Ja Ri Bahena Ja - Trishul by Kishore Kumar, K.J. Yesudas, Pamela Chopra

Ja Ri Bahena Ja - Trishul is the kind of song that earns its place in a playlist and then refuses to leave. Khayyam's arrangement gives the track a layered quality that rewards repeated listening.

The performance by Kishore Kumar, K.J. Yesudas, Pamela Chopra is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. Hearing Ja Ri Bahena Ja - Trishul without thinking of Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhee, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Sachin, Waheeda Rehman is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Trishul.

The song dates from 1978, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. Ja Ri Bahena Ja - Trishul is the song for the end of a long day when you want music that understands something without being asked to explain it.

At 3:09, the track does not overstay its welcome — it says what it needs to say and leaves the listener wanting more. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.