Listicle: 10 silly songs that somehow live in our heads rent-free

Another Vishal Dadlani composition, sung by Shalmali Kholgade. The song from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is still dusted out at Holi a decade on. But consider for a minute that “balam pichkari” has sexual connotations and it explains why everyone grins so much when it plays. Even without the innuendo, “Itna maza, kyun aa raha hai? Tune hawa mein bhaang milaya?” injects colour into tired Holi cliches.

Forget knowing the lyrics. We even know Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’s one-liner before the song begins. “Kaun hai yeh, jisne mudhke mujhe nahi dekha? Who IS he?” was a hit before the song by Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik and Sandesh Shandilya was. The sassy love song stood out in the era of otherwise slow, painful ballads. Complete the following: “Jhoom chiki chiki jhoom, tum bolo hai woh kaun jo, baar baar yeh dil khota hai, dekh ke usko”. Memory can be so cringey.

Against Munni, Chammak Challo and Sheila, Sheila won. The Tees Maar Khan song still fuels drunken nights, thanks to Sunidhi Chauhan’s upbeat vocals and Vishal Dadlani’s hook. But visuals contribute to the staying power too: Who doesn’t remember Katrina Kaif’s iconic shimmy? Who did it as recently as last Friday? “My name Is Sheila, Sheila ki jawani, I’m too sexy for you, main tere haath na aani”. Who knew Sheila would become a keeper?

Thanks, Kapoor & Sons for introducing India to “chull” a word for sexual itch we’ve since learnt by heart. The party favourite has great lines: “Arey daayein, baayein, kaise kamar tu jhulaaye, Physics samajh nahi aaye”. The chorus: “Arrey ladki beautiful, kar gayi chull” isn’t even a great rhyme. But Neha Kakkar, Badshah, Amaal Mallik, Sukriti Kakar and Fazilpuria keep the beats tight. No note is wasted. Probably why we are still singing it, seven years on.

Proof that remixes can extend the life of any song, even a silly one. Anu Malik sings both versions, with Neha Kakkar standing in for Poornima in the 2017 sequel to Judwaa. What can one say about a man who can’t meet his horny ladylove because her building is too tall, and the elevator isn’t working? Especially when her response is: Come with a wedding band. This must be love. It certainly defies common sense.

Call it the YMCA of the early 2000s. The Ketchup Song inspired so many dance challenges that 2000s kids can still move their arms and hips to the steps from memory. But it’s the gibberish chorus from the Spanish pop group Las Ketchup, had everyone recalls verbatim. Embarrassed you still remember it? BTW, Asereje is a nonsense word too, so go ahead and feel worse.

Carly Rae Jepsen gave the world a pick-up line we haven’t managed to forget. It played on loop at cafes, on radio for the people who were still listening, and even at parties. “Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy. But here’s my number, so call me, maybe” managed to say what tongue-tied men and women couldn’t. Plus it’s so upbeat it still covers up any shyness.

Sorry, Taylor Swift. The world does not need another song about Romeo and Juliet. They die at the end, remember? At least Dire Straits’ version warns us that the dice was loaded from the start. Swift’s version is just about the heady meetcute, sneaky meetings and eventual wedding. And yet, you can’t help but join in. “It’s a love story, baby, just say, ‘yes’.”

Both the songs by Justin Beiber have similar hooks. Both make you tap your foot to the beat and join in during the chorus. One is a love song about promises of everlasting love. The other has an apologetic tone. Even if they didn’t turn you into a Belieber, the lyrics are so simple, they’re impossible to separate from the music. “Is it too late to say I’m sorry now?”

“Blow a kiss, fire a gun. All we need is somebody to lean on”. The song by Jamaican-American group Major Lazer, French DJ Snake and Danish singer MØ, still plays in clubs and shops. Everyone’s watched that stylised, faux-Bollywood music video more often than they should have. Eight years on, it remains a mood lifter even though we still can’t figure out if it’s a love song or a break-up anthem.