Harmonica songs

In my series of articles on musical instruments starting from the grand piano I have gradually covered smaller instruments, the last being the flute. I end the series with a still smaller instrument. Harmonica is a pocket-sized most intimate instrument as you play sliding it over your lips and blow air into its holes. Behind each hole is at least one reed. The basic parts of a harmonica are the comb, reed plates and cover plates. The comb, because of its shape like a comb; the reed plates and cover plates make a sound chamber which creates melodious music depending on the skill of the player. Harmonica is also popularly known as the mouth organ. It comes in various types and is used in many genres of music. You can refer to Wikipedia for more technical details.

Because of its small size you can carry it in your pocket. For any gathering or picnic, someone who can play the harmonica is the most popular guy, because after some tentative demur he yields to the request and takes out his harmonica from his pocket and enlivens the evening. It is also a handy instrument for picnics, NCC camps etc.

You can feel the notes of harmonica in many songs, but my interest is more in its visual representation in films. Because of its tiny size it can hardly be a mise-en-scène. But despite its small size, in many films it is shown prominently, and is, often, an essential part of the story.

In Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time In The West, the protagonist Charles Bronson is popularly known as The Man With A Harmonica. The strains of harmonica announce his appearance on the screen, and every time he plays it, it sends chill down the spine. (Spoiler Ahead) In the final duel between him the Avenger and the Baddie (an unusual casting), you realise the importance of the harmonica in the film as Charles Bronson’s childhood is played out in flashback when it was thrust in his mouth by the baddie. Now the tables are turned and the harmonica is thrust in the baddie’s mouth. A common cinematic device is that the villain must be made to realise the crime he had committed in the past for which justice was being meted out to him. Not much dialogues as the harmonica does the talking in the climax of OUATITW.

1. Final Duel in Once Upon A Time in The West (1968)

On a completely different tack, harmonica shows the silent love between (Jai) Amitabh Bachchan, one of the two mercenaries, and the young widow, played by Jaya Bachchan. They exchange glances as she goes about lighting lamps in the evening on the upper veranda. It is sad that the filmmakers baulked at showing widow remarriage and Jai was made to die in the end.

2. Amitabh Bachchan’s silent love on the harmonica in Sholay (1975)

In Mera Naam Joker, the teacher Simi briefs the children about the next day’s picnic when strains of mouth organ fill the air in the room. From where it came? An embarrassed Rishi Kapoor tries to hide his mouth organ. In Teetar ke do aage teetar, teetar ke do peechhe teetar you see Rishi Kapoor prominently with his mouth organ, and other children with assorted musical instruments.

3. Teetar ke do aage teetar, teetar ke do peechhe teetar by Asha Bhosle, Simi and Mukesh from Mera Naam Joker (1970), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar-Jaikishan

In Himalay Ki Gode Mein (1965), the doctor from the town is waylaid by dacoits. He is looked after by the innocent village girl Phulwa (Mala Sinha in an irritatingly over-the-top role to look a simple village belle). She chances upon his mouth organ, and it becomes a prop for their budding romance as Manoj Kumar uses it to dispel superstition and misplaced beliefs about the efficacy of medicine from a quack,  and also teaches her how to play it.

4. In Himalay Ki Gode Mein Manoj Kumar teaches Mala Sinha to play mouth organ

I am presenting some songs in which the mouth organ appears very prominently on the screen.

5. Mere sapnon ki rani kab ayegi tu by Kishore Kumar from Aaradhana (1969), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music SD Burman

This watershed film changed an era. The harmonica played by the friend-cum-driver Sujit Kumar is etched in my memory as Rajesh Khanna and Sujit Kumar in their jonga race against the Darjeeling toy-train. The film and this song became the launchpad of a hitherto nondescript Rajesh Khanna into The Phenomenon with the help of a fresh Kishore Kumar’s vocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOQ6xDLT-sc

6. Saanwle salone aye din bahaar ke by Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar from Ek Hi Rasta (1956), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music Hemant Kumar

This is a song of family bliss. You see a young couple Sunil Dutt and Meena Kumari on a remodelled bicycle with their young son Daisy Irani in the basket. The harmonica sound is very prominent and soon you see it coming from the kid’s mouth organ.

