The 20 Best Pakistani Pop Songs … ever!

i have to say biggest crap list i have ever seen. I seriously believe this guy knows nothing about music.

Re: # 2

ure plain rude. u really werent invited to write ur comments here u know. plus, nadeem has done a more or less objective reading of the music....if u knEW ANYTHing abt music it would be different yes.

it wud b really nice if mr. nadeem wud pay more attention to the lyrics/music of the song rather then the personnal lives of the stars... and one more thing ``not the popular tracks r always the best`` mr. nadeem do think upon it

Hi nadeem,
Cannot believe you left out nusrat !!!!!!!!!!! (agreed his music was sufi but the remixes count dont they?) He HAS to be THE most high profiled musician yet out of pakistan. Whether it was `sannu ik pal chaain na aave` or `mast mast` or then `afreen afreen` his contribution to the world of music is invaluable.
Also please upgrade nazia and zoheb yaar :) rewind to `zara chehra to dikhao` - the zoheb singlet or then to `dum dum de de ` - nazias solo to get a wiff of the 80`s. god i miss their music..........
cheers

NFP

You missed on one of the most ground breaking and record breaking song i.e. Chief Saab by Sajjad Ali. I think it deserves the place in top 5.

And the order in which u have placed top 20, makes me wonder why r u obliging ur friends.

was

NFP,

I only disagree with you on the top nine!

Ras

ooooh this must be the melodrama *rubbing hands excitedly*

it`s nice to know that some people come on chowk and certain boards solely for the purpose of sticking it to someone.

Okay Nadeem let`s just say I`m not good at sarcasm, it sucks as you put it, and everyone knows you are a vicious bastaard when it comes to sarcasm. I just asked you simple question. Why as a college student did you keep going up and down India and now when you were graciously invited by some well meaning individuals to Mumbai for the WSF you rudely refused calling the whole thing as knee-jerk bull. I think that`s a very hipocritical thing to do.
Anyways, it is however good to see your upbeat side finally coming out in this thread, because your super sarcasm skills aren`t always so cool. They can be totally rude.
What was the point of bashing The News here in public? You wrote for that paper for ten years and it paid your bills even when you turned into a major pain in their backside. They stuck by you with all the way. Think about it. Cheers.

ana,
Sheikhi mattered a lot to the scene between 1980 and `85, after which I think it was his volitile wife who asked him to start working the gym. After the Signs hit the scene in the late `80s, Sheikhi was seen more in a gym than the studio, even though the early Signs weren`t more than 125Ibs each! Insecurity and a Rambo-fan as a wife became his downfall. And he looked rather silly with all that brawn compared to his slight, kurta-jeans early `70s look.

Naqshbandi,
Ah, yes, Mhedi Hassan. Anytime, sir, anytime. But let me tell you a very interesting thing. So many of today`s Pakistani pop singers have covered his songs and in all this hulla-gulla, people forgot the brilliant cover of his ``Jab Tumain Koi Pyaar Sey Bolai Ga`` by JJ way back in 1993. Now THAT was doing true justice to a meastro.

bongdong,
Not if you also have a CD or two of Madamn Noorjehan`s Punjaby filmy naghmay. ;)

for there having been NOTHING to talk about in this article, we`ve certainly continued to talk about music, be it boney m. or fuzon. i like this. :)

i was thinking earlier about mohammad ali sheikhi being mentioned a couple times (once in jest by meself), and while i think he sang some soulful ballads pre- zia, i don`t know how he fits in this list. . well not in this top ten at least. perhaps our own lists. this is NFP`s list afterall, and while he`s adding some interesting social and political commentary alongside his choices, it`s somewhat tongue-in-cheek as well. . .i mean the title: ever!?

i find some of sheikhi`s later music to be rather contrived personally. problem, admittedly was funny but what kind of impact did it have really, other than probably giving the nurses complexes about their `soorat`?

and before sheikhi fans jump on my case for blasphemy, this is my opinion, na? :) having been crazy about the dude once meself, i totally respect your admiration for him. i did like the songs he did with allan fakir. :)

#66

I must protest, I am a true son of the revolution and no counter-revolutionary.

