Pray for Me Brother

Last updated

"Pray for Me Brother"
Prayformebrotheralbum.jpg
Single by A. R. Rahman featuring Blaaze
Released1 January 2007 [1]
Recorded2007
Studio Panchathan Record Inn, AM Studios (Chennai, India)
Genre Pop
Length
  • 5:07 (original version)
  • 4:40 (instrumental version)
Label Universal Music Group
Songwriter(s) A. R. Rahman, Blaaze
Producer(s) A. R. Rahman, Mikey McCleary
A. R. Rahman singles chronology
"We Can Make It Better"
(2005)
"Pray for Me Brother"
(2007)
"One Love"
(2007)
Licensed audio
"Pray For Me Brother" on YouTube

"Pray for Me Brother" is a single by Indian composer A. R. Rahman. Released in 2007, being one of the earliest vertical music videos, the song was conceived as an anti-poverty anthem for the Millennium Goals for the United Nations. It is part of a joint venture between the A. R. Rahman Foundation and Nokia.

Contents

The song had lyrics by A. R. Rahman and Blaaze with additional lyrics by Sukhwinder Singh. The main vocalist was Rahman himself, while Blaaze accompanied him by providing backing vocals. Clinton Cerejo, Dominique Cerejo, Vivienne Pocha and Hrishikesh Kamerkar have also provided backing vocals.

The video of the album was directed and conceived by Bharatbala of BharatBala Productions, who is a usual associate for Rahman's album videos. It has been shoot by the ace cinematographer Tassaduq Hussain Mufti.

Background

In 1998, after averting a major crisis in the Middle East through diplomatic means, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had spoken the following words, "Never underestimate the power of prayer". In his eyes, it was prayer that finally gave any material means the agency to make the world a better place.

The A. R. Rahman Foundation represents a movement to eradicate poverty through facilitation of education to poor and needy children. As part of the initiative, it has joined with several institutes across the globe. Pray For Me Brother is an initiative by the A.R. Rahman Foundation, with Nokia Corporation to collect funds for the U.N. Millennium Development Programme aimed at eradicating poverty by the year 2015. It is a song about the emotion that lies at the heart of prayer – the emotion of love. It reinstills our faith in love’s power to heal and reminds us that there are those in this world who need of our gestures of healing and comfort. The song was made available for a free download at the official website of U.N. Millennium Goals.

Speaking on the occasion of the audio launch, Rahman said, One thing is common about hunger-everybody feels it. This song is a statement from India to the world. Otherwise we listen and the world talks. I have seen beggars everywhere. This song is not a remedy but an inspiration to do something. World Health Organization official Sathya suggested I should come up with a song for the tuberculosis cause for which U.N. had appointed me as their Brand Ambassador. As I was doing this, I noticed the poverty around that we seem to have become immune to. I called my friend Blaaze and asked if we could do something, hence the song was born, he added.

The film is set primarily in Los Angeles, USA, where progress and plenitude abound. Lives and lifestyles there stand in stark contrast to those parts of the world where pain and suffering abound. The film attempts to bring these two worlds together through its story and in doing so depicts the dawning of a particular realization on its protagonist – that he need not wait for a reason to show kindness, that now was the time for him to offer a healing prayer to his brothers and sisters in need across the world.

Music video

The film was conceived and directed by Bharatbala in the banner of BharatBala Productions. The song was picturised in Los Angeles, USA, with cinematography by Tassaduq Hussain Mufti. The choreography was done by Cassel Dixion Jr, Talent Bryan Clark and Adele Jones. The music video was the first to be shot on mobile cinemascope format. [2]

Track listing

The official track listing. [3]

Disc one

No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Pray for Me Brother" A. R. Rahman featuring Blaaze 5:07
2."Pray for Me Brother - Instrumental Version" A. R. Rahman 4:40

Disc two (limited edition DVD)

  1. Pray for Me Brother - Original unedited full length video film in 4:3 aspect ratio.
  2. Making of the video Feat. A. R. Rahman, Blaaze, Bharatbala

Album credits

Personnel

Production

Design

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucky Ali</span> Indian singer, songwriter and actor (born 1958)

Maqsood Mahmood Ali, better known as Lucky Ali, is an Indian singer, songwriter, and actor. With several popular singles and albums, he emerged as a significant figure of Indipop during the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reena Bhardwaj</span> Musical artist

Reena Bhardwaj is a British Indian singer, songwriter and recording artist best known for her collaborations with A. R. Rahman and Nitin Sawhney. Versatile to genre and language, her repertoire includes a variety of Indian Traditional, Bollywood, World and Popular styles sung in various Indian languages and English.

