Khet mein khaat
Raat Wali Feeling: The 52 Songs for When Everyone Is Asleep
Raat wali feeling is the specific mood of being the only person awake. A charpai pulled out into the field, a transistor turned down low, a lantern, and nothing to do until morning. This room plays the 52 Hindi songs that belong to that hour — slow, sparse, mostly Lata Mangeshkar, and not one of them in a hurry.
The short version
- What it is: 52 slow late-night Hindi songs, played low rather than loud.
- Who sings: Lata Mangeshkar, almost throughout.
- The years: 1959 to 1993 — older than the rest of this site, deliberately.
- Where to hear it: the player at the top of this page. No sign-up.
What raat wali feeling means
There is no good English translation. It is not sadness exactly, and it is not nostalgia exactly. It is the mood available only after everyone else has gone to sleep, when the day is finished and the next one has not started, and you are awake in the gap.
In rural India that hour has a physical shape: the charpai dragged out because the house is too hot, the field going on into the dark, a dog somewhere, a transistor radio turned almost all the way down because sound carries at night.
Every other room on this site is named for a place people work. This one is named for a time when nobody is working, which is why it is the only room here where the music is not competing with anything.
The full tracklist, song by song
Here is the rotation on the player above — 52 late night Hindi songs with the film and year:
- Raaton Ke Saaye Ghane · Annadata, 1972
- Tujhse Naraaz Nahin Zindagi · Masoom, 1983
- Tere Mere Milan Ki Ye Raina · Abhimaan, 1973
- Chalte Chalte Yun Hi Koi · Pakeezah, 1972
- Mausam Hai Aashiqana · Pakeezah, 1971
- Teer-e-Nazar Dekhenge · Pakeezah, 1972
- Ab Toh Hai Tumse Har Khushi · Abhimaan, 1973
- Phool Ahista Phenko · Prem Kahani, 1975
- Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki · Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, 1978
- Sawan Ke Jhoole Pade · Jurmana, 1979
- Mujhe Teri Mohabbat Ka · Aap Aye Bahaar Ayee, 1971
- Naina Yeh Barse · Mohabbat, 1985
- Aasha O Aasha · Blackmail, 1973
- O Naina Mere Rang Bhare · Blackmail, 1973
- Mile Mile Do Badan · Blackmail, 1973
- Meri Tamannaon Ki Taqdeer · Holi Aayee Re, 1970
- Kabhi Garibon Se Pyar Kar Le · Kachcha Chor, 1977
- Dilwale Dukhde Bure · Pavitra Paapi, 1970
- Ka Karoon Sajani · Swami, 1977
- Teri Duniya Se Door · Zabak, 1961
- Mehlon Ne Cheen Liya Bachpan · Zabak, 1961
- Hum Behanon Ke Liye · Anjaana, 1969
- Jab Jab Jo Jo Hona Hai · Vishwanath, 1978
- Sajna Ke Tere Bin · Raja Saab, 1969
- Bol Meri Taqdeer Mein Kya Hai · Hariyali Aur Rasta, 1962
- Kya Na Sahe Hum Ne Sitam · Mere Huzoor, 1968
- Do Hanson Ka Joda · Ganga Jamuna, 1961
- Dil Ka Khilona Haye Toot Gaya · Goonj Uthi Shehnai, 1959
- Hum Tum Pehli Baar Mile · Hira Aur Patthar, 1977
- Ek Tu Na Mila · Himalay Ki God Mein, 1965
- Aye Meri Zindagi Tu · Pyar Ka Sapna, 1969
- Saamne Mere Sanwariya · Anita, 1967
- Babul Tere Bagan Di · Jheel Ke Us Paar, 1973
- Chal Chale Aye Dil · Jheel Ke Us Paar, 1973
- Saath Jiyenge Saath Marenge · Laila, 1984
- Main Teri Chhoti Behana Hoon · Souten, 1983
- Zindagi Pyar Ka Geet Hai · Souten, 1983
- Maar Diya Jaaye Ke Chhod Diya Jaaye · Mera Gaon Mera Desh, 1971
- Tera Jana Dil Ke · Anari, 1959
- Iss Duniya Ne Kiya Nahin · Sweekar, 1973
- Ae Mast Hawa Yeh To Bata · Tumhari Kasam, 1978
- Aaj To Meri Hansi Udaai · Gomati Ke Kinare, 1972
- Aawaz Deke Hame Tum Bulao · Professor, 1962
- Sajna Lagan Teri Sone Na De · Duniya Na Mane, 1959
- Jaanewale Na Dil Se Jaate Hain · Adhikar, 1986
- Tune Dil Mera Toda · Sanam Bewafa, 1991
- Allah Karam Karna Maula · Sanam Bewafa, 1991
- Hum Jaisa Kahin Aapko · Bewafa Se Wafa, 1992
- Baabul Chhodi Na Jaaye · Bewafa Se Wafa, 1992
- Yeh Dil Bewafa Se Wafa Kar Raha Hai · Bewafa Se Wafa, 1992
- Ek Baar Pyaar Ka · Kasak, 1992
- Meri Neend Mera Chain · Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, 1993
The source playlist runs to 100 entries, but most of those are the same songs uploaded again and again by the same channel — Naina Yeh Barse appears seven separate times. Only one copy of each song is kept here, which is why 100 became 52.
