Pallu Latke - Nauker by Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar

The Nauker album has several strong tracks, but Pallu Latke - Nauker is the one most listeners come back to first. R.D. Burman sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Pallu Latke - Nauker, Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar clearly belongs in the second group. The connection between Jaya Bhaduri, Sanjeev Kumar and this song is part of what makes it resonate beyond the film itself.

1979 was a strong year for Hindi music, and Pallu Latke - Nauker was among the reasons why. There is no right time to listen to Pallu Latke - Nauker. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

The concision of Pallu Latke - Nauker — just 4:26 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.