Vande Mataram (album)

Last updated

Vande Mataram
Vandemataramcover.jpg
Studio album by
A. R. Rahman
Released12 August 1997 [1]
Recorded1997
Panchathan Record Inn
(Chennai, India)
Sarm West Studios
(London, UK)
Metropolis Studios
(London, UK)
Reaktor Studios
(London, UK)
Sargam Studios
(Lahore, Pakistan)
XIC Studios
(Mumbai, India)
Genre World music, Indian pop, Folk rock [2]
Length55:25
Label Columbia/SME Records (1997)
CK 68525 (North America)
488709 (international)
Varese Sarabande (2009)
Producer A. R. Rahman
Kanika Myer Bharat
Bharatbala

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. [3] 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.

Contents

A critical and commercial hit, the title song from the album is one of India's most popular songs of all time. Sung by Rahman himself, the song has come to represent a feeling of patriotic unity for India and has been performed or played at several national and regional events in the country. The track also holds two Guinness World Records for being the song performed in the most languages. Indian singer Sai "Psychuck" Manapragada performed the track in 265 different languages (individually) and again in 277 languages (with chorus) to achieve this feat twice. [4] Rahman was also issued an Guinness World Record certificate for being the composer of the original song which was ceremoniously presented to Rahman after his concert in Oakland, CA, USA on 12 September 2010. [5]

The album won the 1998 Screen Videocon Award for Best Non-Film Album. [6] It also features "Gurus of Peace" which Rahman recorded with the late Pakistani Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who died 4 days after the album's release.

Background

In 1997, when Rahman had gone to Bombay (now Mumbai) to attend the Screen Awards ceremony, he met his childhood friend Bharat Bala. During this meeting both had discussed a proposal for an album to commemorate 50 years of Indian Independence in 1997. In 1997, the International music label, Sony Music, entered the Indian market in a big way. They were looking to promote Indian artistes internationally. And the first person to be signed up by Sony Music from the Indian sub-continent was A.R.Rahman, on a three-album contract. The financial details of the contract were not disclosed but Industry experts believe it to be the largest of its kind in India. Rahman suggested the idea that he had discussed with Bharat to Sony Music India and was immediately accepted. Called Vande Mataram, it was a tribute to the motherland and featured songs to mark the three colours of the Indian Flag . [7]

Development

Sony asked him to choose from any of its international stars to work with and supposedly even suggested the name of Celine Dion. But Rahman settled, very appropriately, for the Pakistani Sufi music singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Sting's guitarist Dominic Miller. Rahman had decided that he would definitely work with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan after he attended his performance in Delhi. Explaining his choice, "I don't want to collaborate with just a name. I must feel something for the person and relate with his work. I've seen several famous names collaborating on songs and albums, but they remain just two names. There's no chemistry. It's like oil and water. They can't come together." He went all the way to Pakistan to record the "Gurus of Peace" number with Khan. [7] This is supposedly the first time that an Indian and Pakistani artiste have come together to create this kind of music. [8] Rahman worked overtime for this prestigious project that his film assignments went behind schedule. [7] [1]

Chaiyya Chaiyya was originally composed for the album. But as it didn't fit it, it was replaced for the film Dil Se..

Release

When the songs from the album were played, pre-release, at the Sony Music conference in Manila, Sony Music executives representing various Sony Music sub-labels reportedly went berserk and clamoured for the international rights of the album. They played the song; pandemonium reigned. The head of Columbia records (a Sony label) said, "It's unbelievable, I want it." The head of Epic records (another Sony label) said, "I don't care, I want it." Says Subramaniam: "It was the hit of the conference." [1]

Amid great hype, the album was released on 12 August 1997, three days before the 50th anniversary of Indian independence. The Indian release had only 7 songs while the international release had two additional songs "Masoom" and "Musafir". Later "Masoom" was released in India in the album Gurus of Peace and "Musafir" in the album MTV Total Mix.