I profer the current set of mix CD`s in my car for inspection. Everything from Dancing Queen to Mama Mia to Sayonee to Boom Boom to Aap jaisa koi to music from ``Saathiya and Hum Tum`` can be found there-in.

baaghiraja would probably jump out of the window after the first 50 miles of a road trip with me :)

and i totally missed out on the rest of your post baaghi. . .nazia and zoheb were trying to emulate the OTW era michael jackson???? they didn`t do all that well in that respect, did they? :)

An interesting choice of songs Paracha sahib. I agree with a lot of the songs being there but not the order. As for Fuzon, I think the song Khamaj deserves to be number one...

Still, give me Ustad Mehdi Hassan anyday...

#63
Quite the opposite, bongdong. I loved The Carpenters. ABBA? Naaaaa. I`d rather spin an old Bee Gees album instead. And it wasn`t ghusa as much as it was sheer apathy. Just can`t get those damn TC squeaks out of my head. Always need a Slyer record to make them go away! Not a pretty sight, mind you.

rgds,
NfP

baaghiraja #61.

perhaps thankfully, i don`t remember tina charles. when you were eight, i was. . .oh never mind, but when you were eight, i was, oh yes, grooving to the beegees, boney m. and ABBA! *grin*

maybe it was white forest. *ponders*

bongdongs. . .

he was dissing tina charles, not the techno-synthetic boney m. ;)

bongabandhu
``Yaar, why so much ghussa againt Tina Charles and Boney M? What next, how Carpenters were talentless or (gasp..) ABBA were synthetic :) ``

as a mebmber of a working proleteriat, i am very offended the way the rich (opressors) and their bourgoise (sp?) lackeys look down upon us poor working people music, as if their music, which anyways is a symbol of vulgar consumerism is somehow higher.

i resent this and when the revolution comes, first this that will be done is that scratches will be added to all the opressor`s music, and as a reward to them, after their re-education each will be given an abba or boney m album.

#61

Yaar, why so much ghussa againt Tina Charles and Boney M? What next, how Carpenters were talentless or (gasp..) ABBA were synthetic :)

I didnt know this till recently but Biddu composed a lot of stuff for Tina Charles before hitting the jackpot with Nadia and Zoheb.

#60 ana,
Biddu shot to ``fame`` as producer of cheesy, late `70s disco acts in and around London. His biggest catch in this respect was Tina Charles. Remember her? Don`t remember her face but I do remember her awful, awful squeaks. I was just eight years old when I first heard her voice on Radio Pakistan, and man, just can`t forget that awful nasel voice. Interestingly, later I learned that quite like her genric disco contemporaries, Bony M, she too was far more popular in Asian countries (including India and Pakistan) than she was in the West. So I`m not surprized Biddu hooked up with Nazia & Zoheb in 1980, even though the teenaged duo were trying to emulate the ‘Off The Wall’ era Michael Jackson.

#48 aboutturn,
~~Also muniba says hi and wasnt all
that glad the way you lambasted Instep in ure goodbye letter.
Cheers. ~~

Tell M I said hello too but I insist that Instep/The News has gotten itself stuck in one of those absolutely dull and damp modes in which more care is given to its cosmetic make-up than to any substance. It is, I believe nothing more than throwaway material incapable of arousing any sorts of excitement whatsoever. It is material born out of that terrible thing called self-censorship (in the name of “good journalism”), and the unabashed promotion of personalities better suited for those idiotic, one-off “reality shows” on Star Plus!

#58 aboutturn,
And yes, you still suck at sarcasm. Try some melodrama.

rgds,
NfP

nazia hassan was zoheb`s sister.

and if you think it was confusing to see nazia and zoheb crooning love songs, obviously you weren`t around during the donny and marie (osmond) years. on second thought, perhaps you should consider yourself lucky you missed out on donny and marie. (am certain some mormons are screaming blasphemy! blasphemy! somewheres)

biddu was actually behind much of nazia and zoheb`s success, what with `disco deewane` and `boom boom.` boom boom was quite the rage in 1984. but i remember biddu from quite some time before that. . .in the mid- to late seventies, when i heard this very danceable instrumental on one of my cousin`s assorted hits cassettes. i still remember the tune but have forgotten the title, something forest, black forest would be too easy. . .wonder if anyone remembers.

#58 by aboutturn on August 9, 2004 9:59pm PT
aap jaisa koi is an Indian film song. ``

Oh yeah the Biddu thing. Well, with biddus packaging and Zeenat Amans belly-dance video, this tune was a huge hit. It was confusing so see a brother-sister duo crooning love songs though (they were not cousins were they?)

aap jaisa koi is an Indian film song. NP will die than put this in the list because after all
he prove his holiness by refusing to go to India for the oh-so-yuppie WSF, isnt that right paracha? But I wonder what was he doing going to india over and again in eightees?

