Those of you, who have recently received e-mails from me, must have noticed these lines as my signature:
dil mein jo ho wohi to bas kahte hai, warna har haal mein hum chup rehte hain
jinke andar sheher baste hain, jinke andar diye jalte hain,
unko kya ki kahaan rehte hain,
samne samunder hota hai, jinko maujon ka dar hota hai,
saahilon par khade rehte hain”
dil mein jo ho wohi to bas kahte hai, warna har haal mein hum chup rehte hain
The singer of those lines was Junaid Jamshed [Dil Main Jo, Us Rah Par (1999)]. He was the front man of a Pakistani Pop group called Vital Signs...and he had a stunning voice. His voice touched the heart and roused very romantic or tragic notes in the listener, depending on the what the song was. Let me do a very loose translation (and not a very competent one) of what the song means:
We sing only what is in our hearts, otherwise we remain silent forever
Those who have an inhabited heart, those who are able to shine on their own,
Have no worry about where they may be;
There is a raging ocean in front of those, who are scared of the oncoming waves,
And they are left stranded on the shores;
We sing only what is in our hearts, otherwise we remain silent forever
I have been talking about him in past tense. He is not dead. Only that he has stopped singing.
Junaid Jamshed, suddenly turned religious and said that any singing which was accompanied by a music instrument was banished by his religion (haraam). He is now an active member of the Tablighi Jamaat and has now devoted his remaining life to spreading the message of Islam and singing naats (hymns).
I have only the previous songs of his for nourishing my thirst for his music. I miss the eye candy that he was (you can't challenge that from the first two pictures, can you?) and I miss his music. Listening to him takes me back to several schöne Erinnerungen....
Ah! Going back to the dreamy-eyed mode! Do you berate anybody's premature departure from the music scene?
Escape Hatch here!
^WiseGuy^
What an interesting story. I wonder if he is sorry for the music he made in his past life? (I'm guessing yes, but you never know...)
ReplyDeleteMusical acts who have abdicated ... hm. Not really. Although some musicians I like are older (e.g., Roseanne Cash), and though they still make music, radio stations generally won't play them.
I'm still sad that Elvis is dead: does that count? haha
(Sprechst du Deutsch? Or are you just toying with us? lol)
That's funny, I was just thinking of asking you about the quote.
ReplyDeleteInteresting story.
xxx
That is an amazing lyric. There is an artist who I used to love, who died, but no voluntary departures from the music scene.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful song he wrote. The only person I can think of is Billy Joel, who still performs old hits but doesn't written any contemporary music any longer, though he's written some classical. Sad for me, his classic stuff is like a cold beer for me on a hot day.
ReplyDeleteHis before and after makeover makes him look like a completely different person.
ReplyDeleteThanks for introducing me to him.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of Cat Stevens, who did the same thing in the 1970s, I think.
Certainly his lyrics are inspired. I hope his heart stays open and loving.
Intruiging - and , yes - eye candy for sure...and a perfect example of how the consious choices we make shape our lives forever.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think he actually looks better in his after pic than some others who are post their pop group days... :o)
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad he stopped singing, but thanks for sharing the inspirational music history of a Pakistani Pop artist. Very interesting!
Amazing lyrics...and you are right, he was serious eye candy.
ReplyDeleteThose lyrics are truly beautiful. It's too bad he quit music. And I agree on the eye candy front. :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful lyrics! He was quite the beautiful man! My man n*Jason Mraz* is still singing, but if and when he stops, I will cry an ocean of tears *sigh*
ReplyDelete