Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today Daniel Schleifer from What Cheer? Brigade tells us about "Saiyan Re Saiyan" from their album We Blow You Suck. We now turn it over to Daniel for the story:The moment I first heard "Saiyan Re Saiyan," I knew it would slay, and indeed, it's now one of our favorite songs to play live. The best Bollywood songs are a series of dramatic moments that are distinct but still work together. Add a heavy beat, and you've got a pop song that makes the crowd feel like they're on an epic journey across the dance floor.
With this song, I started to really understand the elements of a good What Cheer? Brigade arrangement; it's fun to play, complex enough to engage listeners, but simple and heavy enough to make people move like crazy. This song also inspired me to dig deeper for gems in the massive pop mine of Bollywood film music.
Rahul Dev Burman composed the song, whose title translates to "My Lover Came Silently," for the 1970 Bollywood film The Train. Anand Bakshi wrote the lyrics, and legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle sang the original vocals. My arrangement trims it down somewhat, but all the best bits from Burman's version are there.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album - right here!
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