Lata Mangeshkar - The Queen : Part 9 - The consolidation years - Late 50s

The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links

In an earlier part of this series, we saw Lata's growth in the initial part of the 50s when she started climbing to the top and by the mid-50s was already the most established voice of Hindi film heroines. She started delivering hit after hit under the baton of almost every music director. She became the most sought-after voice of all: music directors, heroines, producers, and directors. In this part, let us look at some of her major hits from the late 50s. 

(I have to put a caveat here. She sang a huge number of songs during the later part of the 50s. So it is almost impossible to list down every hit song. So I will be restricting myself to some songs only. The idea is to show her range and also her work under various music directors.)

We will start with beauty from 1956. 'yeh raat bheegi bheegi' from 'Chori Chori.' A composition of Shankar Jaikishen. 

Lata leaves her stamp in this song right in the beginning when she enters, humming, even before Manna Dey can finish the mukda. The tune is charming but simple. It doesn't really challenge her singing skills, and she breezes through the song. Her voice is pure honey, and the emotion in it is in contrast to Manna Dey's largely emotionless voice. 

Another major hit in the late 50s was the song, 'pyar kiya to darna kya' from 'Mughal-e-Azam'. Music of Naushad. This was heard all over India, such was its popularity.

This movie is a 1960 movie, and you can observe the absolute confidence in Lata's voice. By this time, she was clearly the numero uno, and this rendition shows why. The initial parts of the song are in the lower registers, and she hits the higher registers in the later part of the song. 

Another humungous hit from the period was 'aaja re pardesi' from 'Madhumathi.' Music of Salil Choudhary. A 1958 film.

Salilda's tunes are generally a challenge to sing. They demand good voice control and voice modulation. It can be clearly heard in this song. The song, too, traverses the full range and has its own sudden twists and turns. Lata modulates her voice brilliantly, and her sure touch is clearly audible. This is not a song that can be sung by any singer. It needs talent like Lata. I am sure Salilda would have been quite happy with the result. 

S D Burman's 'chand phir nikla' for 'Paying Guest (1957)' was another huge hit.

The song wonderfully creates the night-time effect. Once again, Lata's ability to modulate her voice and emote perfectly in order to capture the essence of the scene and the tune comes to the fore. Dada Burman uses the sweetness of Lata's voice as well as her singing capability to give an everlasting song. 

Another hit song from the stable of Shankar Jaikishen. 'o basanti pavan pagal' from 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai.'

This song also uses Lata's ability to modulate her voice and is enhanced by Lata's grip over vocal dynamics. Lata delivered such sad and melancholic songs with great flair. The song also utilizes her vocal range. A challenging song that Lata delivers with ease.

Vasant Desai's 'ae malik there bande hum' from 'Do Ankhen Bhaara Haat' (1957) was a major hit when the movie was released.

The song is a prayer, and Lata has sung many such prayer songs. Most of such songs are based on simple and catchy tunes. This song, too, has a simple structure and what is required from the singer is to induce a sense of softness as well as devotion to the tune. Lata's voice is perfectly suited for such songs. The melody in her voice and the softness she can deliver are unparalleled. 

Another wonderful devotional song, which was also a hit, was from the 1956 movie, 'Jaagte Raho.' Music of Salil Chaudhary.

This is a devotional, but we can't call it a prayer. Salilda's tune, as is typical of him, has a lot of twists and turns and requires a voice with a good range to deliver such a song. Salilda always tested Lata with his tunes, and she came out with flying colors. This song is no exception.

Next: a song composed by Roshan. 'zindagi bhar nahin bhoolenge' from 'Barsat Ki Raat' (1960). Though the male solo was the bigger hit, the duet version is equally charming.

Lata's voice took a different sheen when she sang for Roshan. The voices of Lata and Mohd. Rafi works wonderfully in concordance, and the whole song is a delight. The sweetness in Lata's voice and the brilliance of the tune together end up intoxicating you, making you push that rewind button repeatedly.

When the sitar maestro, Ravishankar, was called to provide music for 'Anuradha' (1960), he called upon Lata to deliver the songs. Here is Lata singing 'haye re who din kyun na aaye'

We can confidently say that this was a song designed for Lata, and only she could have delivered it. Just observe the vocal dynamics in her voice right from the first line, 'haye re who din kyun na aaye.' The voice is not a flat line with respect to volume. She varies the volume of her voice as only she can. And you find that characteristic throughout the song. Her voice is in top shape and is dripping honey. The song also covers the full vocal range, and her voice is consistent throughout the range, one of the important aspects of her voice. A brilliant composition by Ravishankar, delivered with equal brilliance by Lata. 

Another such wonderful gem is the Hansraj Behl composition, 'haye jiya roye' from Milan (1958)

There is a haunting quality in this tune, enhanced by the echo effect and Lata's voice makes a perfect delivery vehicle for this song. Hanrsaj Behl uses Lata's ability to hit the upper registers effectively. This song appears in many 'Best of Lata' series, as it definitely should. The song completely depends on Lata because I am sure Hansraj Behl would not have composed this song if there were no Lata to sing it.

Next, we will take up a song that is sung even today in singing competitions to highlight a singer's voice as well as the singer's grip on classical music. I am sure many would have guessed the song. 'kuhu kuhu bole koyaliya,' the inspired composition of Adinarayan Rao for the movie, 'Suvarna Sundari' (1957)

Constructed as a ragamalika, the song demands that the singer be well trained in classical music and also have a good vocal range. Lata and Rafi would have been the obvious choices in those days. Lata captures the spirit of each and every raag effortlessly. No wonder even classical musicians like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Ustad Bismillah Khan were her admirers. The brighas and the sargam singing are done with ease by her. A melody that will last for ages.

Here is another challenging song. From the baton of the master, Sajjad Hussain. From the 1955 movie, 'Ruksana', 'tera dard dil mein basa liya'

Sajjad Hussain's songs are not easy to sing, and this is no exception. A touch of middle eastern melody gives a different flavor to this song, and the beat is quite unique too. The song also requires tight control over the voice: control over the range and control over volume. Sajjad was known to be a perfectionist and Lata delivers it to perfection. The voice is pure honey in this song. 

I will close this episode with a song of Madanmohan. The huge hit, 'hum pyar mein jalne walon ko' from Jailor (1957)

 Lata always sounded wonderful in Madan Mohan's compositions. Madan Mohan's compositions also make good use of Lata's range and her vocal dynamics. We will see the Lata-Madan Mohan combination in detail in the coming parts.

To conclude, Lata collaborated with a range of music directors in the later part of the 50s, rising up to all challenges thrown at her. She was able to deliver hits for all the music directors she worked with. By the beginning of the 60s, she had established herself as the Queen of Hindi Film Music. 

The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links