Jai Ho
Encyclopedia
"Jai Ho" (May there be victory) is a Hindi
song composed by A. R. Rahman
, with lyrics by Gulzar, for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire
. It accompanies a choreographed dance sequence at the end credits of the film. The song also features vocals by Mahalakshmi Iyer
, Tanvi Shah
, Vijay Prakash
, and Sukhwinder Singh
, who is the main vocalist. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song
and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
.
A version featuring the Pussycat Dolls
was released with English lyrics. "Jai Ho" topped the charts in five countries, while the English version performed by the Pussycat Dolls rose to #2 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart and #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart.
It was also the official campaign song of the Indian National Congress
during the 2009 election
.
revealed in an interview that it was Subhash Ghai
who had asked him to use the words Jai Ho in a song. After its inclusion in Slumdog Millionaire, it was later nominated for best song at the 2008 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
, the 2008 Satellite Awards
and at the 2003 Houston Film Critics Society Awards. In 2009, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
, beating out WALL-E
' s "Down to Earth
" by Peter Gabriel
, and "O…Saya", also of Slumdog Millionaire and by A. R. Rahman and M.I.A
.
The lyrics are mostly in Hindi
interspersed with some Spanish
lyrics. According to Rahman, “Jai Ho,” or “Victory to You,” was meant to create “a vision of the whole world celebrating this victory”. Rahman, who performed "Jai Ho" live on The Oprah Winfrey Show
on February 23, 2009 with the rest of the original performers, was asked by Winfrey what the song title means. Rahman stated "Jai Ho" means "May Victory be yours!".
Of the four singers credited, Sukhwinder Singh is the principal vocalist. Vijay Prakash
sang the portion with the words "Jai Ho" that takes a high pitch at numerous junctures of the song. Mahalakshmi Iyer sang the Hindi words between the "Jai Ho" chants, as well as those portions of the verses not sung by Singh. Tanvi Shah sang the Spanish words.
In March 2009, Super Cassettes Industries
(T-Series), the music company which holds the song's copyright only for India, received nearly $200,000 from the governing Indian National Congress
party for its use in its national campaign in the May 13th 2009 Indian General Elections
. This version features altered lyrics sung by Sukhwinder Singh, who performed on the original song. A new video was shot for this version. The song's writers, Gulzar and Rahman, publicly distanced themselves from the use of the song in the campaign, saying "'Jai Ho' belongs to everybody."
The original version also saw fame on the Billboard charts
. It reached 8th position on the "Top Digital Tracks
" chart of Billboard. The song has also won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
at the 52nd Grammy Awards
in 2010.
, the composer, at the end part of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
. It was performed by Ravi K Tripathi, a Lucknow
based singer, at the closing ceremony of 16th Asian Games.
the Pussycat Dolls
from their second album, Doll Domination 2.0. Produced by Evan Bogart
, Ester Dean
, Ron Fair
, Gulzar, E. Nuri, D. Quinones
, A.R. Rahman, N. Scherzinger and Tanvi Shah. It was released as the third single in Europe (fourth in Oceania, United Kingdom and North America). The song is the English interpretation of the song "Jai Ho!". The English
lyrics do not translate directly from the Hindi
lyrics.
It was a considerable hit, reaching number one in Australia, Finland, Ireland, Lebanon and Turkey. It also reached the top three in Belgium, France, New Zealand and United Kingdom. In United States it peaked at number fifteen. The music video was shot in Vienna, Austria at a Tramway Museum, recreating the last scene from the movie Slumdog Millionaire
. The English version of the song was sung by various voice actors of English children's shows during the 2009 Children in Need
Promotional dance video. It was also sung in The Official BBC Children in Need Medley
.
