At first glance, Farzana Wahid, popularly… Read Full Bio ↴Shayan Aka Farzana Wahid.
At first glance, Farzana Wahid, popularly known as Shayan may not seem like an ideal Bangladeshi musician. Endorsing a ‘Dylan-esque’ look, the composer/singer is often seen clad in black with a guitar strapped to her back. Her unique outlook of course doesn’t just stop with her looks, her songs which have entered many a households of the country, have a similar feature.
Songs composed from Shayan’s first album, Shayan’er Gaan, strays away from the contemporary mainstream music scene of Bangladesh and in a sense reminds one of the songs composed in the 70s and 80s in Bangladesh by the likes of Maqsood and Azam Khan. They talk of random tales, politics, freedom, art, culture, sometimes bringing in Shayan’s own analysis and spread through various degrees. Her main accompaniment to most of her songs, her guitar, is often overseen as the power of her lyrics, complimented by her powerful voice takes over the listeners’ ears.
On the 41st Victory Day of Bangladesh, Amader Kotha finds Shayan’s songs, which often recalled the LiberationWar of 1971, aptly describing the current scenario of the country. Her song ‘ O neta bhai’ for instance is a classic example of the kind of route her songs often end up taking.
In ‘O Neta Bhai’ or ‘Oh my dear politician’ Shayan criticizes the state of student politics in the country today. She claims that what was once a sector responsible for staging some of the most daring protests during the freedom struggle, is overshadowed today with corrupt politicians.
‘ O neta bhai, amay tumi bolle na to aage,
Desher Junno kaaj korile, gola barudh lage,
O neta bhai, amaye keno chao dite bondook,
Guli bojhai keno tomar lukono sindook.
Palay jabo kosom khuda, dekbe na aar chaya,
Aaaj desher jone piriti, tobu praaner junno maya,
O neta bhai, amar bishon bachte icche kore,
Baba maaer shonge boshe, naasta khabo ghore.
In this song, Shayan narrates a fictional story of a student who wants to get out of politics and stop working for his country in order to save his own life. The song accurately describes the decline in the situation of student politics of Bangladesh.
In Du’chokh diyei dekho, Shayan addresses the unnecessary debates that often creep in Bengali communities and experts regarding who the greater musician is—Nazrul or Tagore—and the inverse affect that it can have in our culture.
Kothaye Shanchoita aar Shonchita-i ba kothaye
Shonchita aar Shanchoita aaj daripalla-e…
Aaj nichchhey ojon, dekhchhey Bangali konta beshi bhari
Konta porityajjo aar konta dorkari…
“Why can’t people just accept Tagore and Nazrul as they are? Why does one have to be ‘better’ than the other? Also, why does one have to impose his/her opinion on others? I think our current generation is a lot more accepting than the previous ones,” says Shayan.
While Shayan claims to have never had an academic training in music, it was her mother who had inspired her. Based in Toronto, Shayan had been composing songs from a very young age and was eagerly in the hunt for distributors to release her songs. While she tag herself with various music companies in the last couple of years, majority of them, according to her, didn’t seem to work out.
Shayan’s unique music sense can be credited to the rich mixture of music of which one can get a sense of while listening to her songs. “I’ve been influenced by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman and Bhupen Hazarika,” explains Shayan. Unable to categorise her into a particular genre of the modern era, her songs began to be known as ‘Jibonmukhi gaan’.
As mentioned before, each of her songs according to Shayan were based on different stories. The song Ami tajjob boney jai was written on the homeless, living on the streets, where as Ekhanei Shukh Chilo Ekdin was written on divorce or separation. In the song she describes how one’s fate can change in life. In Janatar Biyadobbi, she sings about the manner in which politics has made the common man the victim. Shayan claimed that her songs were reactions to her experiences and that it was through these songs that she vents, protests and speaks of love at the same time.
It was a performance on Ekushey Television’s programme entitled ‘Phone-o-live’ in 2008 when Bangladesh first came to know about Shayan. Ever since then it has been a long journey. She released a new album entitled Abar Takiye Dekh in 2009 which gave the audience a more in-depth view of Shayan’s journey through times. Today, Shayan’s songs have overcome various boundaries. She has become popular amongst various degrees of communities, right from people living in the rural areas to the city’s dwellers.
Her genuine approach to music is something that reflects her way of living. Plain and simple as ever, Shayan had claimed that she had never imagined that her songs would reach so many sections of society.
A self-trained artiste, Shayan may not have the credentials of a grand school of music, but the way she reflected her true feelings through her songs was something any great musician would be proud of. And that is precisely the reason why her songs have been considered by many to reflect a new wave of ‘protest music.’
In the month of victory, we only hope that Shayan’s songs can influence our readers to work towards a nation that our fathers and mothers had given their lives for.
