How a Song Should Be, Explains Ilaiyaraaja

For a listener, anytime they hear it, it should feel like it is new and has been just composed

In a brief interaction with the media recently, Ilaiyaraaja spoke about a variety of topics, wonderfully touching upon the reason for a lot of songs to still remain fresh in our memories.

The legendary composer said, "It has been 38 years since Mundhanai Mudichu released. It has been four decades since 16 Vayadhiniley released. Many are listening to a single song again and again. They are listening to songs composed decades ago. Why?"

And, he came up with the answer as well: "A song has to be like a just-blossoming flower. If it is like an already bloomed flower, it will wilt after a few days."

He added: "For a listener, anytime they hear it, it should feel like it is new and has been just composed. Our minds usually tend to go towards newer compositions and the reason people still keep going back to some old songs is because they have retained that appeal and freshness."

On Covid impact on his work, he said, “My music composing work has been going on, but it has been a bit slow since the pandemic has affected the cinema industry."

Meanwhile, the response of Ilaiyaraaja on how a song should be was shared by AR Rahman on his Twitter page, and his action is winning praise on social media.