#52
Okay.

#54
That song about the red indians, right?

#55
stuka, if this had been a best 125 Pakistani pop songs list, then maybe.

yellow3

Are you Paracha Sahib`s Alter ego? How come I only see you posting on his articles???

Man, you have not included Aao Na by Nazia Hassan and Majajani by Abrar or Hawa Hawa or Jazbe eJunnon!!

Sorry, I recommend Atif`s suggestion for this list. :(

How about ``Hum Honge Kamyab`` song? You know the one about the downtrodden?

maryamm - is the extra ``m`` at the end of your name because of the extra sizzle in your personality? just wondering.

yummmm!!

baaghiraja #50 - you wrote ``BTW, atif2 (whatever happened to atif1, I wonder?), if there really isn`t much to talk about here on the article, then why on earth are you hanging around this place and that too with this list of songs still stuck up your butt? ``

Ok, let me confess something NFP. I actually like your writings. I like the way you show finger, literally and metaphorically. You bring us reprieve from this endless islam, pakistan bashing that we see on Chowk.

But then in the same spirit, I like messing with you too - knowing that you would come back with some witty response (hopefully). Now, as for the this finer point of your list being stuck in my butt, well, yeah it hurts. Note to self: don`t shove everything in your butt. Be selective.

Alright, now that I have that out of the way, Ana, how are you :) Long time no interact ! I wonder how it would be like going to theme park with you. Do you like rollercoasters? I like them a lot. Mostly because it helps me in dieting. How so? well because after eating the greasy park food, I end up vomiting it right out when I sit on these rollercoasters.

oh, BTW, my nick atif1 was banned by chowk staff. apparently they did not share my sense of humour.

#10
Yaroo Yehee Dostee Hai is not by Strings, but by Jupiter (the band Ali Azmat was a vocalist for before he joined Junoon). It`s the only song by Jupiter i remember :-)


NFP.. how could u miss Mohammad Ali shehki :-(

#49
Like they say ana, you can`t keep a good man down. Or, for that matter, request his much preferred silence. But the only problem is, poor Nass is a lady called Nighat! Damn. I`m sure somwhere in Karachi Nig`s rolling her eyes as well.
BTW, atif2 (whatever happened to atif1, I wonder?), if there really isn`t much to talk about here on the article, then why on earth are you hanging around this place and that too with this list of songs still stuck up your butt?

rgds,
NFP aka Atif3.

oh my gawd, now he`s gone and done it. . . .he`s called nass NFP. . . and he`s said there`s NOTHING to talk about in this article. *rolling eyes*

i`m going to miss brian o`connell. has he returned to the states, or is he still in pakistan?

Hi, good to see such stuff here. Over all this is a balanced list NFP, but why have you missed
so many great songs by Nusrat F Ali and Nazia? These two too were singers who as you say
crossed into the tastes of classes other than middle. Also muniba says hi and wasnt all
that glad the way you lambasted Instep in ure goodbye letter.
Cheers.

One more thing NFP, For how long do you think you can go on with your usual bellow the belt routine? Think about it.

#38
NFP, who?

Hey Nass (aka baahgiraja aka NFP) # 44 - yeah I found that really funny. Thats why you don`t see me jumping all over the board shouting in protest :) Given NFP`s knack for sarcasm and humour, I expect him to be the giver AND receiver of sarcasm. Good Job !!

But seriously, come on guys, there is really nothing to talk about the article. So we might as well have some backslapping fun.

jang - if you were around you should have let me know. I would have taken you to the moroccan restaurant near Inman. Its really cool place. I would have even picked the tab. May be next time. :)

atif2...
about that sacred orfice of yours NFP was talking about, didn`t you find any humor in that?
He actually told you to shove it, and lo and behold, you actually did!! A lot of us
found THAT funny.