In 2009, The international version of album with 9 songs was re-issued by Varèse Sarabande in North America.

Reception

The album was met with overwhelming responses. Rahman became the first Indian artist of popular music to go international when Vande Mataram was released simultaneously in 28 countries across the world. Rahman himself performed live at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on August 14, 1997, the eve of the Golden Jubilee of India's independence, to a packed audience that comprised the Prime Minister of India, Inder Kumar Gujral. The album was a big success, selling over 500,000 copies in the first week, and over 1.5 million copies in India during 1997. [1] It also did very well internationally, selling millions worldwide. [9]

Screen India's reviewer said, "A. R. Rahman's tribute to India in its 50th year of independence was a well-synchronised effort. Both, Rahman's music and singing, were appreciated, and the lead track "Maa Tujhe Salaam", with its brilliant orchestration, is a befitting '90s ode to the motherland. Another highlight is Rahman's duet with Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, "Gurus of Peace"." [10] Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, describing it as "a vibrant, exciting album that has the potential to reach beyond the traditional world music fan." [11]

Initially there was some negative criticism against Rahman for using phrases of India's national song "Vande Mataram" in the title track; "Maa Tujhe Salaam". With the immense popularity and widespread appeal for the song from all over India, much of this criticism was ignored. The song "Maa Tujhe Salaam" got repeated airplay in the world music category on radio and television channels across the world.[ citation needed ]"Maa Tujhe Salaam" was also nominated for International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV India in 1998. [12] [ circular reference ]

"Maa Tujhe Salaam" is commonly used as an anthem by India's national sports teams. It is especially considered iconic for India's national cricket team as cricket is the most popular spectator sport in the country. The song's patriotic theme helps to unite everyone, boost morale, and represent pride in the team and the country. It is often played at matches, celebrations, events, and used in video packages. [13] [14] [15]

Track listing

#SongSinger(s)LengthLyricsNotes
1"Maa Tujhe Salaam" A. R. Rahman 6:11 Mehboob Backing vocals by Rita Campbell, Deepika Thathaal, Joy Rose, Chris Ballin, Sophia James
Percussion by Peter Lockett
Guitar by Mark James
Video Editing by Chetan Desai
2"Revival" A. R. Rahman 7:40 Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Traditional Song
Backing vocals by Anuradha Sriram, Sujatha, Kalyani Menon & Seema
Percussion by Sivamani
Santoor by Srinivasalu
Saxophone by Chris "Snake" Davis
Oboe by Sara Prosser
3"Gurus of Peace" Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, A. R. Rahman 6:27 Mehboob, Tim Cody & Dinesh Kapoor Backing vocals by Katy Stephenson, Emma Bigwood, Gemma Austreng, Brittaney Love & Georgina Gill
Acoustic guitar by Mahesh Tinaikar
4"Tauba Tauba" A. R. Rahman 6:11 Mehboob Indian Rhythms by Laxmi Narayan, Neelakantan & Veda
Shehnai by Appa Rao
5"Only You" A. R. Rahman 5:40 Mehboob Percussion by Sivamani
Bass guitar by Keith Peters
6"Missing (Vande Mataram)" Instrumental 5:11
7"Thai Manne Vanakkam" A. R. Rahman 6:11 Vairamuthu Tamil version of "Maa Tujhe Salaam"
8"Masoom" A. R. Rahman 6:08 Gulzar Sitar by Janardhanan
9"Musafir" A. R. Rahman, Faye5:43Tim Kody, Kanika Myer Bharat Percussion by Peter Lockett
Oboe by Sara Prosser

Album credits

Personnel

Production

Post production

Design

Covers

Stanford Raagapella, a South Asian fusion a cappella group, has created an acappella version of the song Maa Tujhe Salaam. [16]

Esther Hnamte, a four-year-old girl from Mizoram published a music video cover on Youtube in October 2020. [17] It became a media sensation leading to praising comments from Chief Minister of Mizoram and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. [18] [19] Rahman also tweeted, saying, "When you are showered with cuteness and love." [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan</span> Pakistani vocalist, musician, composer and music director (1948–1997)

