Love Theme - Sanju and Lizzie - Shakespeare Wallah by Satyajit Ray

When Satyajit Ray recorded Love Theme - Sanju and Lizzie - Shakespeare Wallah, something special happened in the studio — and listeners have felt it ever since. Satyajit Ray sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

Satyajit Ray's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. For fans of a talented ensemble cast, Love Theme - Sanju and Lizzie - Shakespeare Wallah is one of those songs that immediately conjures specific scenes and emotions.

The song dates from 1965, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. It fits the playlist for almost any occasion, which is rare — most songs have a narrow emotional window. This one does not.

Running to 3:33, 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.