An excellent article again Paracha. Less sardonic and more hopeful. Written like
a piece by a true music critic.
ana,
I think Paracha has done the right thing by ignoring idiots like this
very desperate sounding atif2. He`s a puka cheapo.

is this unplugged? atif is back? do you like your dinner at medina market on brighton ave? (I liked it on my visit).

anyways, thanks HE, my obeservation is that in past, no hip-urban person in india would admit to listening to nazia hassan (or bee-gees), it had to be Tull or beatles were always a safe bet. offcourse, if a rikhaw-wallas plays a song on his steroid-stereo, the song certainly made its quick-exit from the hip list. now the young and urban have become more self-assured, and have more latitude, and fortunately a far larger talent pool to listen to. lots of indie stuff available thru web as well.

ana, we all are uncles and aunties ;-)

ana - hulllloooo :) how are you doing this morning.

you write ``please don`t begin a sentence addressed to me with the word `seriously`. especially when i can`t take anything you say seriously!``

well actually ana, it just so appears that you ARE taking what I write seriously. It almost appears that I stole your mujjh and now you are after me. Whereas ALL i did was to exercise my right to criticise your PR client - NFP.

wajahat # 39 - you are my man!! You are DA man :) That was a good one!!! I really enjoyed it.

Ana - see, THIS is called not taking things seriously. Please learn something from wajahat. The guy`s got some sense of humor.

Especially when there is not too much to the article itself, its always fun doing noNk jhoNk.

I think the Ana/Atif2 debate is getting off from the point of NFP`s Article.

To put it back into perspective, Atif2 is trying to sing ``Aitebar``.. to Ana, whereas Ana is responding by ``No Love``. Atif2 want to ``Sar Kiyay Yeh Pahar`` and somehow get acknowledgement from ana, without realising that all Ana wants to do here, quite rightly actually, is to just to have an Intellectual ``Bhangra Pao``.

Maybe Atif2 needs to just change his ``ADAT`` and point his ``Talash`` to some other ``Uss Rah Par`` , giving Ana a break as from her last post, all she wants to do is ``Sona Chata Houn``, and I doubt if she would be responding to atif by ``Kaho Aik Din``.

So Atif2 mate, u can rest assured that ``Yeh Sham`` will definately not be coming again, So Stop your ``Garaj Baras``.

baaghiraja #36

d`you remember that star trek episode where the enterprise crew has doubles who are living in an alternate universe? maybe there was more than one, but there`s the good nauseating kirk and then the `evil` one? why does it feel like you`ve been taken over by an alternate NFP? and you leave me no choice but to say `thaaakur, mujhko NFP dey de. . .` ;)

atif #37

please don`t begin a sentence addressed to me with the word `seriously`. especially when i can`t take anything you say seriously! but speaking of serious. . .this isn`t one of those boards on unplugged where we go off topic all the time. this is NFP`s article here, and that`s where the focus needs to be. so like i said. . .move on. there are actually some of us here who do appreciate NFP. thank you!

ana - you wrote ``i`ve moved on. try it. it works! ``

but have you really?!!

seriously, i think when you and I go head-to-head, we bring the best out of each other. how often does this happen that in responding to a chowkie, you use the words ``penis``, ``Faiz``, and ``arroganoramuses`` in the same post !!! Only when the exchange is between you and I !

Ana,
You should not be disappointed if I did not comment on someone’s desire to shove a list of pop songs up his butt. It’s his sacred orifice, so he can do whatever he likes to do with it. Or with this list.

Rgds,
NfP

atif:

trust you to a) not let go of an issue, especially when it`s a non-issue, and b) take things so damn literally. metaphorically speaking a big heart is healthy because no one can live on hate for too long. and happiness is more than a warm gun.

and please this third sokun business is losing its so-called novelty. do the words `move on` mean anything to you or is your aTkapan something you need to ask any doctor about as well? you asked NFP the ever-so-brainy question of what you should do with this list. i hoped NFP would tell you precisely what you suggested you should do and more. he disappointed me. i`ve moved on. try it. it works!

ana, you wrote ``i think you should stop wondering when or if i would ever relate to you, and wondering about other things like hmmm, ... `will the bigness of my heart exceed the bigness of my. . . .```

well ana, ask any doctor, and he will tell you that an enlarged heart is a sign of an abnormal heart. whereas an enlarged penis is a sign of.......ummmm.....a happy heart.

so back to topic, how does it feel to treat me like your third sokun ???

trashman,

there`s no harm yaar, in wishing that chowk would bring it on. believing that is actually going to happen is another thing altogether. perhaps it was based on the fact that acidity was `embraced` by the editors that it was enough to hope that this would as well. perhaps too much hope is indeed a terrible thing to waste?

and have you become NFP`s new press agent????!!!!! and you think that cactus is better than acidity??? :)

Mr.Farooq`s list of best paki songs :

You missed one song ..``dil dil pakistan`` by Vital Signs..i guess the only song you could remember during 1988 till 1991- phase

If the list was based on your choice ..fine ...but if you think you`ve based it keeping in view the listeners in general ...i would`nt like to agree .

