Bulleya
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"Bulleya" (
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
: بللیہ ) is a song by the Pakistani
sufi rock Sufi rock or Sufi folk rock is a subgenre of rock music that combines rock with classical Islamic Sufi music traditions. It emerged in the early 1990s and became widely popular in the late 1990s in Pakistan and Turkey. The term "Sufi rock" was co ...
band Junoon, released in 1999. It is the first track from the band's fifth album, ''
Parvaaz ''Parvaaz'' (Urdu: پرواز, literal English translation: "flight") is the fifth studio album and sixth overall album by the Pakistani band Junoon. It was released in 1999 and features songs mostly based on the poetry of the great Punjabi Suf ...
'' (1999), recorded at
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and released on
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...
. The song is a famous
kafi Kafi is a classical form of Sufi music in the Punjabi and Sindhi languages that originated from the Punjab and Sindh regions of South Asia. Some well-known Kafi poets are Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sa ...
written by the
sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
Bulleh Shah Sayyid Abdullāh Shāh Qādrī (; ), popularly known as Baba Bulleh Shah and vocatively as Bulleya, was a Punjabi revolutionary philosopher, reformer and Chishti Sufi poet, regarded the 'Father of Punjabi Enlightenment'; and one of the g ...
. Bulleh Shah is famous for his spiritual and metaphysical poetry, and ''
Bullah Ki Jaana ''Bulleya Ki Jaana'' ( is a '' kafi'' poem written by Punjabi Sufi poet and philosopher Bulleh Shah. It is one of the most popular of his ''kafis'', incorporating religious, philosophical, and humanist aspects. In the 1990s Junoon, a rock band ...
'' (the poem on which the song is based) is one of his well-known poems. The song is composed and produced by lead guitarist and founder of the band
Salman Ahmad Salman Ahmad (, born 12 December 1963) is a Pakistani born-American musician, rock guitarist, physician, activist, occasional actor and professor at the City University of New York. He earned nationwide popularity in 1998 for his unique sty ...
. It is the lead
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
on the album, the song uses blending of rock guitars and bluesy vocals with eastern elements like the use of
tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...
s, raga-inspired melodies and traditional
Pakistani folk music Pakistani folk music refers to the local genre of folk music that originates from Pakistan. Major folk singers *Malika Pukhraj (1912 - 2004) (sang in Kashmiri language, Kashmiri Dogari Pahari language) *Tufail Niazi (1916 - 1990) (sang in Punjabi ...
. It is considered one of the best sufi rock songs ever recorded by Junoon, and is often performed at concerts. The song is one of the most well known and popular track by Junoon, also listeners and critics have continued to praise "Bulleya" as one of the greatest rock songs of all time in
Pakistani music industry The Music of Pakistan () is a fusion of Turko-Persian, Arab, North Indian, and contemporary Western influences, creating a distinct musical tradition often referred to as "Pakistani Music." The genre has adapted and evolved over time in response ...
. In addition, a new version, named "Bulleya/Lonely Heart", with addition of English lyrics to the song featured in the soundtrack album ''
Rock & Roll Jihad ''Rock & Roll Jihad'' is the first soundtrack album and the eighteenth overall album of the Pakistani band, Junoon. The soundtrack is based on Salman Ahmad and Junoon's musical journey. The album features five new studio recordings along with ...
'', released in 2010. The song has also featured in several other albums by the band like ''
Junoon for Peace ''Junoon for Peace'' is the first live album and the eleventh overall album by the Pakistani band, Junoon. The album was recorded live on October 27, 2001. The concert was a tribute to the victims of the World Trade Center attack and a call for ...
'' (2001), ''
United for Peace ''United For Peace'' is the second video album and the tenth overall album by the Pakistani band, Junoon. The album contains four music videos from Junoon's previous albums, which include ''Azadi'', theme from '' Jinnah the Movie'', ''Bulleya'' ...
'' (2001) and '' Dewaar: The Best of Junoon'' (2004).


