Yeh Zulf Kaisi Hai - Piya Ka Ghar by Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi

Few songs from 1972 have held their ground as well as Yeh Zulf Kaisi Hai - Piya Ka Ghar, a track that keeps finding new audiences. The music, composed by Laxmikant, Pyarelal, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi inhabits this song completely, making every phrase feel like it was written specifically for this voice. Hearing Yeh Zulf Kaisi Hai - Piya Ka Ghar without thinking of Anil Dhawan, Jaya Bhaduri, Ranjita Thakur, Suresh Chatwal, Agha, Sulochana Chatterjee, Mukri, Keshto Mukherjee is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Piya Ka Ghar.

1972 marked the release of Piya Ka Ghar, and Yeh Zulf Kaisi Hai - Piya Ka Ghar 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 4:16 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.