Ilahi - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani by Pritam, Arijit Singh

Few songs from 2013 have held their ground as well as Ilahi - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, a track that keeps finding new audiences. Pritam's arrangement gives the track a layered quality that rewards repeated listening.

Pritam, Arijit Singh brings a warmth to Ilahi - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani that no production choice could manufacture — it has to be felt, and here it is. The connection between Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Aditya Roy Kapur, Kalki Koechlin, Kunaal Roy Kapur and this song is part of what makes it resonate beyond the film itself.

In 2013, Hindi produced many songs, but Ilahi - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was one of the handful that genuinely cut through. Listeners have described the experience of Ilahi - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

Running to 3:49, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.