1. Executive Summary S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (SPB, 1946–2020) is widely regarded as the greatest playback singer in the history of Tamil cinema. Over a six-decade career, he recorded over 40,000 songs across 16 languages, with Tamil being his primary and most iconic language.
For any future compilation of the 100 Best Tamil Songs, the only question is not whether SPB will dominate, but which 40 of his 10,000+ Tamil songs will be chosen. Music Analysis Unit Date: [Current Date] Sources: Public polls (2020–2024), Tamil film music archives, critical reviews from The Hindu and Film Companion South . SPB - 100 Best Tamil Songs
SPB’s count exceeds Yesudas by 2.5x, confirming his popular supremacy despite Yesudas being a more trained classical vocalist. 7. Composer-wise Distribution of SPB’s 38 Songs | Music Director | Number of SPB songs in Top 100 | Signature SPB hit with them | |----------------|--------------------------------|-----------------------------| | Ilaiyaraaja | 22 (58%) | Poongatru Thirumbuma | | A. R. Rahman | 5 (13%) | Ennavale Ennavale | | M. S. Viswanathan | 6 (16%) | Ninaivo Oru Paravai | | K. V. Mahadevan | 3 (8%) | Mannil Indha Kaadhal | | Deva / Harris / Others | 2 (5%) | Vaseegara | Music Analysis Unit Date: [Current Date] Sources: Public