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Friday, November 11, 2011

Rockstar Background Score



Cues from Rockstar Background Score

Jo Bhi Mein - Movie Version
Mission Junglee Jawaani
Love Blossoms
Sherawali Ambe Maa
Ting a Ling in Prague
Hawa Hawa Meets Tum Ho
Tum Ho on Flute
Prelude to Aur Ho
Tum Ho on Guitar
Tum Ho Orchestral Version & Phir Se Udd Chala on Flute
Jordan is Heer Disease
End Credits

Rockstar Background score is one of the most restrained of all of Rahman's Indian film scores. The film is quiet throughout, with no music to push or exaggerate the emotions in the visuals. Even the scenes in which one usually expects music in the background, like say, when Jordan meets Heer for the first time, or when Heer finds Jordan in Prague, Rahman maintains an astounding silence. These stretches of silence further add to the intensity of emotions, especially in the latter half of the film. The most used musical piece in the background score of the film is the least heard piece of music in the entire soundtrack CD – the Synth soundscape that Rahman builds around Rumi’s poem. It is aptly used in some of the key moments of the film.

As I expected after hearing the soundtrack with fourteen songs, most of the background score cues are derived from the melody of the songs. There are no new musical themes. It certainly is not necessary to write new motifs, when you have sixty seven minutes of music already created for these very characters, their emotions and the situations. The haunting Tum Ho melody and its Piano motif, is interchangeably used as the recurring musical themes for love, passion, longing and pain of Jordan. It features in varied forms in the background score throughout the film. There is a techno Ting-a-ling (from Katiya Karoon) version that plays when Jordan and Heer do in Prague, what they did in India with the Punjabi version playing in the background.

This film is unthinkable without A.R.Rahman’s score. Imtiaz Ali has brilliantly married the music with the narrative. I like the idea of creating two versions of a song, one for the film and one for the Soundtrack CD. In CD version, Hawa Hawa ends with a solo Guitar playing the melody of the line “Azaadi dhedhe mujhe, mere Khudha”, whereas, in the film, the song ends with Kavitha Subramanian humming Tum Ho melody, because the visuals in those precise moments cannot have anything else playing behind, except Tum Ho. This deep interconnection between the film and the music was quite evident even before watching the film, when we heard a soprano whispering “Tum Ko” melody down underneath Orianthi Panagaris’s Guitar interlude – which in itself is an improvised Guitar version of Tum Ko melody - in Sadda Haq song.

I am still wondering why A.R.Rahman cued the guitar riff of Saadda Haq as background music in the scene in which Janardhan Jakad, comically, lists the pains that he had not gone through in his life. Ironically, Saadda Haq, he sings with a spitting angst, much later in his life, immediately after going through moments of heartbreak and pain. As the film has unusually minimal background score, I am sure some thought must have gone on every single cue that finally made it to the film. Hence, the choice of Saadda Haq guitar riff for Janardhan Jakad, who is yet to become Jordan, is intriguing. Well, when it is A.R.Rahman scoring, it is not just the film you keep thinking about days after watching it.

Rockstar Music Review



19 comments:

Sunil said...

Thanks for the cues,

Sherawali Ambe Maa reminds me of Thoda Thoda Pyar (Love aaj kal)

It obviously was Imtiaz's idea.

Sunil

Anonymous said...

I have heard Rahman's coming up with great music in upcoming film ek deewana tha i jus saw they hav a fb page - http://on.fb.me/EkDeewanaTha

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot for these pieces of music! Rockstar's music rocks! Can't get enough of it.

NMA said...

I loved the way 'Jo bhi mein' transitions through different phases of 'Jordan's life.
But the direction of the movie lacked focus and could have been dealt with better, what do you think?

Vijay said...

Well, it's not a movie about Music. It's just that the Lead character happens to be a Rockstar. That's what I said to myself as I left the theater.
When I listened to the humming in 'Tum Ho', I assumed that would be the predominant 'Rockstar theme' wafting through the landscape. I imagined that the movie would be musically dense and not sparse as it turned out to be.
When you sign up someone like A.R.Rahman and he delivers a mammoth soundtrack before your movie, there is a pressure to justify his music. Many directors have tried to and failed at it. The best part about Imitiaz as a director is he didn't even try to. He treated the film as bigger than Rahman. Kudos to him for the brave approach.
But, whether that approach worked in the movie or not is a different matter altogether.

Unknown said...

I had a feeling of heard before on most of the songs ... But, I would not have sat through the movie if it wasn't for the BGM.

Harish S Ram said...

it's a pity they didnt justify the usage of tum ho humming in sadda haq through the visual as we expected. But then Imtiaz didnt do well, connecting the cues of the songs or the motifs much. his ideas for using the music intelligently saved him i think. It doesnt mean i didn't like the film; on the contrary i loved the movie and that was what i wrote in my blog too - http://harishfilmviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/rockstar.html

P.S. Suresh Kumar said...

Harishsram - "didnt justify the usage of tum ho humming in sadda haq" - Yes. Even I was disappointed initially. But, with A.R.Rahman, you never know; he might have added that layer, after the whole song was shot. Or maybe, Imtiaz Ali doesn't know yet that Tum Ho humming is hideously layered under that Guitar interlude in Saadda Haq.

Online Shopping Website said...

Hey thanx for posting, cool music

Anonymous said...

Hi Suresh,

I was wondering where I can find the Tum Ho flute and guitar versions to download !

Thanks !

Kavs said...

Hey,
could you also do the background score of Love Aaj Kal?
THANKS!

Pratik said...

where can i download this?

Anonymous said...

hey from where can i get Sherawali original song which is used in rockstar movie

darkman v2 said...

yupiiieee finally i get all the original track thnxxxxxxxxxx a lottttttttt

Anonymous said...

WHY, did u guyz forget mohit chauhan , Why ?????

Vaibhav Sawant said...

hey....can you please provide that piece of song, when Jordon sings and hums 'Jo bhi main' with so intensity.
before the scene where he turns out to be at the brothel.
I am so desperate to get that, and was unable to edit myself properly.
Please!!! :D :)

Raleigh said...

Great!

replica watches in Pakistan said...

I am pretty much pleased with your good work.

Anonymous said...

hey how to download these songs???
dr is no download option nd neither no link available on right clicking...what to do...plssss tell naa