Ilayaraja

Ilayaraja [Tamil]

1 Kanavu kaanum [Film: Neengal Kettavai] Ditto replica of the song 'kasme vaade' from the movie Upkaar. Music by Kalyanji Anandji! Listen to Kanavu kaanum | Kasme vaade Its my duty to add that a talk that KA and IR exchanged songs (IR had supposedly 'given' the song 'Ilaya nila' to KA!) has been doing the rounds for quite some time. 2 Theme from Mouna Raagam [Film: Mouna Raagam] Inspired from the theme of the film Flash Dance by Giorgio Moroder. Listen to Mouna Raagam BGM | Flash Dance Inspired! No direct lift but a very beautiful adaptation of the Flash Dance theme. 'Adaptation' would be the best word to describe this. But you sure can find out traces which confirms IR listening to the Flash Dance theme for inspiration. 3 Chittu kuruvi [Film: Chinna Veedu] Inspired from Antonin Dvorak's Symphony 9 - New World. The actual track is Sym No. 9 in e, Op. 95: Scherzo: Molto Vivace. Listen to Chittu kuruvi | Antonin Dvorak's Symphony 9 (The beginning of the Tamil song can be distinctly heard in this clip. Make sure you have your speaker volumes in max, it starts with a very low volume) An exceptionally beautiful case of genuine inspiration. This is how a composer of repute gets inspired for his compositions. This can never ever be called plagiarism. Such instances are really rare and probably more common if we dig deep into Ilayaraja's compositions! Truly, a masterpiece! 4 Kan malargalin [Film: Thaippongal] Inspired from ABBA's Money money money Just the beginning of the song. 5 Darling darling darling [Film: Priya] Inspired from Boney M's number, Sunny Again, just the beginning. 6 Entha poovilum vaasam [Film: Murattukkaalai] Inspired from Antonio Ruiz-Pipo's 'Cancione et Danza: 2. Danza'. Listen to Entha poovilum vaasam undu | Cancion et Danza: 2. Danza The opening portion is surely inspired. But a typical Ilayaraja-like intricate work! 7 Ada veetukku veetukku [Film: Kizhakku Vaasal] Inspired from Mozart's 25th symphony, 1st movement. Good case of inspiration. Surely cannot call it copying. This is the signature tune of Titan watch advts on TV, composed by none other than A R Rahman! 8 Poottukkal pottaalum [Film: Chatriyan] Inspired from the song 'My favorite things' from the all time classic Sound of Music! Again, good case of inspiration. 9 Theeyani [Film: Nireekshana] Inspired by The Sound of Music number 'My favorite things'! Listen to Theeyani | My favorite things Inspired! 10 Chittukku chella chittukku [Film: Nallavanukku Nallavan] Possibly inspired by Rimsky-Korsakov's 'The Tale Of The Kalendar Prince', from his 1888 work by name 'Scheherazade'. Listen to Chittukku chella chittukku | Tale of Kalendar Prince Given Ilayaraja's love for Western Classical music, it sounds plausible...also taking into account his past inspirations from the likes of Antonin Dvorak! Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov is one of the leading 19th century Russian nationalist composers. 'Scheherazade' was written almost towards the end of Rimsky's career and life...as he put it himself in his memoirs, it "closes a period of my work, at the end of which my orchestration had attained a considerable degree of virtuosity and warm sonority" 11 Kaadhal Vandhiruchu [Film: Kalyanaraman (1979)] A prominent portion partly inspired by the song 'Lady in Black' by the rock band Uriah Heep! Listen to Kaadhal Vandhiruchu | Lady in Black Lady in Black was part of Uriah Heep's 1970 album, 'Salisbury'. 12 Akkarai seemai azhaginiley [Film: Priya (1978)] <TC> The opening is inspired by the 1967 British single 'Kites' by Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. Listen to Akkarai seemai | Kites When I say opening, I mean the first 2 lines of both the songs sound DITTO! And coming from a composer of Ilayaraja's stature, this is quite a shocker!