The train song

My 3 yr old loves trains. It started with Thomas the Tank Engine and has morphed into an obsession with all things trains. I had shown him “Chaiyya Chaiyya" a long time ago and he remember itso well that it has become his new go to song. For the last three months, we have listened to the song in the car, again and again and again. In the quest to expand his playlist and make the car drive more pleasant for us, I took it upon myself to introduce new songs that have a train theme to it.

Here is what I came up with. Maybe some of you can help me add more to this list and thus save us!

1. Chaiyya Chaiyya - Composer: A.R.Rahman, Movie: Dil Se - best train song, period.

2. Mere Sapnon Ki Rani - Composer: S.D.Burman, Movie: Aradhana - I grew up loving this evergreen classic.

3. Chikku bukku Raile - Composer: A.R.Rahman, Movie: Gentleman - This was a rage when it came out. Continues to be a fun listen.

4. Main hoon jhumroo- Composer: Kishore Kumar, Movie: Jhumroo - Kishoreda weaves magic with his own composition. The yodeling in this song is pure gold.

5. Hum dono do premi- Composer: R.D.Burman, Movie: Ajnabee - A R.D hit piece with Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman frolicking on top of the train. This is one of those songs where the innocence of the kid kinda helps if you know what I mean :)

6. Hoga Tumse Pyaara Kaun- Composer: R.D.Burman, Movie: Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai. Pamchamda gives this youthful movie some bubbly music. This song on top of a train (canned in the studio of course) is a favorite. Of course, there is a different song that earns bigger raves in this movie.

7. Hai Apna Dil To Awara- Composer: S.D.Burman , Movie: Solva Saal. A debonair Dev Anand and a gorgeous Waheeda Rehman elevate an awesome Hemant’da song to an even higher level. What a wonderful piece.

8. Jiya o jiya- Composer: Shankar-Jaikishan , Movie: Jab Pyaar Kisi se hota hai. Another Dev Anand classic. This time with Asha Parekh. Rafi shines like a star in this one.

Thanks to a google search, I found some interesting and wonderful Hindi songs from the golden era to pad up my list (songs 4-8)[link1][link2].

I introduced the full set a week ago and the the little guy fell hook line and sinker. Isn’t music wonderful?. Now we have lots more music to listen to in the car and introduce the voices of Hemant’da, Kishore Kumar and Mohd.Rafi to a whole new generation.