Naacho Re - Jai Ho by Devi Sri Prasad, Ujjayinee

Few songs from 2014 have held their ground as well as Naacho Re - Jai Ho, a track that keeps finding new audiences. Credit goes to Devi Sri Prasad for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

Devi Sri Prasad, Ujjayinee brings a warmth to Naacho Re - Jai Ho that no production choice could manufacture — it has to be felt, and here it is. Hearing Naacho Re - Jai Ho without thinking of Salman Khan, Daisy Shah, Tabu, Danny Denzongpa is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Jai Ho.

By the end of 2014, Naacho Re - Jai Ho had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. Some music is background. Naacho Re - Jai Ho demands attention — not aggressively, but in the way a good conversation does.

Running to 2:37, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Songs like Naacho Re - Jai Ho are the reason people fall in love with Hindi music and never quite fall out of it.