and Jimmy Iovine
wanted to make "Jai Ho!" a pop record keeping the original melody. After contacting A. R. Rahman
, they asked Scherzinger, to re-write and make her own version of the song. On an interview in DesiHits
, Nicole revealed that she didn't want to cover "Jai Ho" saying that, "[...] I was scared to death to touch it [and] afraid for people to hear it before I even wrote it." She later explained on MTV that,
, E. Dean, Ron Fair
, Erika Nuri
, David Quiñones
, Nicole Scherzinger
C. Thorbourne, Nailah Thorbourne and Nyanda Thorbourne
while the music has been produced by Nicole Scherzinger and Ron Fair. The song was recorded in London while Scherzinger and Rahman corresponded via webcam. It was recorded with English lyrics with a different key signature with all vocals from Nicole Scherzinger. She explained that the single is an interpretation rather than a remix
. Nicole stated on DesiHits
that love and destiny were her key elements and has taken different themes from the movie for the writing of the song. She continued saying that, "I prayed every night to do this right". Scherzinger's version replaces the original tune's Hindi words with English lyrics, including the chorus, "You are the reason that I breathe/ You are the reason that I still believe/ You are my destiny/ Jai ho."
gave the song 4.5 out of five stars. "The addition of the Pussycat Dolls to the song may have seemed a questional decision at first glance, but it is this move that is likely to get the joyful explosion on to pop radio playlists. "Jai Ho!" abundantly deserves its place, and the vocals of head Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger will have pop fans singing as well as dancing along. Look for this song to set up a long residency scaling pop charts around the world." Newsround praised the song by saying "[Nicole Scherzinger] sounds right at home - making the most of her soulful R&B voice and hitting all the (incredibly) high notes on this Eastern-themed piece of pop!" Nick Levine from Digital Spy
wrote that, "The Hindi original, which soundtracks the Bollywood dance routine at the end of the movie, is far more urgent and atmospheric, but this remake works nicely enough as a slick, shamelessly opportunistic PCD single. Well, that hollered "JAI HO!" makes for a pretty sweet pop hook, you have to admit."
In the United States, "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" debuted at one-hundred on the Billboard Hot 100
on the issue date of February 26, 2009. The following week, the song jumped to number fifteen, with downloads for "Jai Ho!" up nearly 500%, totaling about 103,000 for the soundtrack version and 27,000 for the Dolls' version. It has been placed in fifth place as the biggest moves in the lifetime of the Hot 100, moving up eighty-five places. In Canada, the song debuted also at number one-hundred on the Canadian Hot 100
. On the chart dated April 18, 2009, "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" ascended and peaked at number four.
On March 23, 2009, the song debuted at number ten in Australia on the official ARIA Singles Chart
,
It ultimately peaked at number one, and became their second number one for two straight weeks. "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) for shipment of 70,000 copies of the single. The song debuted at seventeen on the New Zealand Top 40
on March 23, 2010. It has peaked at number two.
In United Kingdom the song entered at number twenty on the UK Singles Chart
on March 28, 2009 and two weeks later, rose to number three based only on digital downloads, giving the Pussycat Dolls their sixth top three single in the country. On September 6, 2009, The Official Charts Company listed the song at number 39, as of the most downloaded song since its launch. Across Europe, the song reached the top five in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Finland, France and Italy.
praised the video. "The rhythmic beats of the drums, coupled with the scintillating dance moves is sure to get you on your feet. You've already heard the remix of the song, but the video adds another dimension thanks to the captivating scenes in it." Marcus Barnes from The Sun wrote that "With huge spectacular dance routines inspired by the glitz and grandeur of Bollywood flicks, this new track is set to be a massive hit." Daniel from MTV Buzzworthy
agreed with Banes. "The video is an elaborate dance extravaganza, the kind made famous by suddenly super-hip Bollywood movies. And you know what? It fits. Like a midriff-revealing sari, it fits." On August 4, 2009, it was announced that the video was nominated for Best Choreography
at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
.
".
During their performance they wore Indian-inspired outfits.
On March 12, 2009 they performed the song at the morning
talk show
, Live with Regis and Kelly
. In Canada, they performed “Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) ” along with "I Hate This Part
" on MuchOnDemand
aired on MuchMusic
in Toronto
. They also performed the song with a medley of "When I Grow Up
" on 2009 Kids' Choice Awards
. They also performed on, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
on April 20, 2009. Andrew Winistorfer from Prefix Magazine commented on their appearance at Ellen. "I wonder what it's like to be a Pussycat Doll. You used to spend your time writhing onstage for the likes of Charlie Sheen, and then you become a "singer" and your career basically becomes an escalation of sexual exploits in videos because even you know that no one is buying your records for the music. [...] Then you have to go on Ellen and perform the song like it means anything to you when obviously you don't care about the song in the least, but you are only there because it beats being in front of Jeremy Piven every night. It must be a sad existence." On 13 May 2009, the Pussycat Dolls performed at American soap opera
One Life to Live
The plot involves the students of Llanview High School won a radio contest and had been awarded a performance by The Pussycat Dolls. The song was also performed at their Doll Domination Tour, at The Circus Tour, Oceanian and Asian legs.
