A.R.Rahman’s songs cover a wide spectrum of sounds, tempos, moods and situations. So to make a best of - list is a task I don’t have the stomach for. These are 10 ARR songs I can never ever tire of listening:

1. Humma Humma - Bombay
   I recommend the Hindi version any day. ARR is too shy to make all those ’’Yahieee re!’’ sounds that Remo Fernandes pulls off with gusto. I was 10 when I saw this movie in a theatre and since then, I don’t remember anytime I ’ve seen the audience get so excited about a song. Until Bombay, Bollywood movie buffs sort-of knew ARR from Roja and knew he was an exciting fireball of talent, but I suppose this is the movie where Mumbai found ARR simply irresistible. The song packs a punch right from the suspense-packed chorus opening which keeps you guessing and keeps you engaged right unto the last stanza as the shehnai goes off into a frenzy to the chants of Humma Humma. Very aggressive handling of the flute is just one of the things that make this song unforgettable.

2. Thodha Thodha - Indira
   Cut to this soulful duet by S.P.B/Chitra where ARR dons a new avatar altogether. This is, simply, soothing, beautiful melody working its magic. Even Chitra ranks it as a song very special to her. A lovely tune sung superbly by the singers and handled delicately by ARR. The violin passages in the second interlude can only be dreamt up by a genius.

3. En Kadhalae - Duet
We shift to a rather complex mood now, which can be better understood from the movie. ARR songs are incomplete without the movie situation for which they were composed, as they are perfectly tailored to support the situation. But even just as a song, this stands out again for ARR’s remarkable maturity even in those early days. I could even argue that later he ran out of patience with the constraints imposed on his creativity by the film industry’s peculiar requirements. Kadari Gopalnath’s saxophone passages tug at your heart for several days after listening to the song. S.P.B immerses all his soul into the song. ARR’s often accused of favouring new voices for his songs. In the midst of such accusations, what is forgotten is that he has given such superlative melodies to great singers like S.P.B and Chitra and they have, in return, invested all their all talent and experience in rendering his songs.

4. Ooh la la - Minsara Kanavu/Sapnay
For the benefit of Hindi music fans, I am also mentioning the name of the equivalent Hindi movie. I prefer the Tamil version, as some portions of the charnam/ antara are based on Carnatic music, for example, Thandhaney thandaney is derived from Carnatic music. Also, the beat shift in the second interlude is also derived from Tamil folk music, though ARR paints over such regional flavours with a Pan-Indian brush. This song has a lively tempo with an energetic rendition by Chitra and Unni Menon and at the same time is not lacking in melody. It is this combination of melody and rhythm that has everybody falling in love with ARR’s music.

5. Pachchai Nirhame/ Hasti Rahe - Alai Payuthey/ Saathiya
I’ve heard both the Tamil and Hindi versions. My vote is again for the Tamil version as once again, the second stanza is heavily influenced by Carnatic music. Any list of top ARR hits is incomplete without a song from this movie. Beautiful infusion of Western chorus with a Carnatic-based tune. Hariharan effortlessly rolls his voice in the Carnatic passages. Here, I must say that one of ARR’s strengths is his selection of singers. OK, he did give opportunities to one-song wonders, but when it’s time to compose a masterpiece such as this, he knows which singer he needs. In this song and in Kadhal Sadugudu/Udi Udi , he did away the traditional concept of interludes and instead repeated the same sequence again and again. Sometimes, even repetition can be projected as a novelty and nobody knows this better than ARR.

6. July Madham Vandhaal - Pudhiya Mugam
   The speciality of this song is that ARR doesn’t deploy any great computerised special effects. He almost seems to be paying homage to IR’s profuse usage of acoustic instruments. Sure, the bass buzzes away in the second interlude, but the dominance of acoustic guitar is striking. A pleasant, breezy, uncluttered song rendered by S.P.B and Anupama. I say uncluttered because there are noticeably fewer sounds working away in the background. Simple, delightful patterns make this a different song from the composer with a difference.

7. Yennai Kanavilaye - Kadhal Desam
   This is another great S.P.B solo in ARR’s music. In some ARR songs, it is quite difficult to pinpoint one particular thing that is special. In this song, the chorus portions, violin passages, flute portions and of course, S.P.B’s singing - I like everything in this song. I would have mentioned the extraordinary highs as a highlight too, but it’s artificial and invented in the recording studio. S.P.B could barely manage the highs in a live performance and if S.P.B has to be stretched so much for a song, what happens to other singers?

8. Yennavale - Kadhalan
    A beautiful Carnatic-based solo by Unnikrishnan with a modern feel. I love the gentle violin accompaniment - I don’t know whether they are live violins or just the synthesizer, knowing what ARR is capable of. I guess one of the reasons many of the old-timers who didn’t like IR stealing the thunder from MSV in the 80s root for ARR is - it is good ol’ Carnatic music with a great new twist. They find it hard to hate this boy wonder who’s made Carnatic music relevant to teenagers.

9. Malargale - Lovebirds
    The orchestration is a bit repetitive in this song, but I love Chitra’s rendition. Hariharan delivers in the low Carnatic-inspired portions as always. The beat was recycled for the hit Akkada from Indian .

10. Parkathey - Gentleman
   This may be a surprising selection, but I like ARR’s playful handling of the violin and piano. A top Bollywood actor once said that it’s easy to enact tragedy and drama, because the script is there to support you, but nobody can help you in comedy. Likewise, evoking humour in music is very difficult to pull off, though scoffed at by purists. Again, ARR shows us the versatility of the solo violin, which lends itself equally well to jazz and Carnatic. Minmini’s singing isn’t anything to die for, but her voice suits the mood of the song to a T.