Monsoon state of mind: A playlist

 

Editor’s note: The relationship between music and the rain is a tender and mysterious one; even a gentle drizzle makes us seek the comforts of our favourite songs with a cup of tea. Join us as we navigate the monsoon season with a list of some of our favourite rain songs. Romance, bruising melancholy, contrite self-reflection, folk classics, Bollywood bangers, weird sonic experiments, good old rock ’n’ roll—we’ve got it all covered. Listen to the individual tracks below or head over to our Spotify and YouTube playlists.

 

‘Scarborough Fair/Canticle’ by Simon & Garfunkel

 

We’re going with the full, extended version of this folk classic, recorded for The Graduate in 1967. Simon & Garfunkel’s trademark vocal harmonies, set over soaring strings, transform this 19th century Yorkshire tune into a timeless work of art right at home in a Hollywood blockbuster. ‘Scarborough Fair/Canticle’, with its tingling guitar work and wandering arrangement, is a stunning background score to the scurrying rain outside.

 

'Zara Zara' from Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001)

This one’s a reliable pick for when you feel the desire to curl up against your partner or perhaps do some mild pining on your own. The sonic signatures of torrential rain almost feel locked into the construction of this song, composed by Harris Jayaraj and sung by the inimitable Bombay Jayshri (with lyrics by Sameer). The sound of thunder, the words and the melody blend together to craft a textural garnish for a lush monsoon weekend.

“Yu hi baras baras kaali ghata barse/Ham yaar bhig jaaye/Iss chaahat ki baarish me" — Let these dark clouds break into rain/Let's get wet in this downpour of desire. 

 

‘Lügen’ by Rammstein

 

For those not quite in the know, the ‘Du Hast’ guys have many strings to their bow. The German industrial metal pioneers take the road less travelled with this moody, almost unnerving ballad. The lyrics, in German, are about a man coming to terms with his dishonesty to the world around him. At the heart of ‘Lügen’, however, lies an earnest acoustic guitar melody that eventually morphs into familiar industrial chaos.

 

 ‘Malhar Jam’ by Agam

 

Indian classical music has a loving, reverential relationship with nature and life. We have a raga for every emotion, every mood, every season, every time of day even. ‘Malhar Jam’, by Bengaluru-based rockers Agam, is a tarana. Meaning: it has no lyrics. It’s an expression of joy and celebration—an amalgamation of various ragas, with the predominant one being the raga of rain, Malhar.  

'All Neon Like' by Björk 

 

Drawing up Excel sheets of your past, locked away in your room as the window clouds up and the rain overstays its welcome? Let Icelandic sorceress Björk save you. Shimmering like a raindrop seen through a microscope, ‘All Neon Like’ understands rain-time heartache (“The soft distortion fills you up/So nourish, nourish my turtle heart”) and comforts ever so gently (“Oh, my darling, don’t get angry with yourself… I’ll heal you.”), offering catharsis for those seeking it.

 

‘Barkha’ By Arijit Singh

 

Arijit Singh is a man for all seasons. But especially the rain. This recent release, with lyrics by Irshad Kamil, is an expression of longing and yearning, wrapped in sweet melody and Singh’s typically reflective delivery.

 

‘Harvest Home’ by Mark Lanegan

 

The late Mark Lanegan donned many hats: a grunge powerhouse in his early days with Seattle’s Screaming Trees; a stint spookier than saavan with the Queens of the Stone Age; an entertaining feud with the forever noxious Liam Gallagher. But it’s his bluesy late career work that we’re bringing into focus here. ‘Harvest Home’, from his solo record Phantom Radio (2014), sees Lanegan at his pensive, creative best—his formidable, purposeful baritone a great friend to sober introspection triggered by a late-night thunderstorm.

 

‘Koi Ladki Hai’ from Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)

 

How about something filmy to mix things up? This one’s a timeless, irresistible banger, spearheaded by heavyweights Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan. Naturally, the mind wanders to clips of Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit dancing to it, and it makes us blast the song on our speakers and break into a jig ourselves.

 

 'Garaj Baras - Live' Ali Azmat feat. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

 

It’s not all romance and melancholic contemplation in the rain, is it? Your online deliveries aren’t showing up. Your domestic worker has taken chhutti, understandably. You have deadlines to chase. Say hello to Pakistani rocker Ali Azmat’s (ex-Junoon; remember ‘Sayonee’?) raging paean to the rain. While there is, of course, Ali’s studio-recorded version, we strongly recommend 2008’s performance from Coke Studio Pakistan season one, featuring Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on additional vocals.

 

‘All Herb’ by Isaiah Rashad feat. Amindi

 

This one’s a loaner from January’s ultimate unwinding playlist; the magnetic sonic textures and dreamy production immediately bring to mind that gently persistent all-day rain where everything just feels right. Rashad’s understated rhymes keep the song ticking along before Amindi, the breakout star here, brings it home with her captivating dream pop vocals.

 

 ‘Jane Woh Kaise Log The’ from Pyaasa (1957)

 

Overplayed as it may be, this standout song from the movie’s soundtrack—written by SD Burman and Sahir Ludhianvi; sung by Hemant Kumar and Burman—serves all moods. Feeling alone? Tired? Feeling fine but desperate to partake in some monsoon moodiness? Stare longingly out of a frosted window while ‘Jane Woh Kaise Log The’ plays in the back, and the world keeps turning. 

 

‘Best Guess’ by Lucy Dacus

 

A song that perfectly captures the feeling of falling in love. ‘Best Guess,’ from Dacus’s fourth studio album, Forever is a Feeling, is upbeat and sentimental, and by the end of it you’ll find yourself grooving to the rhythm. It’ll put a smile on your face, fill you with butterflies, and make you feel like you’re intruding on someone else’s private love story, all in the span of four minutes.

 

 

PS: You can check out all these tracks on our Spotify playlist below and YouTube playlist here.