Coke Studio is in its ninth season with two episodes already out. Every season they are able to deliver some very memorable original songs and some excellent renditions of eastern classics. However there are certain songs from each season that the series could have done without. Here’s our listof eight of the worst songs (one from each complete season) the famous series has come up with.
Disclaimer: It is all subjective.
- Saba &Selina – I’m in love
This was the first and second last English cover song in the Coke Studio’s 8 seasons. It was also the last time the duo of ‘Saba and Selina’ who were backup singers in Season 1 got to do their own song. Saba was retained for Season 2 and 3, Selina was not. Have a listen to see why.
- WastaPyar Da – AtifAslam
One of the best seasons ever, season 2 had few flaws. It featured a classic coke studio song, the brilliant ‘AikAlif featuring Noori’ where all involved were terrific, especially the Noori brothers. The same year Michael Jackson had passed away while preparing for his comeback concert. As far as tributes to the king of pop go, AtifAslam’s rendition of ‘billie Jean’ could have been substituted by a simple ‘R.I.P’ tweet by the artist and ‘wastapyar da’ would have remained any other easy to listen to coke studio song. It’s not just that the Urdu and English fusion does not go well together, the forced accent during the ‘billie jean’ parts is just cringe worthy. Thankfully it is the last English cover song in coke studio to date.
- Bolo Bolo – Entity Paradigm
Sajjad Ali’s ‘Bolo Bolo’was producer Rohail Hayat’s choice of song in season 3 to maim with the help of E.P. (Entity Paradigm). Yes, Pakistan’s reply to ‘Linkin Park’ back in the 00’s was given the task to cover this singlefrom1993. Although E.P gave us great hits such as ‘Aghosh’ and ‘HameinAzma’, maybe it would have been better for Sajjad to have covered this himself. Fawad Khan, the lead vocalist, however did eventually find his true calling with acting and has probably forgotten the whole thing ever happened.
- Lamha – Bilal Khan
The highlight of season 4 was the revelation of the immensely talented Rajhastani artist Asif Hussain Samraat (never to be seen again), someone who Rohail Hayat admitted – in a behind the scenes video of the song ‘Senraan Ra Baairya’ – “very powerful, emotional kardeitahaiyeh”.As with every season there is that one song that just doesn’t cut it and ‘Lamha’ by Bilal Khan is that song with its monotonic, sleep inducing unnecessarily dark melody with more or less the same characteristics within the vocals and lyrics. His song ‘Bahchana’ however would have made more sense as a Coke Studio composition.
5.Kandyaari Dhol Geet – Chakwal Group featuring Bohemia
The ‘Chakwal Group’ was a welcome addition to season 5. Two out of three of their songs namely ‘IshqAapBheAwalla (featuring MeeshaShafi)’ and ‘WahWahJhulara’ were both part of some of the best stuff from this season. The same cannot be said about their third outing that featured ‘Bohemia’ a ‘rap artist’. Having already done two ‘rap songs’, it was overkill by stuffing him into the latter part of an otherwise easy-listening folk song. Bohemia has not featured since, nor has ‘rap’.
6.Laage re nain – Ayesha Omer
This beautiful raag has been sung by legends such as Mehnaz and Ustad Bade Fateh Ali khan. And if you had googled the words ‘Laage re nain’ before the coke studio version came out you probably would have seen their respective versions as the top hit. Unfortunately now its Ayesha Omer’s ‘recitation’ of the raag, that is the top hit. At no point during the song does she even attempt to change a scale or hit a higher note. The result is a drag of a song that could have and should have been done by someone with some classical training. Season 6 was Rohail Hayat’s last as producer after he decided it would be a good idea to record the entire season at different exotic destinations in multiple studio’s using artists from around the world, effectively taking the ‘Studio’ out of ‘Coke Studio’ which really is the whole point.
- Mitti Da Palwan – Jawad Ahmad
It was tough finding a bad song in this ‘back to basics’ season after the duo of Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia (Strings) took over as producers. The season was a breath of fresh air with one hit after the other. ‘Mitti da Palwan’ by Jawad Ahmad just seems a little out of place in the presence of songs such as “Sub Aakho Ali Ali” and “Tum NarazHo” and “PhoolBanro” and, well the list is long. So it’s not particularly a bad song, just not a relatively good song and composition. Season 7 as a whole was probably the best after season 2.
8.Chiryan Da Chamba – SuraiyaKhanum& Anwar Maqsood
It just did not work well together. SuraiyaKhanum on her own might not have been able to carry the whole song but that did not warrant the inclusion of Anwar Maqsood reciting a depressing poem as a filler at equal intervals in the backdrop of some seriously morbid ‘sound effects’ not music. Pertinent to mention here that AnqwarMaqsood is related to Bilal Maqsood and SuraiyaKhanum has no relation to Farida Khanum, just saying.
Honourable mentions:
MeeshaShafi – ChoriChori
Ali Zafar – Rock Star
Bohemia – Paisay Da Nasha
Bohemia – School Di Kitawab