Golden Era Bollywood Review: Mohammed Rafi - Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe (The Letter I Wrote To You)

Year Released: 1968

My favorite musical producer(s) of all time is the duo Shankar-Jaikishan. They had an excellent idea of melody, and they constantly tried new things in their songs, never settling down into one groove. To me, however, they thrived best on emotion, rather than groove (which they also mastered).

They might be best known for their Raj Kapoor work (which will certainly come later in this feature), but an essential classic of theirs is this late Golden Era Mohammed Rafi gem.

Rafi is one of the big 4 (or 5) male singers of the Golden Era, and for good reason. His emotive vocals were dreamy, and also calming. He dominated the 60's as a whole, with no competition for years.

That is when Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe was released. Rafi could have chosen a flirty vocal performance and called it a day, but instead, he went for a dreamy and peaceful voice. Every time you think he is reaching a crescendo, he will pull back and let the music do the speaking. He stretches the notes long enough for them to be remembered. This goes really well with the poetic love lyrics.

Shankar-Jaikishan's arrangement here is also gold. They relied on a full, real orchestra for their songs. Mixing was not really used that much in that era (making Rafi's performance even more incredible). The pleasantness culminates in one of the greatest choruses of its era. The refrain takes no time to enter your head, but makes its place worthy.

Rating: 10/10