What Makes A Song An Instant Big Hit

So what makes a song, any song, an instant hit? And when I say song, I mean, a song in its audio version, not with visuals, as in one with a music video or a movie backdrop.

Is it it's popularity in a movie, that makes much use of the visual aspect and connects better to the audience's sentiment?

Is it the number of times it is picked up by a music channel and aired on television?

Is it the number of times it is circulated in a radio channel and spread across homes and places?

When people talk about Anupam Roy the musician, till date, the song that they instantly connect him to is the song 'Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao' that was used in the movie Autograph. Which is fine.

But what is not fine by me, is the fact that there are so many of his other songs that are equally, if not more, amazing!


For instance, if you have seen or heard about the movie 'Jaatishwar' by Srijit Mukherji that recently came out, it uses a song by Anupam Roy, performed in the movie by The Anupam Roy Band....the song in question is 'Faanka Frame' also known as 'Dersho Bochhor Aageyo Aami'. It surely is a big hit now, and even though the song was phenomenal when it originally came out in Anupam Roy's second album 'Dwitiyo Purush' in Feb of 2013, I think it's getting a much bigger audience reaction now, especially amongst those Bengalis and listeners who live out of Bengal.

So when most people end up immediately connecting Anupam Roy with 'Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao', I really feel he is much more than that one song, and truly, that one song can't really define him as a musician.

Have you heard the song 'Aami Aajkal Bhaalo Aachhi'? If you haven't, it's a track from the album 'Dwitiyo Purush.' Of late, this is one track that has been on loop mode with me, and I must say I have been immensely moved by the soul in the song.......it's absolutely music magic. Then again, this song is equally good as Amake Amar Moto, and in some areas, even more heart touching...But I haven't heard much about it from anyone or anywhere, and that is really sad......Exactly what I meant when I said that sometimes, featuring the song in a movie is what takes it to a different high altogether, even though it may be worthy of the appreciation from the start.

Another such song that I really really like is 'Raat Poshak.' In this one, Anupam Roy is an entirely different man altogether. He is raw, he is earthy, he is sensuous, he is charming, he is a modern day man filled with angst, love, yearning, confusion, love, passion and much more. I find it one of his best songs ever, and truly one of the very best songs I have heard, and not just in the Bengali language.

All that said, this is what I mean when I ask what it takes to make a song an instant big hit? I am quite confused as to why songs that are so worthy and so complete, need a medium like the movies to take them to a larger amount of audience. Maybe we could do with some better music marketing strategies? I don't know.

But what I know for sure is that Anupam Roy is not just 'Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao.' He is that and much much more.....

- Debolina Raja Gupta