:)
goodluck

Now, now atif lets not get all weepy here, okay. I believe
one has to have a little more brains for ana to relate to him.
Your comment lacked all this its as simple as that.
And ana I really do envy you for actually believing that chowk will allow itself to print what
is certainly NFP`s most radical and bizzare and of course most amazing piece of work.
I was just suprized that he submitted Cactus Gas here after the rightwing bashing his
Acidity got here.

atif #29

i think you should stop wondering when or if i would ever relate to you, and wondering about other things like hmmm, `will i die being as clueless as i am right now. .` or `will the bigness of my heart exceed the bigness of my. . . .` you know, things that are really worth wondering about. :)

vaisay i can`t relate to everything and everyone at chowk. i certainly can`t relate to arroganoramuses, and chowk is in no short supply of those. perhaps a visit to the eye doctor might just cure your vision problem, although depth perception might be a whole different matter.

if that day should ever come when i will relate to you. . . it will. until then, as faiz said, `tum apni kar guzro. .jo hoga dekha jayega` how`s that?

ana - you wrote ``i could actually relate to this. . .given that i`ve heard more than a few of these songs.``

actually, i have noticed that you can relate to everything and everyone on chowk, except me. you treat me like your third sokun. all i asked NFP was WHY he thinks his list to be the ``best ever`` songs, what criteria he used etc etc.

i wonder if a day will come when you will ``relate`` to me.

When I say ``Pakistani Pop Songs`` I obviously mean largely Urdu ``(post)-modern music`` made, bought and listened to by the country`s urban, middle-class youth cultures.
Perhaps this is also true for Indian pop music and culture?
Sometimes certain songs and albums do manage to cross over and spill onto the tastes of working class, suburban and rural listeners, such as Abrar`s ``Billo,`` Vital Signs` ``Dil, Dil Pakistan,`` etc., but it very much remains to be a youth-oriented middle-class happening.
So, ``pop`` here does not strictly mean Popular. Because if it did, then players such as Attaullah, Naheed Akhtar, Mehdi Hassan, Noorjehan, etc., would certainly have made it on this list. But like I said, this list is more about the birth of fusion (in the late-`80s) between Western pop/rock influences and popular Pakistani film music.
This list was drawn and concluded mainly as a tribute celeberating the sounds and ways, the idealism and as well as the cynical commercial savy of urban middle-class generations of young artists and fans that ever since the late `80s have largely managed to tackle the rot set in by the socially retarding ways of the Zia dictatorship.

rgds,
NFP

HisExcellency #23 So, in Pakistan Urdu is considered to be urban modern? Good for it. In India,this is hardly what one can say for Hindi.Actually teenagers and aunties think it is hip to say that they cant understand a sentence of Hindi.And that is probably why urban Hindi pop is almost non existent. Hindi literature is also languishing .But that is going way off topic.
And just thought i would mention, Blind Melon`s ``No Rain`` and ``Sar keeay ye Pahar`` are two great songs that remind me of each other. ``No Rain`` is also a wonderfully introspective song with great guitaring.

arre trashman, kya hua? jealous???!!! oh dear i hope i haven`t begun a tiff here!!!! *evil laugh*

vaisay i read it somewheres. i know. not very helpful. and yes i mean to say he actually submitted Cactus here. and why the heck wouldn`t it be allowed here on chowk? chowk has been known to publish drivel (currently a front page story is just that). cactus is, in my humble opinion, NOT drivel. : )

i just saw `east is east` again after many years. and if you`ve read Cactus and seen the movie, doesn`t the constant usage of the word `you bustaa` remind you of the patriarch george khan??!!

now back to our regular programming.

Good one NFP, but I thought you quit writing on music? Havent been
seeing you in Instep and bandbaja lately. So what`s the deal?
And ana, where on earth did you read Paracha`s Cactus Gas? I
thought he EXCLUSIVELY mailed me a copy! And you mean to say
he actually submitted Cactus here on chowk?? You really believe
Cactus will be allowed here??