Why this room is older than the others
Look at the years. Duniya Na Mane in 1959, Pakeezah in 1972, Abhimaan in 1973, Masoom in 1983. A handful of early 90s tracks at the end and that is all.
This is the only room on Desi90 that is not mostly a 90s rotation, and that is not an accident of the source. The mood belongs to an older sound. The 90s wrote enormous songs about heartbreak, but they were arranged big — strings, layers, a chorus designed to fill a cinema. What this hour wants is a voice, a tabla, and a lot of empty space around them.
So the claim worth making: raat wali feeling is the one Indian listening mood that got worse when production got better. A sparse 1972 recording holds a silent field. A polished 1998 one fills it in for you.
The volume is part of the song
These songs are meant to be played quietly, and that is unusual enough to be worth stating.
Every other rotation here is fighting something — an engine, a generator, a crowd, a grinder. The DJ trolley is mixed to be felt at forty feet. The auto needs a vocal line strong enough to survive a bad speaker. This room is the opposite. At night sound travels, and the radio goes down not up.
Played loud, most of this list simply becomes sad film music. Played at the volume it was meant for, it does the thing it is actually for, which is keeping one person company.
Where to play it free
Scroll back up.
The player at the top of this page runs all 52 tracks in your browser on a phone or a desktop. No account, no sign-up, no app. Press play once and it works through the list on its own, and the arrow keys skip.
The rule of thumb
If it stops working when you turn it up, it belongs here. That is the whole test, and it is the exact inverse of every other room on this site.
Straight answers
What is raat wali feeling?
The mood that arrives late at night when the house is quiet and you are the only one awake. In music it means slow, melodic, usually sad Hindi songs, played low rather than loud.
Is this late night playlist free?
Yes. The player at the top of this page streams free in your browser on desktop and mobile. There is no account, no sign-up and nothing to download.
What songs are on this playlist?
52 tracks, most sung by Lata Mangeshkar, including Tujhse Naraaz Nahin Zindagi, Tere Mere Milan Ki Ye Raina, Chalte Chalte Yun Hi Koi, Raaton Ke Saaye Ghane and Ab Toh Hai Tumse Har Khushi. Full list above.
Why are these songs older than the rest of the site?
Because the mood belongs to an older sound. Most of this list runs from 1959 to 1993, with the golden-era songs of Pakeezah, Abhimaan and Blackmail alongside a few early 90s tracks. Nothing here is fast.
Who sings most of these night songs?
Lata Mangeshkar carries almost the entire list. Her voice at low volume is close to the definition of this mood in Hindi music.
How many songs are on this playlist?
52. The source has 100 entries but most are the same songs re-uploaded several times, so only one copy of each was kept.
Can I play these night songs on my phone?
Yes. The player is built for mobile as well as desktop, and the artwork switches to a portrait version on phones. Keep the tab open and it keeps playing.
Is this good music to sleep to?
For many people yes, because the tempo is slow and the arrangements are sparse. It is not ambient though — these are songs with words and a story, so they hold some attention rather than fading out.