The Legend Of SPB: Beyond Languages, Genres And Generations

There was nothing that legendary singer S P Balasubramanyam (SPB) could not do with the notes that seemed to dance to his tunes. Here are five songs from five languages that left SPB etched in the minds of listeners forever.

If there is anyone who has not felt Shiva in all his grandeur everytime Balasubramanyam called out "Shankaraa... Naada Shareera para", then that person is yet to know Shiva in his entirety. This 'Telugu song' was also the one that won him his first national award for Sankarabharanam.

For the swaras that came out in his voice for the last five decades were simply unbound. Neither the lack of formal training, nor linguistic barriers nor the compartmentalisation of genre — nothing was ever a hurdle when SPB sang. Because he simply did that — chose to sing since 1966.

He embodied the phrase ‘music needs no language’ for it is a ‘language of the beyond’. His perfection in diction and the phonetic nuances are plain magical.

His Hindi renditions in the 1990s played cupid for over a decade to follow. To this day, first love will always happen to people with Pehla pehla pyar hai.

Every mood captured perfectly, every emotion painted in the saptaswaras so effortlessly — from the playfulness of a Didi tera devar, to the melodiuous Sathiya tune kya kiya, to the heart wrenching Roja title track.

In Kannada, one could clearly tell with closed eyes by just listening to SPB sing if the actor on screen was Shankar Nag, Anant Nag or Srinaath with not an ounce of doubt. Like the Kannada music talent show he was the main judge for, whose title was based on a song he sang, he always sang 'ede tumbi' (music brimming from his heart).

Even a language like Tulu, which is still fighting for recognition, SPB ensured he lent his voice to. And the songs that he rendered are to this day the most memorable Tulu film songs, this one being one that unleashes the rasa of shringara in the most playful and conversational manner.