The Kolaveri Di phenomenon (VIDEO)

After a buzz in K-Town, Why This Kolaveri Di... from Aishwaryaa Dhanush's 3 has become nothing short of a phenomenon across India.

Within a week of its release, the song had an amazing 1.3 million hits on YouTube, more than a million shares on Facebook and trending continuously on Twitter. The added bonus is that the lyrics, which are part Tamil and part English, are a hit with non-Tamilians as well.

Quirky lyrics have now become the 'in' thing in Kollywood! Anirudh, music director, who is debuting with 3, gives his explanation for why the song is now a rage. "The reception that the Kolaveri song has received is beyond what we'd expected. The song has worked well. It is in broken English, what we call 'Tanglish'. It is hummable and the lyrics are catchy. While we targeted the students, it elders have liked it as well," But the Kolaveri trend is not new to the industry. Madhan Karky, lyricist of Enthiran fame, says, "Every five years, there is an upswing trend in lyrics.

On the sets of an upcoming reality show that seeks a good lyricist, contestants cited melodies as opposed to these trend numbers. The current trend in lyrics is the conversational kind of songs, with English words in them. And the fact is that the beautiful Tamil language has two and half lakh words which still have not been used in songs as yet."

Actor-director Parthepan, on the other hand, believes that capturing the pulse of the youth is the true victory of lyricists. "When Ilaiyaraaja came out with Enna Paattu Paada Enna Thaalam Poda..., he was criticized initially. But, he was soon accepted unanimously. With the wide reach through the new media, songs like Kolaveri become not just a trend but a rage as well, which taps the pulse of the youth," says Parthepan.

Whether it is a passing fad or a change in the way the industry is thinking, one thing is for sure - colloquial and conversational lyrics that have been seen in albums like Mayakkam Enna, Osthe and 3 are what the youth prefer to listen to today.

ALL ABOUT THE 'SOUP SONG'

Speaking about the Kolaveri rage that has taken the Internet by storm, Dhanush who has penned the lyrics and sung it, says, "The concept for Kolaveri Di is new. I call it the 'soup song' for 'soup boys'. I came up with this term actually. A soup boy essentially means a guy who has been dumped by a girl and the soup song is a 'love failure' song which a guy sings after getting dumped. I never ever imagined that this song would become such a huge rage nationally. If someone had told me earlier that it would, I would not have believed them! I think youngsters loved this song because of several reasons. Firstly, the words that have been used in the song are words currently in trend today. Also, it's English but sung in a Tamil accent. Thus, even a Hindi-speaking or a Telugu-speaking person can understand it. Language is no bar at all. Lastly, I think any youngster can relate to the concept. He can use it to make fun of his friend or even himself! While I did give some inputs on the music for the song, the credit for music should go to Anirudh."

Source: The Times of India