What’s your favorite part about watching a movie? Is it the momentary escape that it offers from your own world and troubles? Is it the catharsis that can take place when you watch something emotional and find yourself moved to tears? Or the exhilaration of a new crush that can be born after a fictional character wins over your heart?
For me, it’s the excitement when I discover a song that makes me smile, that makes me want to pause the film and look it up on the internet immediately, lest I forget about it by the end. Yesterday, when I saw Bombay Rose, the Indian animated film that recently came out on Netflix, it was the beautiful beats of the background score that made me watch it till the end. Almost every song or instrumental piece played in that film was pleasant to the ears, rhythms and sounds you want to hear again and again.
Today, the first thing that I did after waking up was play on a song called ‘Red Rose’, a lovely Goan track by a musician called Lorna, that was in Bombay Rose. As the singer crooned like a rockstar, I happily made my toast and fried chicken, humming to the lyrics that I did not understand. But YouTube and kind strangers on the internet came to the rescue – someone wrote the complete translation of the song for us lost souls to understand the essence of the song. And I loved the song even more after I finally understood the lyrics. It’s about a beautiful lass who is constantly wooed by lads, with some even asking her hand in marriage.
Anyway, here are the lyrics as provided by a youtube user called Konkhni Gitam –
My home is in Cutorim, Salcette (Goa)
My name is Rosalyn Everyone knows me as “Red Rose”
I work in a Parsi bungalow in Walkeshwar (Bombay)
When I walk on the street, I’m followed by a long procession of young men
Some of them give me chocolates
Some invite me for the movies
Some simply greet me
Some show me money
Many of my fellow Goan boys follow me
Wherever I go, I have no peace, they heckle me
Many of them give me a promise of marriage
I don’t want such husbands, they drink country liqour
Now listen carefully, young man!
From today onwards turn on a new leaf Fling that booze into the sea
If you want to marry me
Even the Parsi boys wink at me
They call me Red Rose, some of them flirt with me
They say “I love you” and ask me for a kiss
I don’t want anyone else but a Goan as a husband
Parsis will give me a lot of money
They may take gold from me
When I die, crows will feast on my corpse
Goans will give me a decent burial
I have been thinking of a podcast episode with a musician friend and sharing 10-20 underrated songs that we’ve discovered through watching movies. Do you think that sounds like something you would listen to? Let me know.
Also, today’s Podcast episode is a quick analysis of the film Bombay Rose, even though I know I have already written about it. Listen in! And please subscribe to the channel. Thank You.
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