hearing them more than 5 times continuously. I get bored of the monotony. This is because they have only one facet in them which appeals to me. They are thus one-dimensional. It doesn’t take long to get bored of such songs.

Then there is this special breed of songs which I start listening; repeat it; repeat again. I am still not bored. I put it on loop on winamp. Sit down – listen 10 times. I am still not bored. I lie down – Listen another 20 times. I am still not bored! Heck I don’t get bored. It is an addiction. You only stop listening if you are interrupted by something else. Something about the song keeps you want to hear it again & again. The song is so “wholesome”. Given a chance I could be listening to it 24 hrs. These are the kind of songs which I call the 24 hr songs.

Many songs have graced the crown of being the 24 hr song in my life. I will list down only some of notable ones here.

Billy Joel - We didn’t start the fire
The first time I heard this song was in about 1991 or so. I had seen the video too, I think in Grammy nominations. The whole package was so appealing. I was just a school kid then but I got a general idea of the song with the video & whatever lyrics I could understand. The music & arrangement of the song too seemed perfect. Needless to say, I fell in love with the song. To add to my woes, I didn’t have to song. So eventually when I found it, it was pure bliss. I think I would have listened to this one at least 500 times till date. The thing is that I still haven’t memorised the lyrics fully, so there is something to look forward to for every repeat of the song.

Guns n Roses - November Rain
The first time I heard this song, was again when I was in school. At that time I was not exposed to such music & rejected it as “noisy”. Somehow one day later I stumbled upon it & rediscovered the song. The song was brilliant. The best part of course was the ending guitar piece.

Boney M – Rasputin
At home we had an almost complete collection of Boney M. All their songs had a good rhythm with decent tunes. Rasputin was one song which stands out in the whole collection. The song entices you and keeps you involved right from the drum beats in the beginning to the “Ohh those Russians” in the end. The Russian flavour in the tune & the accent made it unique. On the whole the song sort of pumped up your heart.

Indian Ocean - Kandisa
I think there is no need of an explanation. This song is simply superb. Who needs to understand the lyrics when the music is so moving? Many an hours were spent listening to this one. The best time to be enjoying this song is in the morning just after you get up. It refreshes & recharges you for the rigours of life.

Waisa Bhi Hota Hai - Allah ke Bande
We get sort of emotionally attached to some songs. This is one of the songs I am really attached to. When I first listened to the song, I was in one of my very low phases in life. In its own small way this card helped me get back on track. I played it so many times (continuously except for classes for 3 days) in the hostel that I would have managed to infect others with this song. Soon this song became a hit on campus.

Metallica – Unforgiven
Words cannot describe the feelings I have when this song plays. A whole mixed bag of anger, fear, disgust, guilt, hate, remorse & even a sense of satisfaction. I don’t know if it is in the lyrics, the music or the combination.

Rabbi Shergil - Bulla Ki Jaan
Another good song which goes easy on your ears and on your mind too. Inspirational lines sung beautifully by Rabbi Shergill. It takes some time to appreciate the beauty of the song.

My current 24 hr song has surprised even me. It is an unknown Trance track:
Master Blaster – How Old are you (Radio Mix)
I was going through an old Trance collection when I stumbled upon this track. The song is like a chant that means there is not much of lyrics but a lot of pumping up in the tune & the beats.

This list is not exhaustive. The list is skewed towards the newer songs mainly because of my poor memory.