Kabira - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani by Pritam, Tochi Raina, Rekha Bhardwaj

Few songs from 2013 have held their ground as well as Kabira - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, a track that keeps finding new audiences. Pritam built the instrumental foundation carefully here — every element earns its place in the mix.

The performance by Pritam, Tochi Raina, Rekha Bhardwaj is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. The chemistry of Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Aditya Roy Kapur, Kalki Koechlin, Kunaal Roy Kapur is embedded in every moment of Kabira - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, making it as much a performance as a song.

By the end of 2013, Kabira - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. It is the kind of track that works at full volume with friends and equally well in a quiet room alone — the mood adjusts without the song changing.

The concision of Kabira - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani — just 3:43 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. Years from now, Kabira - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani will still be the track that plays at the right moment and lands exactly as it did the first time.