Why Do Singers Forget Lyrics Of Their Own Songs? Shankar Mahadevan Explains

Shankar Mahadevan explained why singers can sometimes forget the lyrics of songs they have already recorded and performed

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The conversation came as Dil Chahta Hai marked 25 years.
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  • Shankar Mahadevan explained why singers forget lyrics after a song becomes a hit.
  • Shaan shared a funny incident involving Javed Akhtar and his own songs.
  • The conversation came as Dil Chahta Hai completed 25 year
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Shankar Mahadevan has an interesting explanation for something that happens to even the biggest playback singers – forgetting the lyrics of their own hit songs. The composer recently opened up about it while joining Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa, Shaan and Meiyang Chang for a special Spotify video marking 25 years of Dil Chahta Hai.

The conversation took a funny turn when Shaan wondered why he sometimes struggles to remember the words to songs that he has sung himself. According to Shankar, there is actually a simple reason behind it. Once a song is recorded, released and becomes a hit, singers naturally move on to their next project.

Explaining the reason, Shankar said, "I will tell you why. Because you have already sung that song. The song has become popular. It has become a super hit. And you have already moved ahead. So that's no longer a priority. That's already done. If it's a new song, a new melody, a new set of lyrics, you will be 100% focused. And you will see to it like, 'I shouldn't make a mistake.' Then there will be no mistakes there."

Shaan then added a funny example from one of his own recording sessions. He recalled working with lyricist Javed Akhtar and said he once ended up creating his own lyrics for songs he had actually sung.

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"I have a very funny story on this. During a session, I started making my own lyrics. And then I went to him Javed Akhtar sahab, very coy. And I asked him, 'Is everything okay?'. He said, 'You are writing it yourself'. So I didn't understand what he meant. He said, 'No, no, these are all your songs'. I said, 'But these weren't my lyrics'. He then said, 'You made your own lines.'"

The exchange offered a lighter look at how singers can sometimes remember the melody or the overall song but completely blank on the actual words.

The conversation came as Dil Chahta Hai marked 25 years. Directed by Farhan Akhtar, the film went on to become closely associated with friendship, city life, romance and the idea of taking off on a trip with friends.

The film featured Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Preity Zinta in important roles.

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