The song that blew up the world charts in December 2022 – the song “Pasoori – Ali Sethi” is a whirlwind of emotions and feelings put into words.
What is hidden behind these words, and how did the two wonderful singers unite into a duet that gave the world a hit that won the hearts of millions of people around the world.
History of creation.
The song “Pasoori – Ali Sethi” was released in early February 2022 as one of 20 songs performed live on the annual television music show for young artists Coke Studio Pakistan.
In the 14th season of one of Pakistan’s longest-running music competitions, a duo of Pakistani singers Ali Sethi and aspiring cover singer Shai Gill performed. They made a bombshell with their single “Pasoori – Ali Sethi”.
In this song, there was both the unity of the two peoples, and the mixing of the classic rubab melody and the frantic rhythms of modern trends. This mixed cocktail of emotions and music first conquered the Spotify music platform, winning the “Top 50 Songs Global-YouTube”.
After just a couple of months, this wonderful composition, thanks to its popularity, could be seen in the 4th season of the Disney series “Wonder”. And she was gaining her popularity with cosmic speed.
In October 2022, according to YouTube reports, the video for this song dethroned many popular artists from the throne. The single surpassed 420,000,000 views in terms of the number of views, becoming the most watched music video since the launch of Coke Studio Pakistan. As the founders of the competition confirmed, for all 14 years of the existence of the show, not a single song had such popularity.
By December 2022, a pair of Pakistani artists with a co-created song have become the most famous and popular both in Pakistan and far beyond its borders.
What influenced such a stormy surge of interest in the song? What was at the heart of the origin of the text and music, which called for millions of fans and admirers?
The meaning of the song.
Ali Sethi, in his interview during a press conference, said that inspiration descended on him while traveling between the cities of Feislabad and Lahore.
The singer said: “I saw a Punjabi phrase on the back of a passing truck. Literally, it said that if you want to live, you need to set fire to your anxieties and worries. I was struck by the beauty and energy of this phrase.”
The phrase he saw so knocked the singer out of balance that after several sleepless nights, after the words to this wonderful song “Pasoori – Ali Sethi” were born.
But it took a long time to bring the song to perfection. For many months, the performer went through a variety of dialects and languages \u200b\u200bto convey to the majority all the emotions and feelings that he kept inside.
The content of the song seeks to understand the heart broken by separation and the love of one person for another. The song does not have an unambiguous meaning; hidden thoughts of different peoples and nationalities are intertwined in it. Now in one word, now in another, allusions to various events that move people to incomprehensible things in the name of emotions.
In the song “Pasoori – Ali Sethi” there is no single rhythm and direction. Here are romantic notes of Pakistani nights, and a fusion of pop music and folk. And behind the beats of drum trembling, it is easy to catch life and self-expression, the suffering of love and the loneliness of a musician.
And although, in fact, the song contains words about the suffering of two hearts in love, in the words you can hear the echoes of the complexities of relations between two people from two countries, the conflict of which does not allow lovers to be together, live peacefully and in love.
To convey a more accurate mood of the song, the musical group used a variety of instruments: electronic drums, synthesizers, acoustic guitars, as well as folk instruments, baglama, mandolin.
After the song climbed to the top of the world charts, the singers were asked why the popularity of this song in the very environment where it was born.
Sethi stated that this became possible because the composition is based on the rhythms and melodies he heard in his childhood, perhaps then they were still unconscious, but magical visions. And the singer tried to transfer his feelings as much as possible into the words and music of “Pasoori – Ali Sethi”.
According to The Guardian, the song blurs not only interpersonal boundaries between the two lovers, but also cultural ones based on the hostility of two countries that cannot achieve equality and peace, but strive for it.
At the same time, the song so revealingly reflects the unity of nationalities and religions in diversity, that in order to fully understand the essence of the song, a Pakistani activist and dancer Shima Kermani was invited to the video, who dances an Indian dance, which is joined by a Muslim woman and a Christian woman, and perform this wonderful musical number of love, emotions, freedom and movement.
Interpretation of the lyrics
As with any piece of music, there can be many translation options. Below is one of the lyrics of the song “Pasoori – Ali Sethi”.
Set your worries on fire
waiting and haste.
If your love is poison
I will drink it completely
He said he would come, but he never came
My heart was pounding!
Let the crow tell me why
And enjoy sweets.
I’ll hide it and wait in loving arms.
Nobody will make me stop
My love, how can you know what will happen when we part?
I hope you fall in love, I hope it breaks your heart…
How will people communicate…
I hope you fall in love, I hope it breaks your heart…
I forget my helplessness
And the customs of the people.
You are enough for me
Please fulfill my destiny.
He said he would come, but he never did!
I couldn’t see because the path was hidden
My heart is comforting
Unfulfilled wishes…
I go crazy about you! I’m screaming out your name…
Let’s find out, out of shame!
My love, how can you know what will happen when we part
I hope you fall in love, I hope it breaks your heart…
Torn apart by a difficult political situation and border, Indians and Pakistanis have found a new common way to unite in music. And this was reflected in the song “Pasoori – Ali Sethi”.
