I’ve heard Yerikarai poongaathe a number of times, but I never really listened to it until I read this sublime little description at the end of a Gautham Menon interview by the always-readable Baradwaj Rangan:
Think Ilankaathu veesuthe, or further back, the godly Yerikarai poongaathe, which, despite being sung by KJ Yesudas, is no solo but really a duet between the singer and the flute.
KJY: Yerikkarai poongaathe…
(Flute: Yeah, you talkin’ to me?)
KJY: Nee pora vazhi thenkizhakko…
(Flute: Perhaps. Why do you ask?)
KJY: Thenkizhakku vaasamalli…
(Flute: What about it?)
KJY: Yenna thedi vara thoodhu sollu…
(Flute: Hmm… lemme think about it…)
By the time you get to the second stanza, verbalizing the flute’s responses requires some of Tarantino’s calibre.
Amazing how the man’s music still manages to surprise us.
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