Six Songs for Sri Lanka

My country Sri Lanka is currently facing its worst crisis right now. The country is running out of money so there is unfortunately a shortage of power, cooking gas, medicines, paper and fuel. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s victory at Sri Lanka’s November 2019 Presidential election is what set the stage for this crisis. There have been massive protests calling Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign since March. I decided to write an article highlighting six songs I like that can apply to Sri Lanka’s present state. There are five western songs and one Sri Lankan song featured which have their official YouTube audio embedded.

Takin' It to the Streets - The Doobie Brothers (1976)

This is Michael McDonald’s first hit with The Doobie Brothers. Michael wrote it, sings it and plays piano. This song is about someone who has grown up in poverty through a very difficult environment. Sri Lanka has issues of poverty and people in Sri Lanka are going through the most painful and difficult time in Sri Lanka’s history. The current protests in Sri Lanka match with the theme of the song. I hope they will succeed in getting Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign and take Sri Lanka out of its current mess. Michael sings powerfully and plays his melodic piano colourfully. There’s a nice saxophone solo.  

Feel Like A Number - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1978)

This is an intense rocker featuring powerful piano. There is both a piano and a guitar solo. Bob mentions standing in line at the start which is apt as Sri Lankans have been standing for hours in queues daily. The protagonist feels like a number because of the difficulties and lack of recognition in his life. Corrupt politicians in Sri Lanka have been discarding the citizens of Sri Lanka which can result in people feeling like a number. The line “I’m just another consensus on the street” reflects the Sri Lankans out there in queues and protests being a consensus of Sri Lanka’s colossal failures in governance. This song has the signature Bob Seger rock sound.

Where Have All The Good Times Gone - Elton John (1982)

This is a soul influenced song that’s very musical. Elton John wrote this song with his long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin. This song is written nostalgically looking back in the early 1980s, but the statement “Where have all the good times gone” applies to Sri Lanka. You can think of this question bringing back positive memories of Sri Lanka. This song features piano, electric piano, an orchestra and subtle guitar parts. Elton sings passionately asking this question. In the final section of the song, Elton brings in some rock piano and sings more intensely.

The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & The Range (1986)

Its lyrics open with the fitting words “Standing in line, marking time”. This is a piano driven rock song with the piano played by the singer. The chorus has the lines “That’s just the way it is. Some things will never change.” It also adds “Don’t you believe them” which I like. This message is useful for Sri Lanka, as the common defeatist statement “That’s just the way it is” has been said for years regarding Sri Lanka’s problems. I hope the protests will result in action to fix the problems plaguing Sri Lankan society currently and for decades. Bruce gives inspired piano playing throughout including two piano solos. 

Sihina Lowak - Clarence Wijewardena (2002)

This is an instrumental version of a song by Sri Lankan musician Clarence Wijewardena. It opens with a keyboard part which comes back later. The song features catchy guitars. There is a saxophone played in the Sri Lankan style. In the last section of the song there is some subtle singing by Clarence going with the guitar parts. This is a relaxing gentle song which reflects the wonder of Sri Lanka. The wonder of Sri Lanka is something to look at in these dark times. 

Working On a Dream - Bruce Springsteen (2009)

This is an optimistic song. Bruce sings of working on a dream. Many Sri Lankans are dreaming of what they wish to see for Sri Lanka. I dream of a Sri Lanka where there is clean politics, peace, no racism & discrimination, a thriving economy, a good quality of life among other much needed developments. This song features good dark, rock piano notes. There is a nice section where Bruce whistles. This song talks of the importance of working on a dream.

These are a collection of songs I selected that I feel are suitable for the current times in Sri Lanka. Music when done right can express our thoughts and feelings in a truthful manner. It can touch us, comfort us and inspire us to do better. I’m very sad by the current state of Sri Lanka, though I am pleased to see the unified call for change coming from Sri Lanka’s different communities and groups. I’m so sorry to all the people back home in Sri Lanka for the suffering you’re going through. It’s my wish to see a better Sri Lanka emerge.

Api Kawruda by Senaka Batagoda

In this post I am sharing a song I love called ‘Api Kawruda’. This song comes from Sri Lanka and was a Sri Lankan hit by the band Wayo in 2012. However, it was written by a songwriter named Senaka Batagoda whose version remained unreleased until December 2015. While this song is in Sinhalese, it has a classic rock feel where I see similarities with the music of my two favourite singers Elton John & Bob Seger. It sounds like Elton John’s song ‘England And America’ from the Deluxe edition of his 2016 album “Wonderful Crazy Night”, with the biggest similarities being the melody and the piano. I also find it to sound like a Bob Seger song (more on that later). I am embedding the song from Senaka Batagoda’s YouTube Channel here, and the YouTube video is a slideshow so the readers can listen to the song as they read this post where I describe it and point out what makes this song special.

It opens with acoustic guitars and is then followed by piano played by Janath Kulathilake. The first verse starts off softly using a mix of acoustic guitar and piano. In the second half of the first verse, the song becomes faster. In the chorus, the piano gets louder and throughout the song it is melodic and gives energy. In the first instance of the chorus, the song is able to be both gentle and rocking at the same time with the piano giving a rock feel. Janath plays a great piano riff throughout the chorus that’s a big part of this song.

The second verse starts off similar to the first verse. About two minutes into the song in the middle of the second verse, we noticeably hear the organ (also played by Janath Kulathilake) which gives the song a real Bob Seger feel being reminiscent of the usage of the piano/organ combination in some Bob Seger songs. After this verse is concluded, electric guitars come in the chorus making the song rock more. Once the electric guitars come, we can see that this song has the Bob Seger sound of piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and organ that he has used in some of his songs. The electric guitars give a new dimension to the song and it’s good to hear the chorus done differently. When the chorus ends there is a great rocking guitar solo which is accompanied well by the piano. The final section of the song is the chorus once again followed by some good electric guitar parts that concludes the song.

I’m writing this post to give exposure to what I see as a great Sri Lankan song to the world. The song has energy, a catchy melody and rocks in a good way. I think Senaka’s voice sounds a bit similar to the Sri Lankan songwriter and performer Clarence Wijewardena. He sings the song with passion that’s part of its strength. I’d be interested to hear people’s thoughts on the song. I hope this song will grow in its reach connecting with people in all corners of the world. Thank you Senaka for writing a very special song.