The Breakup Song - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil by Pritam, Arijit Singh, Badshah, Jonita Gandhi, Nakash Aziz

The Breakup Song - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil arrived from the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil album and quickly became one of the most replayed tracks of 2016. Credit goes to Pritam for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

Every line Pritam, Arijit Singh, Badshah, Jonita Gandhi, Nakash Aziz sings feels considered, as though the performance was thought through long before recording began. Featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Fawad Khan, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

2016 marked the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and The Breakup Song - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. 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 4:12 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. The Breakup Song - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil endures because it was built on feeling rather than formula — and that is the one thing streaming numbers cannot manufacture.