For the most part this list is cool.

Songs that help launch a `movement` of sorts even if they are not musically brilliant need to be counted as among the greats. HisExcellencies : hava hava, heer, dil dil pakistan, dam mast qalandar (NOT jazba-e-Junoon) are legible candidates for the top ten list.

However, I agree with Wajahat on songs like `lift karaday`. Many happy-go-lucky `social commentary` numbers preceded this song. Such as Billo. Or something even earlier: `Chief Sahab`.

Speaking of which, NFP made a huge mistake in leaving out Sajad Ali`s `Chief Sahab`.

re: #17 by jang

+++
what music do ordinary pakistanis (like auto-rikshaw drivers or taxidrivers) have in their collection?
+++

Most truck & wagon drivers in Pakistan are Pashtuns, so they either prefer Pashtu filmi cassettes. However, no truck driver`s collection is complete without a few albums of Ataullah Issa Khailvi. He used to be very popular in the 80s and early 90s. Most of his songs are in Seraiki, Hindko (a Pushto dialect spoken in Potohar region) and Punjabi. Some of his best tracks include Kameez Teri Kaali, Theva, Way bol saanwal, Khaama Paaday Shah, Tussaan Nu Maan Watanaan Da, and Baalo Battiyaan.

Punjabi truck drivers like Ataullah but also listen to Tufail Niazi, Noor Jehan, Inayat Hussain Bhatti, Alam Lohar and (recently) the new Punjabi pop singers (Abrar, Naseebo Lal, Akram Rahi, Shazia Manzoor).

Taxi drivers are usually more urbanized. They develop a taste for Urdu songs, just to sound more sophisticated than their rural counterparts. So usually they will always keep one or two classic albums of Kishore, Lata, Rafi and Mukesh. Among the Pakistani Urdu singers, taxi drivers still prefer the filmi singers (Waris Baig, A. Nayyar, Masood Rana and Saleem Raza). Sometimes driving in Karachi, one does hear Ahmed Rushdie playing in taxi stands.

I don`t think any of the pop stars (Junoon, Vital Signs, Hadiqa, Komal, Collage, Ali Zafar, Awaz, Strings) have a following outside the English-speaking crowd.

Can someone shed some more light on this question?

Almost all the songs mentioned by Paracha are worth listening. Recap made me remember the good old days when Pop music was being born in Pakistan and teenagers like me were being influenced by it. Older generation used to make joke of it and as a teenager, I always got irritated by it.
Concerts arranged at World cup 96 were just amazing. After Abrar`s Billo and Junoon`s Jazba e Junoon (Just before Sayyo ni`` I guess) , Pop Music was banned on PTV and this ban remained there for almost one year (So stupid of Nawaz Sharif).

Made me remember a lot about the past days. It was so interesting (and so irritating when Pop music was banned and criticized).

I think that a few more songs can be added to the list.

Overall, a very good article.

jang,

some older ladies and aunties like my mother, for example, can also listen to stuff like `billo de ghar` and junoon and mohammad ali shyhaki (i just realized HE wasn`t on the list. .grrrr). ammi likes alamgir. but if they think that pop music is shameless and for kids, and if they don`t think that all music is haraaaaam, then they will listen to the music they grew up with which just happens to include hindi filmi gaanay as well. and ghazals, and qawwalis.

as for the taxi drivers and riksha vaalay, depending on where they are, they listen to filmi gaanay from indian and pakistani fillums, and nazia and zoheb hassan`s `bolo bolo na, kya hai mera naam. . .STAR!` and a variety of other music. imagine that! and in the punjab, they also get a kick out of listening to punjabi fillum songs, particularly those sung by the malika-e-besharam, oops, i meant the malika-e-tarannum noor jehan.

and when `billo de ghar` came out, all the punjabi men were singing it, english speaking vaalay, riksha chalanay vaalay, taxi drivers, lafangay chasing women in the streets.

yeah i know your question was tongue-in-cheek, but i thought i`d answer it with tongue-half-in-cheek.

I haven`t heard any of these songs, except Purani Jeans. LOVED it ! It was probably the only song that came close to being the anthem of our class in my last year of engineering. The lyrics and the tune both are simple but soulful. It never failed to create that nostalgic atmosphere whenever it was played at any college function.

Nice list of songs. But a top 20 can`t have some 30+ songs. And half of those songs are not pop!
Interesting read nevertheless.

