Who knew that Lata Mangeshkar shared audio space with Britney Spears? That Ila Arun and Alka Yagnik have sung Choli Ke Peeche for Jay-Z and Kanye? Even Daler Mehndi has been on an Iggy Azalea track?
For years, Indian composers have been picking up on sounds from outside the country as “inspiration” for their music. It might not take anything away from those songs, but even classics like Mehbooba O Mehbooba and Babuji Dheere Chalna have the DNA of music that was produced elsewhere (in these cases, from Demi Roussos and Doris Day, respectively). This has occasionally led to scandal and even legal action, with some composers gaining a reputation for making an entire career off of purloined tunes.
Turns out, though, that the flow of sounds isn’t only travelling in one direction. American music producers, with their penchant for overproduction and constant search for new, exotic sounds, have been sampling Bollywood music for years now. And it’s turned up in the most unlikely of places.
Dhiktana
Luniz featuring Shock G
This tune from Hum Aapke Hai Kaun is one of those iconic 90’s sounds. You wouldn’t expect it to turn up on an album called Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, but open that Original Sound Track to We Got More, by artists Luniz featuring Shock G, and that’s exactly what you get.
Bhootni Ke
Iggy Azalea
Want something a little more contemporary? Check out Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea’s recent Lady Patra. The backing track on the song is none other than Daler Mehndi’s Bhootni Ke from Singh is Kinng.
Gum Hai Kisi Ke Pyaar Mein
Timbaland, Magoo, Bubba Sparxxx
Rappers in particular seem to like picking Bollywood riffs to sample from, because of their catchy hooks, which is why you can find RD Burman and SD Burman songs all over hip-hop tunes from the 1990s and the 2000s. I doubt you expected to find the words Timbaland, Magoo, Bubba Sparxxx in the same sentence as 1972’s Gum Hai Kisi Ke Pyaar Mein.
Devdas
Chase & Status
But it’s not all rap and it’s not all old music. Purveyors of that special artform called electronic music frequently dip into even recent Bollywood music to get something that can be mixed and remixed even further. Chase & Status here begin their track with a hook from a Devdas song.
Kal Ho Na Ho
Youssopha
Look hard enough and you can find some truly odd mash-ups, with fascinating results (some of which actually substantially improve on Bollywood songs). Asha Bhosle and Mahendra Kapoor’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star turning up in a TI song. AR Rahman’s Ringa Ringa being used as the chorus for a Danish pop-rock song. Kehna Hai Kya sampled on Chilean rap. And, below, the sad version of Kal Ho Na Ho backing an entire track by Congolese-French artist, Youssopha.
The website WhoSampled, which promises to explore the “DNA of music,” offers a convenient database of songs from around the world with pointers to which other music they have sampled or “been inspired” by. All you have to do is look up the Sampled Bollywood tag on the website and you can listen to all the different ways Indian songs have been manipulated elsewhere. If you’re curious enough, the website also offers a useful way of figuring out where Bollywood got its own tunes from.
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For years, Indian composers have been picking up on sounds from outside the country as “inspiration” for their music. It might not take anything away from those songs, but even classics like Mehbooba O Mehbooba and Babuji Dheere Chalna have the DNA of music that was produced elsewhere (in these cases, from Demi Roussos and Doris Day, respectively). This has occasionally led to scandal and even legal action, with some composers gaining a reputation for making an entire career off of purloined tunes.
Turns out, though, that the flow of sounds isn’t only travelling in one direction. American music producers, with their penchant for overproduction and constant search for new, exotic sounds, have been sampling Bollywood music for years now. And it’s turned up in the most unlikely of places.
Dhiktana
Luniz featuring Shock G
This tune from Hum Aapke Hai Kaun is one of those iconic 90’s sounds. You wouldn’t expect it to turn up on an album called Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, but open that Original Sound Track to We Got More, by artists Luniz featuring Shock G, and that’s exactly what you get.
Bhootni Ke
Iggy Azalea
Want something a little more contemporary? Check out Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea’s recent Lady Patra. The backing track on the song is none other than Daler Mehndi’s Bhootni Ke from Singh is Kinng.
Gum Hai Kisi Ke Pyaar Mein
Timbaland, Magoo, Bubba Sparxxx
Rappers in particular seem to like picking Bollywood riffs to sample from, because of their catchy hooks, which is why you can find RD Burman and SD Burman songs all over hip-hop tunes from the 1990s and the 2000s. I doubt you expected to find the words Timbaland, Magoo, Bubba Sparxxx in the same sentence as 1972’s Gum Hai Kisi Ke Pyaar Mein.
Devdas
Chase & Status
But it’s not all rap and it’s not all old music. Purveyors of that special artform called electronic music frequently dip into even recent Bollywood music to get something that can be mixed and remixed even further. Chase & Status here begin their track with a hook from a Devdas song.
Kal Ho Na Ho
Youssopha
Look hard enough and you can find some truly odd mash-ups, with fascinating results (some of which actually substantially improve on Bollywood songs). Asha Bhosle and Mahendra Kapoor’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star turning up in a TI song. AR Rahman’s Ringa Ringa being used as the chorus for a Danish pop-rock song. Kehna Hai Kya sampled on Chilean rap. And, below, the sad version of Kal Ho Na Ho backing an entire track by Congolese-French artist, Youssopha.
The website WhoSampled, which promises to explore the “DNA of music,” offers a convenient database of songs from around the world with pointers to which other music they have sampled or “been inspired” by. All you have to do is look up the Sampled Bollywood tag on the website and you can listen to all the different ways Indian songs have been manipulated elsewhere. If you’re curious enough, the website also offers a useful way of figuring out where Bollywood got its own tunes from.