A song to remember

Saturday, 9 December 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

My dreams are roses for my love – I drop them down for her feet

Walk on them softly my love – Your feet will make them more sweet

Many may not remember these opening lines of a song from a Sinhala film released in the late 1960s. Words: Father Marcelline Jayekody/Singer: Sunil Santha/Music: Shleton Premaratne.

The song sung 48 years ago is unique: It’s the first English song in a Sinhala film. Up to now in the 70 years history of Sinhala cinema, there hasn’t been any other, as far as I can remember.

It was the idea of the innovative film director of that era, G.D.L. Perera of Kala Pela fame. He scripted and directed ‘Romeo Saha Juliet Kathawak’ – an adaptation of the Shakespeare play ‘Romeo & Juliet’ – after his much-acclaimed ‘Dahasak Sithuvili’, and decided to include an English song in it.

It was so refreshing to hear its creator, renowned music director Shelton P singing parts of this virtually forgotten song recently. He was appearing in the highly popular Rupavahini program – ‘Sihihinayaki Re’ – the lively chat show mixed with song, where an invited guest selects 10 songs which are sung by the present generation’s male/female singers. Presented by Mahesh Nishshanka, it often brings back fond memories to senior citizens like me.

Shelton P is presently domiciled in Australia. Mahesh had got at him during a short visit to Sri Lanka.

Shelton P had an interesting tale to relate about the song. When GDL came up with the idea, as music director he was obviously quite excited. The two of them wondered whether they could find a singer to deliver it the way they intended. They took up the challenge. “When Father Marcelline Jayekody wrote the lyrics, he was also keen to do a melody. I told him, ‘Please, Father leave that to me’. He agreed,” Shelton P reminisced.

Sunil Santha, who had moved away from the music scene and leading a sheltered life at Dehiyagatha near Ja-ela at the time, was approached to sing the song. First he refused. But Shelton P won the day.

“When I went to see him carrying the seraphine with me, the first thing he told me was ‘Now don’t bring any instrument to my house’. I then left it in the garden and went in.” As they went through the words and discussed the tune, each time the pitch had to be changed he used to run to the garden, play the seraphine and get back.

To illustrate what a beautiful song Fr Jayekody had written, Shelton P sang the middle lines playing the seraphine he had brought with him for the program:

‘Love is love only – When love is in love with love

I am so lonely – Come my love and love my love’

One could see how passionate Shelton P was about the song the way he remembered the words and how he described Fr. Jayekody’s skills in handling a delicate subject.

The last two lines of the song are:

Don’t wake them don’t break them my love – Walk on them softly and come

They are my dreams of your love – I am lonesome come my love-some

I was more than happy to find the original rendition by Sunil Santha on YouTube along with a later version by his ‘golaya’ Ivor Dennis.

A week after Shelton P discussed the song, Sunil Santha’s son, Lanka Santha appeared in the program and selected the song which was beautifully sung by the much-in-demand Nadeeka Guruge who confessed that this is one of his favourite songs. He identified Sunil Santha as a singer with a well-trained, disciplined voice.