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, also known by his initials NFAK, was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Often referred to as the "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali", he is considered by The New York Times as the greatest qawwali singer of his generation and as the fourth greatest singer of all time by LA Weekly in 2016. He was known for his vocal abilities and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours. Khan is widely credited with introducing Qawwali music to international audiences. He was also a master of Hindustani classical music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anu Malik</span> Indian music director and singer (born 1960)

Anwar Sardar "Anu" Malik is an Indian music composer, singer, music arranger and score composer. He is an Indian National Award and Filmfare Award winning musician, who primarily composes music for the Hindi film industry. He is the son of Sardar Malik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahat Fateh Ali Khan</span> Pakistani musician

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is a Pakistani singer, primarily Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, son of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan and grandson of Qawwali singer Fateh Ali Khan. In addition to Qawwali, he also performs ghazals and other light music. He is also well-known as a playback singer in Hindi cinema and the Pakistan film industry.

Jana Gana Mana is a music video produced in 2000 featuring a number of prominent Indian musicians and singers performing the Indian national anthem "Jana Gana Mana." The video was released on 26 January 2000 to mark the 50th year of the Constitution of India and the Republic Day. It has the distinction of being released by the then President of India, in the Central Hall of the Indian Parliament. It was produced by Bharat Bala and Kanika Myer and published by Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

"Chaiyya Chaiyya" is an Indian pop-folk song, featured in the soundtrack of the Bollywood film Dil Se.., released in 1998. Based on Sufi music and Urdu poetry, the single was derived from the lyrics of the song "Tere Ishq Nachaya", written by Bulleh Shah, with music composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Gulzar, and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. The accompanying music video was directed by Mani Ratnam and picturised on Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika Arora, where they perform the song on top of a moving train.

Filmi qawwali is a form of qawwali music found in the Lollywood, Dhallywood, Tollywood, and Bollywood film industries.

Mehboob is an Indian film lyricist. He was born and brought up in Mumbai city of Maharashtra, where he also received his primary education, first in English and later in Urdu.

Devika Chawla, known by her Artist Identity "Devika" is a US based singer / songwriter of Indian origin known for her unique voice and soulful performances. While she has trained in Hindustani classical music, she has always been at the forefront of fusion between Indian folk/classical melody & lyrics and a western sound.

<i>Beats, Rhymes & Life</i> (Outlandish album) 2004 studio album by Outlandish

Outlandish Presents... Beats, Rhymes & Life is a collaborative album released in 2004 by Outlandish and featuring collaborations with artists including The Fugees, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Junoon.

"Vande Mataram" is the official national song of India and the origin of the patriotic cry of the Indian independence movement.

Bharath Bala is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

"Tere Bina" is a 2006 Hindi song from the 2007 Hindi film Guru. It was composed by A. R. Rahman, performed by Rahman, Murtuza Khan, Quadir Khan and Chinmayi and written by Gulzar. It is a love ballad composed in sufi style of music. It is dedicated to the memory of Pakistani qawwali singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan written at the time of the tenth anniversary of his death. The music video was picturised as a dance sequence by Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan. The song begins with dham dara dham dara refrains, sung by Murtuza Khan and Quadir Khan.

Maa Tujhhe Salaam may refer to

<i>Guru</i> (soundtrack) 2006 soundtrack album by A R Rahman

Guru is the soundtrack to the 2007 film directed by Mani Ratnam. The soundtrack was released on 18 November 2006. The film's music is composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics provided by Gulzar.