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|Australian Singles Chart
|align="center"|15
|-
|Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)
|align="center"|3
|-
|Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)
|align="center"|5
|-
|Canadian Hot 100
|align="center"|50
|-
|European Hot 100 Singles
|align="center"|39
|-
|Hungarian Singles Chart
|align="center"|163
|-
|Irish Singles Chart
|align="center"|19
|-
|Italian Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|17
|-
|New Zealand Singles Chart
|align="center"|16
|-
|Romanian Top 100
|align="center"|11
|-
|Swiss Singles Chart
|align="center"|71
|-
|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|26
|-
! Region
! Date
! Format
|-
|United States
| rowspan="2"|February 23, 2009
| rowspan="2"|Digital download
|-
|Canada
|-
| United States
| March 3, 2009
| CHR
/Top 40, Alternative
|-
| Australia
| rowspan="3"| March 6, 2009
| rowspan="3"| Digital download
|-
|Belgium
|-
|France
|-
| United Kingdom
| April 13, 2009
| CD Single
|-
| United States
| May 5, 2009
|Maxi Single
|-
| Sweden
| May 8, 2009
|Digital download
|}
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
song composed by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, with lyrics by Gulzar, for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
. It accompanies a choreographed dance sequence at the end credits of the film. The song also features vocals by Mahalakshmi Iyer
Mahalakshmi Iyer
Mahalakshmi Iyer is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi and Tamil songs. She has sung over a thousand songs in many Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Assamese, Kannada and Malayalam.-Career:Mahalakshmi made her singing debut with Dus,...
, Tanvi Shah
Tanvi Shah
Tanvi Shah is a popular playback singer for films in India. She is the first Indian woman to win the Grammy Awards for the lyrics of "jai ho". She has a versatile voice and can sing in Arabic, Latin, Spanish and sings a wide range of music with her band, Zahrra...
, Vijay Prakash
Vijay Prakash
Vijay Prakash , is a playback singer from Mysore who moved to Mumbai in 1996. He has sung in Hindi films such as Blue, Yuvvraaj, Swades, Kaal, Lakshya, Matrubhoomi, Tere Naam, Cheeni Kum, Raavan and Force. He has also performed in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies...
, and Sukhwinder Singh
Sukhwinder Singh
Sukhwinder Singh, Born as Sukhi Singh Lubana is an Indian singer best known for working as Bollywood playback artist. Singh is famous for singing "Chaiyya Chaiyya" for which he won the Best Male Playback Award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards. The song, from Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, was composed...
, who is the main vocalist. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...
.
A version featuring the Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
was released with English lyrics. "Jai Ho" topped the charts in five countries, while the English version performed by the Pussycat Dolls rose to #2 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart and #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
It was also the official campaign song of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
during the 2009 election
Indian general election, 2009
India held general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. With an electorate of 714 million , it was the largest democratic election in the world to date.By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be...
.
Song composition and information
After his Oscar win, A. R. RahmanA. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
revealed in an interview that it was Subhash Ghai
Subhash Ghai
Subhash Ghai is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. His most notable films include Kalicharan ,Karz , Hero , Meri Jung , Karma ,Ram Lakhan ,Saudagar , Khalnayak , Pardes and Taal...
who had asked him to use the words Jai Ho in a song. After its inclusion in Slumdog Millionaire, it was later nominated for best song at the 2008 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2008
The 14th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on Thursday, January 8, 2009 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking.Nominees were announced on December 9, 2008.-Best Film:Slumdog Millionaire...
, the 2008 Satellite Awards
Satellite Awards 2008
The winners of the 13th Annual Satellite Awards, honoring the best in film and television in 2008, were announced on December 14, 2008.-Top 10 films:*Ballast*Changeling*Doubt*The Dark Knight*Frost/Nixon*Frozen River*Milk...
and at the 2003 Houston Film Critics Society Awards. In 2009, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
, beating out WALL-E
WALL-E
WALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E, is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future...
Down to Earth (Peter Gabriel song)
"Down to Earth" is a song, sung and produced by Peter Gabriel featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir. The lyrics were written by Peter Gabriel. The music was composed by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman...
" by Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, and "O…Saya", also of Slumdog Millionaire and by A. R. Rahman and M.I.A
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
.
The lyrics are mostly in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
interspersed with some Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
lyrics. According to Rahman, “Jai Ho,” or “Victory to You,” was meant to create “a vision of the whole world celebrating this victory”. Rahman, who performed "Jai Ho" live on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
on February 23, 2009 with the rest of the original performers, was asked by Winfrey what the song title means. Rahman stated "Jai Ho" means "May Victory be yours!".
Of the four singers credited, Sukhwinder Singh is the principal vocalist. Vijay Prakash
Vijay Prakash
Vijay Prakash , is a playback singer from Mysore who moved to Mumbai in 1996. He has sung in Hindi films such as Blue, Yuvvraaj, Swades, Kaal, Lakshya, Matrubhoomi, Tere Naam, Cheeni Kum, Raavan and Force. He has also performed in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies...
sang the portion with the words "Jai Ho" that takes a high pitch at numerous junctures of the song. Mahalakshmi Iyer sang the Hindi words between the "Jai Ho" chants, as well as those portions of the verses not sung by Singh. Tanvi Shah sang the Spanish words.
In March 2009, Super Cassettes Industries
Super Cassettes Industries
Super Cassettes Industries Limited , is a music company of India. It owns the music label T-Series It is also a film production and distribution company. It later ventured into other consumer products.-History:...
(T-Series), the music company which holds the song's copyright only for India, received nearly $200,000 from the governing Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
party for its use in its national campaign in the May 13th 2009 Indian General Elections
Indian general election, 2009
India held general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. With an electorate of 714 million , it was the largest democratic election in the world to date.By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be...
. This version features altered lyrics sung by Sukhwinder Singh, who performed on the original song. A new video was shot for this version. The song's writers, Gulzar and Rahman, publicly distanced themselves from the use of the song in the campaign, saying "'Jai Ho' belongs to everybody."
The original version also saw fame on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
. It reached 8th position on the "Top Digital Tracks
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
" chart of Billboard. The song has also won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...
at the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
in 2010.
Live performances
The song was performed at many major events besides the concerts and musical shows. The song was performed by A. R. RahmanA. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, the composer, at the end part of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event, in New Delhi, India...
. It was performed by Ravi K Tripathi, a Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
based singer, at the closing ceremony of 16th Asian Games.
Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)
"Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" is a song by American pop girl groupGirl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
the Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
from their second album, Doll Domination 2.0. Produced by Evan Bogart
Evan Bogart
Evan "Kidd" Bogart is an American music executive, television producer, music publisher and songwriter who has contributed to a long list of internationally successful artists...
, Ester Dean
Ester Dean
Ester Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
, Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
, Gulzar, E. Nuri, D. Quinones
The Writing Camp
The Writing Camp is an American songwriter collective, founded by Evan "Kidd" Bogart and David "DQ" Quiñones. Since its formation in 2007, the team has been responsible for a series of successful released in pop, R&B and dance music, including 2008's "Right Here " by Brandy and Beyoncé Knowles's...
, A.R. Rahman, N. Scherzinger and Tanvi Shah. It was released as the third single in Europe (fourth in Oceania, United Kingdom and North America). The song is the English interpretation of the song "Jai Ho!". The English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics do not translate directly from the Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
lyrics.
It was a considerable hit, reaching number one in Australia, Finland, Ireland, Lebanon and Turkey. It also reached the top three in Belgium, France, New Zealand and United Kingdom. In United States it peaked at number fifteen. The music video was shot in Vienna, Austria at a Tramway Museum, recreating the last scene from the movie Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
. The English version of the song was sung by various voice actors of English children's shows during the 2009 Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
Promotional dance video. It was also sung in The Official BBC Children in Need Medley
The Official BBC Children in Need Medley
"The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" is a cross-over single by Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band. It is the official Children in Need Single for 2009, and was released on 21 November 2009. The song was shown for the first time on Children in Need 2009. The cover art is a parody of the cover...
.
Background
In 2009 Ron FairRon Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
and Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
wanted to make "Jai Ho!" a pop record keeping the original melody. After contacting A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, they asked Scherzinger, to re-write and make her own version of the song. On an interview in DesiHits
DesiHits
-Background:DesiHits! is a multi-platform media company that produces and distributes fusion entertainment content aimed at the South Asian diaspora. The Company was founded in 2006 by Anjula Acharia-Bath, Ranj Bath and Arun Sandhu, and is headquartered in New York...
, Nicole revealed that she didn't want to cover "Jai Ho" saying that, "[...] I was scared to death to touch it [and] afraid for people to hear it before I even wrote it." She later explained on MTV that,
"It's crazy how the whole thing came about, [...] I'm a writer, and I've been fortunate enough to write for the Dolls, but when they asked me to look at the movie and do my own version, I was really afraid to take on the task of rewriting the lyrics, [...] because I thought the movie was so profound, I didn't know how to make sure I kept the integrity of the movie and the love story, but also make it cool enough for the Pussycat Dolls and for people all over the world to connect to.
Writing and inspiration
"Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" was written by Evan BogartEvan Bogart
Evan "Kidd" Bogart is an American music executive, television producer, music publisher and songwriter who has contributed to a long list of internationally successful artists...
, E. Dean, Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
, Erika Nuri
The Writing Camp
The Writing Camp is an American songwriter collective, founded by Evan "Kidd" Bogart and David "DQ" Quiñones. Since its formation in 2007, the team has been responsible for a series of successful released in pop, R&B and dance music, including 2008's "Right Here " by Brandy and Beyoncé Knowles's...
, David Quiñones
The Writing Camp
The Writing Camp is an American songwriter collective, founded by Evan "Kidd" Bogart and David "DQ" Quiñones. Since its formation in 2007, the team has been responsible for a series of successful released in pop, R&B and dance music, including 2008's "Right Here " by Brandy and Beyoncé Knowles's...
, Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....
C. Thorbourne, Nailah Thorbourne and Nyanda Thorbourne
Brick & Lace
Brick and Lace are a Jamaican R&B reggae fusion musical duo consisting of sisters Nyanda and Nailah Thorbourne. Originally Brick & Lace consisted of three sisters Nyanda, Nailah, and Tasha Thorbourne...
while the music has been produced by Nicole Scherzinger and Ron Fair. The song was recorded in London while Scherzinger and Rahman corresponded via webcam. It was recorded with English lyrics with a different key signature with all vocals from Nicole Scherzinger. She explained that the single is an interpretation rather than a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
. Nicole stated on DesiHits
DesiHits
-Background:DesiHits! is a multi-platform media company that produces and distributes fusion entertainment content aimed at the South Asian diaspora. The Company was founded in 2006 by Anjula Acharia-Bath, Ranj Bath and Arun Sandhu, and is headquartered in New York...
that love and destiny were her key elements and has taken different themes from the movie for the writing of the song. She continued saying that, "I prayed every night to do this right". Scherzinger's version replaces the original tune's Hindi words with English lyrics, including the chorus, "You are the reason that I breathe/ You are the reason that I still believe/ You are my destiny/ Jai ho."
Critical reception
Reviews for "Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny)" were mainly positive. Bill Lamb from About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the song 4.5 out of five stars. "The addition of the Pussycat Dolls to the song may have seemed a questional decision at first glance, but it is this move that is likely to get the joyful explosion on to pop radio playlists. "Jai Ho!" abundantly deserves its place, and the vocals of head Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger will have pop fans singing as well as dancing along. Look for this song to set up a long residency scaling pop charts around the world." Newsround praised the song by saying "[Nicole Scherzinger] sounds right at home - making the most of her soulful R&B voice and hitting all the (incredibly) high notes on this Eastern-themed piece of pop!" Nick Levine from Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
wrote that, "The Hindi original, which soundtracks the Bollywood dance routine at the end of the movie, is far more urgent and atmospheric, but this remake works nicely enough as a slick, shamelessly opportunistic PCD single. Well, that hollered "JAI HO!" makes for a pretty sweet pop hook, you have to admit."
Commercial performance
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on the issue date of February 26, 2009. The following week, the song jumped to number fifteen, with downloads for "Jai Ho!" up nearly 500%, totaling about 103,000 for the soundtrack version and 27,000 for the Dolls' version. It has been placed in fifth place as the biggest moves in the lifetime of the Hot 100, moving up eighty-five places. In Canada, the song debuted also at number one-hundred on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. On the chart dated April 18, 2009, "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" ascended and peaked at number four.
On March 23, 2009, the song debuted at number ten in Australia on the official ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
,
It ultimately peaked at number one, and became their second number one for two straight weeks. "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) for shipment of 70,000 copies of the single. The song debuted at seventeen on the New Zealand Top 40
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
on March 23, 2010. It has peaked at number two.
In United Kingdom the song entered at number twenty on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on March 28, 2009 and two weeks later, rose to number three based only on digital downloads, giving the Pussycat Dolls their sixth top three single in the country. On September 6, 2009, The Official Charts Company listed the song at number 39, as of the most downloaded song since its launch. Across Europe, the song reached the top five in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Finland, France and Italy.
Background and synopsis
The music video was filmed at a railway station in Vienna, Austria and it was directed by Thomas Kloss. The music video was premiered on March 13, 2009. The music video, recreates the last scene from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The video starts off where Scherzinger is followed by a mystery man through the marketplace, while her bandmates record him. On the second, verse Scherzinger, is separated from the rest of the group and sings and dances. The remainder of the video focuses on dance routines inspired by Bollywood.Reception
DesiHitsDesiHits
-Background:DesiHits! is a multi-platform media company that produces and distributes fusion entertainment content aimed at the South Asian diaspora. The Company was founded in 2006 by Anjula Acharia-Bath, Ranj Bath and Arun Sandhu, and is headquartered in New York...
praised the video. "The rhythmic beats of the drums, coupled with the scintillating dance moves is sure to get you on your feet. You've already heard the remix of the song, but the video adds another dimension thanks to the captivating scenes in it." Marcus Barnes from The Sun wrote that "With huge spectacular dance routines inspired by the glitz and grandeur of Bollywood flicks, this new track is set to be a massive hit." Daniel from MTV Buzzworthy
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
agreed with Banes. "The video is an elaborate dance extravaganza, the kind made famous by suddenly super-hip Bollywood movies. And you know what? It fits. Like a midriff-revealing sari, it fits." On August 4, 2009, it was announced that the video was nominated for Best Choreography
MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Choreography in a Video....
at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring the best music videos from June 19, 2008, to June 29, 2009. Comedian Russell Brand hosted the event for the second time in a row. The awards were held a few months after Michael...
.
Live performances
The Pussycat Dolls performed “Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) ” for the first time on television on "Late Night with Jimmy FallonLate Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
".
During their performance they wore Indian-inspired outfits.
On March 12, 2009 they performed the song at the morning
Breakfast television
Breakfast television or morning show , is a type of infotainment television program, broadcast live in the morning...
talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
, Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
. In Canada, they performed “Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) ” along with "I Hate This Part
I Hate This Part
"I Hate This Part" is a song by American pop/R&B girl group the Pussycat Dolls from their second album, Doll Domination. Written by Wayne Hector, Lucas Secon, Jonas Jeberg and Cutfather it was released as the album's second single on October 7, 2008...
" on MuchOnDemand
MuchOnDemand
MuchOnDemand was an hour-long per broadcast viewer interactive television program aired on MuchMusic, Monday through Friday at 5pm ET. It was broadcast live from the Much broadcasting studio on 299 Queen Street West in Toronto. The Best of MuchOnDemand, aired Sundays at 10am ET, highlighting the...
aired on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. They also performed the song with a medley of "When I Grow Up
When I Grow Up (Pussycat Dolls song)
"When I Grow Up" is a song by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls, from their second studio album, Doll Domination . It was released on May 27, 2008 as the lead single from the album, and the first following the departure of the group's longest-standing member Carmit Bachar...
