2012 gave fans some of the best in Tamil music, ranging from classical melody that made you dwell on your dreams to folky item numbers that caught you off guard. It produced several great albums overall and we saw several hit numbers adorn the charts through the different months. Here’s a recap of top songs from this year. We have picked out only one song from each album to make it fair.

Elay Keechan – Kadal

Leading from the front is A.R.Rahman’s Elay Keechan from Kadal. The song raced to the top of the iTunes charts within a matter of hours since it got released. The blend of western and folk music surprised many and has since been appreciated by both critics and the audience. It grabs first spot beating all songs from the same album.

Vaanam Mella – Neethaane En Ponvasantham

Neethaane En Ponvasantham was one of the best albums this year and our pick comes in form of ‘Vaanam Mella’, sung by Illayaraja and Bela Shinde. In an album filled with stars, this one stands out for it’s great lyrics, pitch perfect vocals and unmatched melody that’s reminiscent of the 80s. It made it that close to hitting the number one spot, but got ousted right at the end of the year.

Aaha Kadhal – Moondru Per Moondru Kaadhal

This is one song that caught everyone by surprise. A sheer blend of classical and western music, it’s a brilliant composition from the usually metallic Yuvan. The piano controls the flow of the track well, and makes room for Nandini Srikar to play around with the vocals. It grows on you with each listen, and makes up a treat for avid listeners.

Asku Laska – Nanban

Right at the start of the year, Harris Jeyaraj gave us Nanban, another soundtrack full of popular songs. One of them turned out to be a gem and it’s called Asku Laska. Backed by the buttery Vijay Prakash and the sweet Chinmayi. It had the blend of three different themes blended into a single song and became an instant hit.

Ayayayo Aananthamey – Kumki

A wide range of strings filling up the voice, Ayayayo was a song filled with emotion and feelings brought to life by Haricharan. The singer’s voice scaled through different ranges with ease, and left us enjoying Yugabharathi’s open and straightforward releases. Haricharan called it one of the best songs he had sung in is life.

Kannazhaga – 3

Back at the beginning of the year came 3. Amidst all the hype surrounding Kolaveri, one other track promised a lot of beautiful music and great vocals at the same time. Kannazhaga proved that Dhanush could write some beautiful lines and sing them as well. Along with Shruti Hassan and Anirudh’s instrumentals, it is still popular among many.

Azhaipaya Azhaipaya – Kaadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi

This one was so popular right from the word go and was seen across TV channels when Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi slowly scaled great heights. Madhan Karky’s lyrics rendered by Karthik and Harini had the perfect balance to soothe romantics and provided a great listen for music lovers everywhere.

Oh Baby Girl – Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakkathilaey

If you are into the synthesizer, then this is probably one song you wouldn’t wanna miss. Achu, the relatively new composer notched up a hip-hop like dance number with beats and rhythms that overpowered the words, it becomes catchy with each listen. Now, you gotta listen to it to understand how it goes.

Para Para (Shreya Ghoshal)– Neer Paravai

You would have hardly heard of this composer but N.Raghunathan gave us one of the songs of the year in Neer Paravai. Three versions of Para Para featured in the album, and the one sung by Shreya Ghoshal is our favorite. Marvelous violin orchestrations introduce you to some stunning vocals and makes for delightful music.

Mogathirai – Pizza

A dark horse, Mogathirai appeared in the seamlessly popular Pizza. Minimal and highly subtle with the instruments, it featured Pradeep’s voice and some crisp lyrics. It gave you a feeling of bliss when you witnessed it on screen and was soon seen everywhere on the internet. Watch out for this one, as it will take you by surprise.

Unnai Kaanaadhu – Vishwaroopam

With Vishwaroopam’s audio launch finally taking place after two postponements, Shankar Ehsaan and Loy returned to Tamil cinema with yet another great album. Right in the middle was a classical delight in ‘Unnai Kaanaadhu’. Shankar Mahadevan in his classical exquisiteness made it magical upon first sight and the lyrics made you believe in poetry once more.

Oru Kili Oru Kili – Leelai

This one didn’t actually come out this year. In fact, it’s been three years since we heard Leelai for real, but the tracks didn’t become popular until the movie finally released in 2012. The song Oru Kili Oru Kili featured the composer Satish and Shreya Ghoshal was a blend of classical and southern music and had great vocals to propel it to the top. If you haven’t listened to it yet, don’t wait for long.

Oru Paadhi Kadhavu – Thaandavam

Oru Paadhi Kadhavu brought together Haricharan and the new Vandana Srinivasan, who had featured in so many renditions of other songs before. The two made up for a great duet, and backed by G.V.Prakash’s instrumentals, it soon got noticed when the film came out. The visuals with Vikram and Anushka made for good bonuses.

Venaam Machaan – OKOK

We just had to put this one in for it’s sheer popularity. Let’s face it, Venaam Machchan related to the lives of a lot of guys out there. The lyrics took off instantly with people and as Velmurugan and Naresh Iyer came out with drunk philosophy, the song had become so popular that practically everyone in Tamil Nadu had listened to it.

Vaayamoodi Summa Iru Da – Mugamoodi

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