Stanford Raagapella is Stanford University's South Asian focus a cappella group. The group was founded as an all-male group in 2002 and transitioned to an all-gender group in 2017. Stanford Raagapella has released three albums to date, Raags to Riches, Raag Time and Raagstars. Raagapella regularly performs on campus in events hosted by the group itself as well as by organizations such as Stanford Sanskriti, the South Asian cultural organization. Stanford Raagapella has toured the United States and India, performing with artists such as A.R. Rahman. The group's repertoire consists of world music, much of which originates in India and Pakistan, and Western songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinite Love</span> 2012 single by A. R. Rahman

"Infinite Love" is a single by Indian composer A. R. Rahman. The single was released under Sony Music on 20 December 2012 and was recorded to "instill faith and optimism in people" prior to the predicted doomsday on 21 December 2012. The song was also released in Hindi, titled "Behad Pyaar", which translates to "Infinite Love" in English. Rahman, Indian rapper Blaaze along with Gil Levy wrote the lyrics for the English version, whereas lyricist Irshad Kamil worked on the Hindi lyrics.

Most of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's early music was recorded with Rehmat Gramophone House later turned RGH Label. Throughout the ’70s and early ’80s Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan released hundreds of cassettes, most of them containing one or two lengthy songs. Chris Nickson, of Global Rhythm, argues that trying to make order of Khan's entire discography would be a nightmare.

<i>Maa Tujhe Salaam</i> (2018 film) Bhojpuri film

Maa Tujhe Salaam is a 2018 Indian Bhojpuri-language romance film directed by Aslam Sheikh and produced by Abhay Sinha & Samir Aftab. Pawan Singh is in lead role and Madhu Sharma and Akashra Singh in his opposite. While Surendra Pal, Prakash Jais, Sameer Aftab, Ayaz Khan, Manoj Tiger, Brijesh Tripathi and others in supporting roles.

Esther Lalduhawmi Hnamte is a child singer and prodigy from Mizoram, India. She became a media sensation in late 2020 when her rendition of A. R. Rahman's song "Maa Tujhe Salaam" went viral. She became the fastest viewer-gaining artists on YouTube among the Mizo people.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "A Song for India". India Today . 1 September 1997. Archived from the original on 2 March 1999.
  2. ↑ "A.R. Rahman – Vande Mataram". Discogs . Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Salma Khatib (22 September 2000). "Indi-pop: Down But Not Out". Screen India . Archived from the original on 20 January 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  4. ↑ "NRI songster storms into Guinness". The Hindu . 20 August 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  5. ↑ AR Rahman Guinness World Record.
  6. ↑ "Screen Videocon Award Winners". Screen India . 23 January 1998. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 "Artist of the Month: AR Rahman". TFM. January 2006.
  8. 1 2 "Sony to launch A R Rahman as international artiste on Independence Day". Rediff. August 1997. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
  9. ↑ Mathai, Kamini (2009). A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm. Penguin Group. p. 160. ISBN   9788184758238.
  10. ↑ "Audio Reviews: The Best of 1997". Screen India . 1997. Retrieved 28 April 2011.[ dead link ]
  11. ↑ "A.R. Rahman - Vande Mataram". Allmusic . Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "Nominations for International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV India,1998".
  13. ↑ "Moment of the Year: Kanteerava singing 'Vande Mataram' permeates into Indian football history". ESPN. 17 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "'Goosebumps': Over 30,000 Fans Sing Vande Mataram During India vs New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium - WATCH". news18. 17 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "'Maa Tujhe Salaam': Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya singing Vande Mataram post T20 World Cup win leaves fans teary-eyed". Hindustan Times. 5 July 2024.
  16. ↑ "Stanford Raagapella" . Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  17. ↑ "4-year-old girl's rendition of 'Maa Tujhe Salaam' has a new fan: PM Modi". The Indian Express. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  18. ↑ "Adorable and admirable: PM Modi lauds 4-year-old girl's rendition of 'Vande Mataram'". Deccan Herald. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  19. ↑ Achom, Debanish (31 October 2020). ""Adorable, Admirable": PM On 4-Year-Old Singing "Vande Mataram"". NDTV. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  20. ↑ Jaiswal, Umanand (3 November 2020). "Child singer wins Netizens' admiration". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.