The Party
Shayan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm on my own now
I don't catch feelings cuz I'm too cold now
But I, I see you switched sides up real quick
The new man you on, boring as shit
He don't know the difference between happiness and just living
I can tell
Oh I can tell, yeah
know we can't escape it
No one can relate yeah, Baby
But constantly I feel like
I don't really know, I don't really know
I, don't really know how to say I love you
Yeah constantly I think
Over and over again
I don't really knew how to say I love you
Facin' a bottle of ace
Hoping that the message I sent come your way
Ok, I pray
For a late night rendezvous
Bring that friend with you
Cuz damn girl I miss the view
I love the way you taste too
Know we can't escape it
No one can relate cuz
Yeah they ain't us
But constantly I feel like
I don't really know, I don't really know
I, don't really know how to say I love you, damn
Yeah constantly I think
Over and over again
I don't really knew how to say I love you
I pull up and it's on full force
No remorse
Party at The Ned like I'm celebrating
A divorce, cuz
You and me we ran our course, But
You're the only one I ever loved
You're the only one I ever trusted
You're the only one I'd ever give it all to
If you give your all too
More than a go-to
Can you get with it uh yeah yeah
But constantly I feel like
I don't really know, I don't really know
I, don't really know how to say I love you
I don't really know, I don't really know
I don't really know, I don't really know
Yeah yeah
Shit, this might be the first time I said I love you
The lyrics to Shayan's song The Party explore themes of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery. The song begins with a realization that the party is over, and the singer is on their own. They have become cold and distant, unable to catch feelings. However, the singer then expresses their frustration that the person they once loved has now switched sides and is with someone who they find boring. The new person they are with is unable to understand the difference between happiness and just living, whereas the singer was able to pick up on this. Despite the breakup, the singer still misses the way they tasted, but they know they cannot escape the past.
The refrain of the song revolves around the singer's inability to express their love. They feel constantly conflicted and unsure of how to convey their feelings. They mention facing a bottle of Ace, hoping that the message they sent will reach their ex. The chorus ends with the singer acknowledging that they do not know how to say "I love you" and that they constantly think about it. They then express their sadness at the end of the relationship, acknowledging that they ran their course, but the ex is still the only person they have ever loved, trusted, and given their all to. The song ends with the singer stating that this might be the first time they have ever said "I love you."
Overall, the lyrics to The Party are about the complexity of relationships and the confusion that comes with breakups. Shayan's use of vivid language and personal metaphors creates a deep sense of emotion and allows the listener to empathize with the pain of love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
The party, Is over
The good times with you are gone
I'm on my own now
I'm all alone without you now
I don't catch feelings cuz I'm too cold now
I don't let myself get too attached anymore
But I, I see you switched sides up real quick
But I noticed how quickly you moved on
The new man you on, boring as shit
The new guy you're with is really uninteresting
He don't know the difference between happiness and just living
He doesn't understand what true happiness is
I can tell
I see it in his eyes
Oh I can tell, yeah
I can really tell
I miss the way you taste boo
I miss kissing you
know we can't escape it
I know we can't ignore it
No one can relate yeah, Baby
No one else understands us
But constantly I feel like
But I always feel like
I don't really know, I don't really know
I don't know how to express
I, don't really know how to say I love you
How much I really love you
Yeah constantly I think
I always think about
Over and over again
Again and again
Facin' a bottle of ace
I'm drinking Ace of Spades champagne
Hoping that the message I sent come your way
Hoping you'll receive my text
Ok, I pray
I'm praying
For a late night rendezvous
For a meeting with you late at night
Bring that friend with you
Bring a friend along
Cuz damn girl I miss the view
Because I miss how beautiful you are
I love the way you taste too
I love kissing you
Yeah they ain't us
Nobody else is like us
But constantly I feel like
But I always feel like
I don't really know, I don't really know
I don't know how to express
I, don't really know how to say I love you, damn
How much I really love you
I pull up and it's on full force
I arrive full of energy
No remorse
No regrets
Party at The Ned like I'm celebrating
I'm partying at the Ned as if I'm celebrating
A divorce, cuz
A divorce from you, because
You and me we ran our course, But
Our relationship is over, but
You're the only one I ever loved
You're the only one I've truly loved
You're the only one I ever trusted
You're the only one I've ever trusted
You're the only one I'd ever give it all to
You're the only one I'd give my all to
If you give your all too
If you reciprocate
More than a go-to
More than someone I turn to
Can you get with it uh yeah yeah
Can you be with me?
I don't really know, I don't really know
I don't know how to express
I don't really know, I don't really know
I don't know how to express
I don't really know, I don't really know
I don't know how to express
Yeah yeah
Yeah, I really don't know
Shit, this might be the first time I said I love you
This might be the first time I've genuinely said I love you
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Alexandru Bugan, Ali Baniasadi, Daja Dunlap
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind