The song "Nagada Nagada Nagada Baja" from the 2007 film Jab We Met is one of those songs that is bound to get you on your feet to dance along.
While this song has a decidedly Punjabi flavor, it is a great dance and party tune and fun to sing along with - even if you only sing the chorus. The music was written by Pritam Chakraborty with lyrics by Irshad Kamil and sung by Sonu Nigam & Javed Ali.
A Planet Bollywood review of the Jab We Met soundtrack highlighted this song as one of the best of the album:
For a lot of people, bhangra music is all about the beats, but truly it’s a synthesis of melody, lyrics, music and vocals that really make a Bhangra song stand out from the generic crop. Pritam brings it all together for this one with a driving dhol beat, the right use of synths and the searing vocals by Sonu Nigam and Javed Ali. The adaptation of a traditional Punjabi folk tune in the middle only adds to the wow factor.
The lyrics of the song can be translated as:
A capricious, bubbly girl,
Her mesmerizing eyes are piercing.
And her beauty is lethal.
Everyone talks about her deadly beauty.CHORUS:
Beat the drum!
Beat the drum!
Beat the drum!
Move to the beat!Whenever that girl comes to the window,
Someone sees her and gives away his hear.
And some die without seeing her.
There is a festival when she walks down the street.
Every love used to celebrate and dance
And the party would begin.Girls: My youth is yours in any case. You need not try to steal my beauty.
Since childhood she had a beloved.
His task was to keep the other lovers at bay.
The one whom he had to make the queen of his heart.
She was crazy for someone else.
One story ended and another began.
The simplicity of the lyrics, the powerful drumbeats, and the joyful music made this song hugely popular to audiences worldwide.
The following playlist features "Nagada Nagada Nagada Baja" as picturized on Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in the film Jab We Met, followed by a performance by a group of girls in Malmö, Sweden, and a performance by Gauhar Khan on the show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.