Some songs need to be deducted from this list in whose place the following may be a good bet for all money:

Jazba-e- Junoon (Juoon)
Dil Dil Pakistan (Vital Signs)
Ek Baar Kaho (Ahmed Jahanzaib)
Bin Tere Kya Hai Jeena (Jawad Ahmed)
Afreen Afreen (Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)

???????????????

what music do ordinary pakistanis (like auto-rikshaw drivers or taxidrivers) have in their collection? is it different than english speaking ones who own cars? how about older ladies and aunties?

These songs can definately be classified as the most popular songs ever because no one can get enough of them. But isn`t the tune of Ham Kinaray Par Kharay Hain by Sajjad Ali a rip off? Heard Channo`s music was too.

Cheaters enjoying the credit that others deserve.

Thank You NFP

There are two types of people, the song you mention are from a genre, where some of those detractors who are questioniong your list do not belong to or have any emotional connections to. I mean some of these nuts are asking you to put Adnan Sami, Lift Karaday in the list, have they lost the point or what.

DIL DIL PAKISTAN was a great song of the moment, but musically it was never a masterpiece. Like Yeh Sham or Aitebar.

Hawa Hawa again rid the storm of popularity on a particular moment and then disappeared.

For me Personally, Sar Kiyay Pahar would probably be the number 1 Song coming out of Pakistan. Infact Strings have never again produced a song of such calibre and intensity. But than as NFP would say, there is something about Corporate Sponsorship and the creative gulf between a talented band and a commerically successful band.

Rgds

Wajahat

No mr/ms.nass, NFP can be anything but light. agreed he is pakistan`s ace music critic
but this is old news. him blooming into a wicked short story writer was the most awesom
thing that could have happned.
And this list is deffinately his personal views but I agree people and mostly
musicians will take note because it is by none other than nadeem farooq paracha
the man they love to hate but jus cant ignore.

Nice to see you take a break from that surreal stuff on religion, capitalism and all. I love them but this has proven that NFP can take life lightly as well. :)
I do not agree with the list but people will notice because it is by Pakistan`s finest and
most respected and of course feared music critics. Keep surprizing us.

ah, one of the front page eye-catchers (not this one) once again is stirring up the pot, and still no sign of cactus gas. what is up with that?!? :)

Thanks for writing this piece.
Is something better than ``Sar Keay ye Pahar``? I am going to get it right now.
As a teenager, I remember I used to play it at full volume repeatedly;ended up pissing off my father and the neighbourhood uncle; first time both of them agreed upon something.
VS- I like ``yaad karna`` more than ``aitbaar`` bcoz of what u say floydic overtones.guitaring in VS is superb as compared to the singing which though spirited, is ok types.Two more VS favorites are ``Ajnabi`` and ``Yaarian`` , which was plagiarised by Anu Malik.And I also rememeber pondering abt going to Pakistan on hearing.. ``amreeka ke na japan ke..``.
Wonder why VS were not launched in India.Ali Haider,I think is more popular in India than in Pakistan.Jeans used to be a cult song and I think still is.Sajjad Ali did cover versions of Hindi film songs and it is because of him that I discovered some great Hindi movie numbers. I think he is the best singer of the Pakistani pop scene.Nazia Zoheb and Hadiqa were are quite popular in India.Hadiqa,I think has a good voice which suits all genres.And ``Boohebarian`` is simply out of this world.Hasan Jahangir(HAwa HAwa...we used to sing this song when somebody farted :-)) was actually quite popular in India.Was he not that popular in Pakistan?
Do you follow Indian Pop?Actually if you take punjabi dance remix out then there is not much left in the mainstream but Silk Route is really really good specially the first album ``Boondein``. I dont care about the film playback singers turned pop stars..they are mostly trash..like you might call ``carbonated music``.I
And can someone please write about the Ghazal singers?