" on 2009 Kids' Choice Awards
2009 Kids' Choice Awards
Nickelodeon's 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards were held on March 28, 2009 at 8 p.m. on the Nell and John Wooden Court of Pauley Pavilion. Dwayne Johnson hosted this awards show which lasted for more than one and half hours. Voting commenced on March 2, 2009. Performers and presenters have been...
. They also performed on, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
on April 20, 2009. Andrew Winistorfer from Prefix Magazine commented on their appearance at Ellen. "I wonder what it's like to be a Pussycat Doll. You used to spend your time writhing onstage for the likes of Charlie Sheen, and then you become a "singer" and your career basically becomes an escalation of sexual exploits in videos because even you know that no one is buying your records for the music. [...] Then you have to go on Ellen and perform the song like it means anything to you when obviously you don't care about the song in the least, but you are only there because it beats being in front of Jeremy Piven every night. It must be a sad existence." On 13 May 2009, the Pussycat Dolls performed at American soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
The plot involves the students of Llanview High School won a radio contest and had been awarded a performance by The Pussycat Dolls. The song was also performed at their Doll Domination Tour, at The Circus Tour, Oceanian and Asian legs.
Tracklisting
- European CD single
- "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)"
- "Lights, Camera, Action" (featuring New Kids On The BlockNew Kids on the BlockNew Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
)
- CD Maxi single
- Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)
- I Hate This PartI Hate This Part"I Hate This Part" is a song by American pop/R&B girl group the Pussycat Dolls from their second album, Doll Domination. Written by Wayne Hector, Lucas Secon, Jonas Jeberg and Cutfather it was released as the album's second single on October 7, 2008...
(Dave AudeDave AudéDave Audé is a Grammy nominated producer, house DJ, and remixer. He has done production for musicians such as KoЯn, t.A.T.u., DJ Keoki, Barenaked Ladies, Faith No More, Cause and Effect, Hilary Duff, Wanessa, Ashley Tisdale, The Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga, Lunascape, Madonna, Britney Spears, CeCe...
Remix - Club) - Bottle PopBottle Pop"Bottle Pop" is a song by American pop girl group the Pussycat Dolls from their second album, Doll Domination . Written by Fernando Garibay, Nicole Scherzinger and Sean Garrett who also produced it, was released as the fourth single in Oceania and Germany. Snoop Dogg is featured only in the album's...
(Moto BlancoMoto BlancoMoto Blanco is an English DJ and electronic music duo consisting of Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith.They are also regularly joined by british record producer Jon Cohen.-History:...
Club Mix) - Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) (Music Video)
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|Australian Singles Chart
|align="center"|15
|-
|Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)
|align="center"|3
|-
|Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)
|align="center"|5
|-
|Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
|align="center"|50
|-
|European Hot 100 Singles
|align="center"|39
|-
|Hungarian Singles Chart
|align="center"|163
|-
|Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
|align="center"|19
|-
|Italian Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|17
|-
|New Zealand Singles Chart
|align="center"|16
|-
|Romanian Top 100
Romanian Top 100
The Romanian Top 100 is the national airplay-based singles chart of Romania. It is weekly and it started running in 1996. It is recognized as an official chart by the European division of Billboard, Music & Media....
|align="center"|11
|-
|Swiss Singles Chart
|align="center"|71
|-
|UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
| style="text-align:center;"|26
Release history
{| class="wikitable"|-
! Region
! Date
! Format
|-
|United States
| rowspan="2"|February 23, 2009
| rowspan="2"|Digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
|-
|Canada
|-
| United States
| March 3, 2009
| CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
/Top 40, Alternative
|-
| Australia
| rowspan="3"| March 6, 2009
| rowspan="3"| Digital download
|-
|Belgium
|-
|France
|-
| United Kingdom
| April 13, 2009
| CD Single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
|-
| United States
| May 5, 2009
|Maxi Single
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
|-
| Sweden
| May 8, 2009
|Digital download
|}
See also
- List of number-one singles of 2009 (Australia)
- List of number-one singles of 2009 (Finland)
- List of number-one singles of 2009 (Ireland)