Wonderful set of songs cited by the members and a great thread by Sushil!
I am a die-hard fan of Kishore Kumar. I value versatility in artists and Kishore had versatility by the ton! He had the ability to emote through songs. More importantly he had the ability to give voice to a range of emotions - from extremely sad to pensive to happy to devil may care to soothing whispers to catcalls to raucous, bawdy hollering and of course his signature yodelling.
Now, it would be very difficult for any other singer to show the same kind of expertise across the sound spectrum as this genius. And when you consider that singing was not the only thing he did, well - the list becomes exclusive and the competition almost vanishes.
There are dozens of songs sung by Kishore that I cherish. It is going to be very hard for me to list down just a few. But I will make an attempt. Although I will have to ask you to bear with me if I make a few changes as and when my memory is rekindled and I have to revise my list
(In no particular order)
- Yeh Kya Hua
This is a very unique sad song. It flows fast and has almost a merry tempo but it stops at the end of each stanza and accentuates the pain. The beauty and genius of Kishore lie in portraying the ebb and flow of emotions. After all sorrow like anything else in this world is just not black and white. It has shades of grey.
- Jeevan se Bhari Teri Aankhen
The intensely dreamy quality of this song transports us to another world. A world where there is only you and your paramour and you speak and sing of her. Speak and sing of her in such ways that you would never find the heard to admit directly to her. A gem of a song. Wonderful composition which was given life and soul to by Kishore.
- O Majhi Re
This is a song you only to hear to associate it with the gentle sways of a boat on a river. Such is the power of the composition and of the singer. It also helps that the lyrics are immensely powerful.
- Koi Humdum Na Raha
A sad song which revels in the celebration of sorrow even as one drowns in it. The power and presence of Kishore's voice especially in the stanzas lift this from being a very good song to an invaluable gem.
- Koi Lauta De Mere
A sad song, a wistful song, a song which brazenly throws away reality and whimpers and aches for lost moments. A song in which Kishore gets to show off his skills of emoting at this finest. When he goes in that line 'Aise bhi din the Kabhi meri duniya thi meri' it is very hard for people to not identify with the concept and to not revel in self pity - that most common of emotions.
- Mere Naina Saawan Bha Do
One of the rare Kishore classicals. Pitch, presence and power - this song scores at all levels.
- Tum Bin Jaaoon Kahaan
A song in which Kishore easily upstages Rafi (as they both sang the same song). That this is a classically based song is another feather in the cap of Kishore. While this, in no way, demeans the powers of Rafi as a classical singer, this can be considered an honourable exception.
Again a wistful, achy song which never fails to pull at your heart strings.
- Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb thi
Talk of a dreamy song and you cannot miss this one. In fact this goes beyond dreamy. It steps into the realms of ethereal. Kishore's voice in this song goes far beyond the realms of normality and issues a quiet but strident call for trust in one's own love. An undying, ethereal love of almost divine quality. The lyrics are simply overpowering too.
- Deewana Leke Aaya hai
Another song which is worth hearing only to listen to Kishore's tuneful and powerful humming and the string notes. A mesmerizing song, gracefully sung.
- Jin Raaton Ki Bhor Nahin hai
An often neglected song composed by Kishore himself, this is an outstandingly sung piece. A piece full of lamentation and everlasting regret and a tangible bitterness. A song for the soulful.
- Jo Raah Chuni Tune
A song with a deep message which probably should have been sung by Manna Dey or by S.D.Burman I felt. But to do justice to this, Kishore has tried very hard. And succeeded.
Oops - I just noticed I got 11 instead of 10! Oh well, I will leave it on there. There are so many others that I have not mentioned here. And they do deserve mention. The problem, as always, is one of numbers and of prioritization. Tough, pretty tough.
But the above songs should give listeners a fair idea of the mastery over voice and emotions that Kishore showcased for a long time in Hindi cinema.