Abbas Ali Khan revisits a Faiz classic

‘Raat Yun Dil Mein Teri’ Abbas Ali Khan
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO-1GU9mSnc

There is always a chance that a classic tune will get covered, revamped and re-covered several times through the ages. From Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along The Watchtower,’ which is one of the most covered songs of all times to the Aaroh cover of the Vital Signs hit, ‘Ajnabi,’ most classic songs have been covered and carried from one generation to the next. With ‘Raat Yun Dil Mein Teri,’ Abbas Ali Khan tries his hand at covering one of the best loved pieces of poetry-turned-song from the ’80s.

Penned by the phenomenal Faiz Ahmed Faiz and sung by Nayyar Noor, ‘Raat Yun Dil Mein Teri’ was first heard in the 1987 play, Dhoop Kinare. Hauntingly beautiful lyrics are set to a melody that only adds to the words; ‘Raat Yun Dil Mein’ was composed by Arshad Mehmood. And it is to these three masters of their genres that Abbas Ali Khan pays tribute to through his cover.

“No one can re-create the magic of the maestros and I do not intend to do so either,” says Abbas in a note on Youtube, “but I just tried to add my own flavor to the track and bring back some good old memories.”

Abbas’s rendition of ‘Raat Yun Dil Mein’ does speak softly of his style; as he adds certain elements of his own to the song, but those do not take away from the original in any way. The video to ‘Raat Yun Dil Mein,’ (directed by Omair Hyder) was put up a few days ago on Youtube and while it isn’t a great work of cinematography, it is clean and easy on the eye, allowing one to focus on the song instead. All in all, a well-rounded effort that is gentle on the eyes and a pleasure to listen to.

– Amina Baig

Source: Instep today