Conception


Background

''
Bullah Ki Jaana ''Bulleya Ki Jaana'' ( is a '' kafi'' poem written by Punjabi Sufi poet and philosopher Bulleh Shah. It is one of the most popular of his ''kafis'', incorporating religious, philosophical, and humanist aspects. In the 1990s Junoon, a rock band ...
'' is a
Kafi Kafi is a classical form of Sufi music in the Punjabi and Sindhi languages that originated from the Punjab and Sindh regions of South Asia. Some well-known Kafi poets are Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sa ...
written by the
sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
Bulleh Shah Sayyid Abdullāh Shāh Qādrī (; ), popularly known as Baba Bulleh Shah and vocatively as Bulleya, was a Punjabi revolutionary philosopher, reformer and Chishti Sufi poet, regarded the 'Father of Punjabi Enlightenment'; and one of the g ...
, famous for his spiritual and metaphysical poetry, ''Bullah Ki Jaana'' is one of his well-known poems. While reciting Kafis, Bulleh Shah would go on dancing continuously, till he attained the stage of ''haal'' (divine ecstasy). In his poem, Bullah Shah is expressing the relationship between Man and God. Also, Bulleh Shah contemplates the origins of mankind using himself as a
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
. He expresses doubts about previously held views of the emergence of humans on Earth. He reasons, by referring to himself, that one can never understand the laws of nature and one's place in the
Universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...
.


Track listing

Bulleya


Cover versions

*Pakistani rock band
Call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call (poker), a bet matching an opponent's * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from L ...
performed a live session cover of Junoon's hit song "Bulleya" on Indus Music. *In 2005,
Rabbi Shergill Rabbi Shergill (born Gurpreet Singh Shergill on 16 April 1973) is an Indian musician well known for his debut album ''Rabbi'' and the chart-topper song of 2004, '' Bullah Ki Jaana '' ("I don’t know who I am!"). His music has been described v ...
's covered a rock/fusion version of the song, which became a chart-topper in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. *In 2009, Riaz Ali Khan performed a rendition of the song at the Coke Studio Season Two.


Personnel

;Junoon *
Salman Ahmad Salman Ahmad (, born 12 December 1963) is a Pakistani born-American musician, rock guitarist, physician, activist, occasional actor and professor at the City University of New York. He earned nationwide popularity in 1998 for his unique sty ...
-
vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
,
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
*
Ali Azmat Ali Azmat Pacha (born 20 April 1966) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known as the lead singer for the influential Sufi rock band Junoon and for his subsequent solo career later followed by a career as an act ...
-
vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
,
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
* Brian O'Connell -
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
,
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
;Additional musicians *Ustad Aashiq Ali Mir - dholak, tabla


See also

*''
Bullah Ki Jaana ''Bulleya Ki Jaana'' ( is a '' kafi'' poem written by Punjabi Sufi poet and philosopher Bulleh Shah. It is one of the most popular of his ''kafis'', incorporating religious, philosophical, and humanist aspects. In the 1990s Junoon, a rock band ...
'' *
Bulleh Shah Sayyid Abdullāh Shāh Qādrī (; ), popularly known as Baba Bulleh Shah and vocatively as Bulleya, was a Punjabi revolutionary philosopher, reformer and Chishti Sufi poet, regarded the 'Father of Punjabi Enlightenment'; and one of the g ...
*"Bulleya" song in ''
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil ''Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'' () is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Karan Johar under the Dharma Productions banner. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai, and Fawad ...
'' *"Bulleya" song in ''
Sultan (2016 film) ''Sultan'' is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language Sports film, sports Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Salman Khan in the titular role a ...
''


References


External links


Junoon Official Website


{{authority control 1999 singles Junoon (band) songs 1999 songs EMI Records singles Songs in Punjabi Pakistani rock songs