7. Hai apna dil to awara na jaane kis pe ayega by Hemant Kumar from Solwan Saal (1958), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music SD Burman.

The ever-romantic Dev Anand, perhaps upon seeing Waheeda Rahman on another seat in the train, breaks into this song with a naughty smile, with his companion Sunder playing the mouth organ. It is said that RD Burman who was proficient with several music instruments played the mouth organ in this song. A memorable train song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7eS2ELDarQ

8. Mere labon pe dekho aaj bhi taraane hain by Kishore Kumar from Baazi (1951), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi, music SD Burman

Baazi set Dev Anand on the path to super-stardom. This song must have played a role in establishing his persona as a care-free romantic. He starts with a slow recital, intersperses the interludes with prose recitals, some yodelling, and on top of everything the mouth organ he plays.

9. Aana meri jaan meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday by Chitalkar, Meena Kapoor/Shamshad Begum from Shehnai (1947), lyrics PL Santoshi, music C Ramchandra

In the interlude Mumtaz Ali, the male dancer, pulls out the harmonica from his coat pocket and plays it to seduce Dulari who has been rebuffing him, but towards the later part Rehana joins in who is quite willing. This is the representative iconoclastic song composed by C Ramchandra that catapulted him as the direct competitor of Naushad. It is said that a shocked Anil Biswas asked C Ramchandra what kind of song he was making, and he replied, I want it to be known as a C Ramchandra composition, and not a copy of Anil Biswas. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. (Anup rightly points out in comment #4 that in the film the female singers were Amirbai Karnataki; while Shamshad Begum and Meena Kapoor sang the record version.)

10. Kisi na kisi se kabhi na kabhi kahin na kahin dil lagana padega by Rafi from Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), lyrics SH Bihari, music OP Nayyar

If the hero is Shammi Kapoor and he is in Kashmir in the 60s love would be in the air. To give expression to his feelings Shammi Kapoor plays the harmonica, but when he is not playing it, it is a plaything in his hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iMSypHQVbY

11. Daane daane pe likha hai khanewale ka naam, lenewale karod denewala ek Ram by Chitalkar from Baarish (1957), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music C Ramchandra

Dev Anand was always Dev Anand even if he was singing a philosophical song. C Ramchandra himself providing vocals does a very competent job. By now he has sung for all the Big Three: Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpRQmx2pg20

12. Aankhon pe bharosa mat kar duniya jaadu khel hai by Rafi and Sudha Malhotra from Detective (1958), lyrics Shailendra, music Mukul Roy

Mukul Roy gave superlative music for the film Detective, and its songs have become immortal. I am not aware of his any other score. Here harmonica becomes an instrument of some playful teasing of Mala Sinha in the hands of Pradeep Kumar.

13. Bachpan ke din bhula na dena by Lata Mangeshkar and Shamshad Begum, from Deedar (1951), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Naushad

We knew it as Naushad’s one of the prominent horse-hoof songs. But look at it carefully, the song opens with the girl’s minder playing harmonica as he runs after the horse carrying her and her kid boyfriend. The helper runs throughout and you see him in the frame from time to time, playing the harmonica.

14. Zara dekh sanam mera jazba-e-dil mujhe aaj kahan tak le aya by Lata Mangeshkar from Grihasthi (1963), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Ravi

I present this song as a tribute to our friend late KS Bhatia who mentioned this song in the post on Ravi’s songs for Lata Mangeshkar. As we know by now Ravi’s favourite was by far Asha Bhosle. Here he composes an absolutely melodious song for his ‘other’ singer Lata Mangeshkar. Rajshree initially teases Manoj Kumar with the mouth organ. He takes it away from her and starts playing it. Rajshree starts dancing as a naagin to the been of sanpera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItuheQDlaT0

15. Kaun kisi ko baandh saka hai by Rafi from Kaalia (1981), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music RD Burman

In a year much beyond the period of interest for this blog, here is an interesting song. Now harmonica is used for jailbreak. The invocation on harmonica spurs the prisoners into carrying out their escape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1QdhXf_l0I

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

The song links have been embedded from the YouTube and Dailymotion only for the music lovers’ listening pleasure. This blog has no commercial interest, and does not claim or suggest any copyright over these songs, which vests with the respective owners.