I back HISEXELLENCY --
DILL DILL PAKISTAN is one of songs which everyone knows -- there cant be a better song then that in Pakistani Pop History - its a song which everyone knows ; if you go to Thar they would know and if you go anywhere in Pakistan the most common people would remember and with a smile sing the song ..
Jazba Junoon : another awesome song !
how could we all forget a mixture of pop and folk ` Allah Allah ker Bhayaa Allah he say Dar Bhaye-ya `
Hawa Hawa is another master piece ; Yaroo Yehee Dostee Hai by Strings ..purani Jeans aur Guitar by Ali Haider is not that bad as well :P
thinking of these songs reminds me more of Pakistan and Karachi where I went to school and then came in UK for studies ; it reminds me of when I was in class 3 and we sang ` Dil Dil Pakistan` in front of 1000 people :)

Godot

http://www.muziq.net/
http://www.pakistanimusic.com

Nadeem Paracha

I am sure these are your favorite songs but they cant be the best of all time. I dont like vital signs so they wouldnt be on my list or for that matter DrAurBilla or Collage. I can see why you would have Nazia Hassan. You dont have any Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan type songs or folk songs. Regardless its a pretty good list.

well written article, BUT, i don`t think that your list is a conclusive one.

For those interested in listening to these songs, visit the following website:

http://www.muziq.net/

NFP, a very refreshing article for a change. Breath of fresh air amongst the articles on Mullahs and travelogues. Great article!

Nadeem -

I`ve been out of touch with Pakistani songs for a while. But I`ve heard a few. And among my most favorites is Lift Karaday by Adnan Sami. This song rocks!

Btw, how can I hear the songs you listed on the internet?

i could actually relate to this. . .given that i`ve heard more than a few of these songs.

and yes! how could you leave out the patriotic songs out of what is actually YOUR list of best songs ever? and ever sounds so finite, don`t you think? is it the end of the world as we know it, and have you (and i) seen the last of the best? i already feel that way with american and british rock. *sigh*

oh and will you answer atif miyaN`s last question to you in the affirmative. .and can i watch!!!???

best,
ana

Nadeem F. Paracha sahib,

you must believe in ``hum jahan kharay ho jain line waheen say shuroo hoti hai`` thats why no criteria/metrics/genre was used?

re: NFP

How can any list of pop songs be complete without the following singles:

1. Dil Dil Pakistan - Vital Signs

Before this song, few people took music bands and young musicians seriously. Every year on yom-e-azaadi, PTV replayed the same songs from the usual suspects. Benjamin Sisters, Alamgir, Shehki, Amanat Ali Khan, Mumtaz, Mehdi Hassan, Nayyara Noor and Noor Jehan told us many many times that we are living on a ``sohni dharti``, that ``ye wattan`` hamara hai, that we need to take ``khayal`` of this wattan, and we better pay homage to the martyrs because ``aye puttar hattan te nahin wikday``. Moreover, we were also told that we are a ``zinda aur paayinda qom``.

To sing a patriotic song, you first had to wear an achkan/sherwani/waist coat over a starched shalwar kameez and also wear a sticker of the Pakistan flag over your heart. The video was recorded in a studio. The singer would either stand straight (no dancing). The choice of instruments was limited to harmonium, sitar, baansri, beenn, dholak and may be a trumpet.

Vital Signs shattered dozens of rules with their Dil Dil Pakistan video. They wore jeans. The played keyboards, guitars and drums. And they shot the video in a park. They rolled around on the grass.

A new era in Pakistani pop was born.

2. Mast Qalandar - Nusrat Fateh

Now this was a really innovative idea. Take a traditional qawwali. Mix it up with slick acoustics and you get a completely new beast. The pop-qawwali album of Nusrat Fateh rocked the pop scene in 1991 and dominated the charts until 1993. It became the ``offical soundtrack`` of Pakistan`s Cricket Team during World Cup 1992.

3. Heer - Junoon

This is one of the greatest instrumentals ever produced in Pakistan. This established Salman Ahmed as Pakistan`s leading guitarist.

4. Jazba Junoon - Junoon

Pakistan`s 1996 World Cup campaign could never have reached that feverish pitch, without this song.

5. Hawa Hawa Ae Hawa - Hassan Jehangir

Listen to the song. It is absolutely marvelous.

you did not list any criteria, any mertics, or surveys you conducted that gave you the idea that these are the 20 best pop songs!! So these must be the songs YOU like. Not others.

Where are these songs :

- ``aa kariyae piyaar diaN gullaN``
- ``mannay dee moj``
- ``goray rung ka zamana kabhee ho ga na puraana``

etc etc.

so, what do I do now with your list? shove it?

Nice recap Nadeem. Last night I was transferring my collection of Pakistani music CD’s to PC, and went through many of these tracks. It was nostalgic (especially the original version of Aetbaar). Did you find any of the Atish Raj recordings? Thanks.