Lakshmi Narasimha Vijaya Rajagopala Sheshadri Sharma Rajesh Raman, professionally known as Blaaze, is an Indian Tamil language playback singer and rapper in Indian cinema who specializes in writing and performing rap music. An Indian by birth, born in Chennai, he grew up in Zambia and later did his education in England and in the US.

The Katinas are a contemporary Christian music group. They are a family of five brothers. The group's members sang in Assembly of God church as children, and began playing fairs, soon moving up to nationwide slots opening for R. Kelly, Jasmine Guy, DC Talk, and Amy Grant.

<i>Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa</i> (soundtrack) 2010 soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman

Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa is the soundtrack of the 2010 Tamil romance film of the same name, directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. The soundtrack album and background score were composed by A. R. Rahman, collaborating with Menon for the first time. The lyrics for the songs were penned by Menon's usual associate, Thamarai along with Kalyani Menon and Kaithapram, the latter penning the Malayalam lyrics in the album. The album was released on 25 December 2009 in London with several film personalities participating at the grand function. It was the first time that a Tamil film audio release was held in London. It was followed by an audio launch function which was also held in Chennai on 6 January 2010. Sony Music India released the album. The album opened to positive reviews from music critics. The audio was marked as #1 in Asia, in terms of advance bookings. The album was ranked among the best musicals of 2010. A collector's edition of the film was released on 1 December 2010, which featured two unreleased tracks. The same soundtrack album was reused in the simultaneous Telugu version Ye Maaya Chesave (2010) and its Hindi remake Ekk Deewana Tha (2012).

"Hosanna/Hosaanaa" is a Tamil/Telugu/Hindi song from the 2010 Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa,Telugu film Ye Maaya Chesave and 2012 Hindi film Ekk Deewana Tha composed by A. R. Rahman, sung by Vijay Prakash and Suzanne D'Mello featuring Tamil lyrics by Thamarai, and the rap portion in all versions by Blaaze. The song features additional vocals by Vivek Agarwal, Dr. Narayan, V. V. Prasanna and Haricharan and chorus by K. M. Music Conservatory. In the 2012 Hindi remake of the film, Ekk Deewana Tha the song was written by Javed Akhtar sung by Leon D'Souza and Maria Roe Vincent and the interlude Hosanna humming by Suzanne D'Mello. The song became very popular in all versions and was #1 in the year end music charts of 2010.

<i>Vande Mataram</i> (album) 1997 studio album by A. R. Rahman

Vande Mataram is a 1997 studio album by Indian musician A. R. Rahman. It is Sony Music India's largest-selling non-film album to date. It released on 12 August 1997 by Sony's music labels Columbia Records and SME Records. The timing of the release commemorated the 50th anniversary of India's independence and has been instrumental in instilling a sense of patriotic pride and national unity amongst the people of India. Ever since release, both the album and its title song "Maa Tujhe Salaam" have had a profoundly positive and unifying impact on the nationalistic and patriotic mood of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam</span> 2010 song by A. R. Rahman

"Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam" is a Tamil song composed by A. R. Rahman, penned by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and performed by several leading Tamil artistes of over three generations. It is the official theme song for the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010, encapsulating the contributions of Tamil culture and literature down the ages. The song, a tribute to the Tamil language, features a fusion of various musical styles, including Carnatic, Folk, Acoustic, Sufi, Rock and Rap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat (song)</span> 2010 single by A. R. Rahman

Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat is a Gujarati song composed by A. R. Rahman. Prasoon Joshi has written the Hindi lyrics of the song. The title line is taken from a song Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat penned by Gujarati poet Narmad. It is performed by Keerthi Sagathia and various other artists. It was composed as part of the 50th year of formation of Gujarat state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanam (band)</span> I-pop (Indian classical music in pop style)

Sanam is an Indian pop rock band formed in 2010 currently based in Mumbai, India known for its renditions of old classic Indian Bollywood songs as well as its original music. The band SANAM consists of four partners Sanam Puri, Samar Puri, Venky S or Venkat Subramaniyam and Keshav Dhanraj (drummer). In 2016, the band was amongst India's top 10 independent YouTube Channels, India's biggest music artist on the digital platform and the fastest growing YouTube channel in the country.

"If I Rise" is a song performed by A. R. Rahman and Dido, composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Dido and Rollo Armstrong. The song featured as the main theme for the Danny Boyle film 127 Hours.

<i>Coke Studio</i> (Indian TV program) Indian music series

Coke Studio is an Indian music series that's part of the international franchise, Coke Studio. It features live studio recordings by various artists, showcasing a diverse range of music. This includes classical genres from the Indian subcontinent like Hindustani, Carnatic, Indian folk, alongside hip hop, rock, and pop music.

Dominique Cerejo is an Indian female playback singer best known for the song "Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein" from Rock On!!. She has sung in over thirty bollywood soundtrack albums. She is married to Clinton Cerejo, who also works in the Indian music industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadda Haq</span> 2011 song by A.R. Rahman featuring Mohit Chauhan, Arpit Gupta

"Sadda Haq" is a song composed by A. R. Rahman for the 2011 Indian musical film Rockstar. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri in leading roles and is directed by Imtiaz Ali. The song features vocals by Mohit Chauhan and additional vocals by Clinton Cerejo and Arpit Gupta. The song also features Orianthi as a guitarist.

<i>Connections</i> (album) Album produced by A. R. Rahman

Connections is a compilation album and a studio album produced by A. R. Rahman. It was published by his label K.M. Musiq Ltd. under License to different record labels for different editions. Retail Edition Pack contains his handpicked favourites from various films that He worked and was released by Universal Music Group and the Collector's edition, a 2-disc edition, contains all his original compositions in Disc 1 which were composed during various stages of his life. And Disc 2 contains various instrumentals and scores from his movies. It was released by Sony Music. Track Jiya se Jiya featuring Karthik and Raqueeb Alam is available only on Nokia Edition released on Nokia Xpress Music devices and Ovi Music. Jiya se Jiya and Jiya se Jiya were released on Retail Edition by Universal Music Group. Track 'Mosquito' on Nokia Edition and 'Macchar Khan' on Collector's Edition are the same tracks performed by Sabir Khan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikey McCleary</span> Musical artist

Michael McCleary is a New Zealand songwriter, composer, performer, producer and director based in Mumbai, India since 2007. He has worked on a large number of advertisements such as for brands such as Levi's, Coca-Cola, Vodafone and films such as Waiting, Margarita with a Straw, Shaitan and Shanghai.

<i>Maryan</i> (soundtrack) 2013 soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman

Maryan is the soundtrack album composed by A. R. Rahman for the 2013 Tamil film of the same name directed by Bharatbala. The film that is produced under the banner Aascar Films, stars Dhanush and Parvathy in the lead roles. The album was released under the label Sony Music India on 17 May 2013. The music received extremely positive critical reception and overwhelming audience response after its release. It also topped the iTunes India charts for the month of May and June 2013. Further, for the remaining months of 2013, it maintained its position in the top 10 music album charts. The soundtrack album was adjudged as "Tamil Album of Year" in iTunes’ Best of 2013. Rahman won the Norway Tamil Film Festival Best Music Director award and the SIIMA Award for Best Music Director in 2014. The soundtrack was nominated at the 2014 Edison Awards and Vijay Awards for both best music direction and best background score. Rahman was also nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil but he won the same award for his compositions to Kadal.

<i>Raunaq</i> (album) 2014 studio album by A. R. Rahman

Raunaq: Conversation of Music and Poetry is a 2014 studio album composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics penned by Kapil Sibal. The album is described as a conversation of music and poetry that takes one on a journey of varied emotions. Selected tracks of the album depict social scenario of India through Sibal's lyrics. The album was a result of Sibal's anthology of poems to which Rahman added visuals from Raja Ravi Varma's paintings, thus, developing songs and corresponding videos to it. A. R. Rahman has played the role of a visual storyteller and has conceived the narrative of the music video "Aa Bhi Jaa". The album was announced through an introductory video backed by the same song. The album being a visual story telling sort of, the marketing strategies developed were to have each song's individual marketing and promotional activity released over a period of time. The album had an introductory launch by Salman Khan at an event held in Mumbai on 31 May 2014. The album was released on 1 September 2014. The album was dedicated to Vogue Empower, a social awareness initiative that draws attention to women's empowerment.

<i>Alai Payuthey</i> (soundtrack) 2000 soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman

Alai Payuthey is the soundtrack album, composed by A. R. Rahman, to the 2000 Indian Tamil film of the same name. The soundtrack album consists of nine tracks from the original Tamil version of the album, whereas the Telugu version has seven tracks. The soundtrack of Alaipayuthey was unanimously hailed as a Mani Ratnam film soundtrack turning for rhythmic fusion using modern synthesizers. A film, initially planned with film score, eventually took place.

<i>Sarkar</i> (soundtrack) 2018 soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman

Sarkar (transl. Government) is the soundtrack album for the 2018 Indian Tamil-language political action thriller film of the same name. The album composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics written by Vivek, consists of five songs, two of which were released as singles prior to the audio launch, held on 2 October 2018.

References

  1. https://music.apple.com/in/artist/a-r-rahman/3249567 (1 January 2007), Pray for Me Brother - Single by A.R. Rahman , retrieved 22 August 2023{{citation}}: External link in |last= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. SARASWATHY NAGARAJAN. "Music my passion, my pension". The Hindu . 2007-02-19.
  3. "The Official Website". A. R. Rahman. Archived from the original on 22 April 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.