The song Gaalu Paare by the Gypsies was released on 24 November, which is the last song by legendary singer Sunil Perera, who passed away on 6 September 2021. The song is climbing up YouTube’s trending music list, and claimed the 14th spot as of 28 November.
The band posted on their Facebook page just two days ago that Gaalu Paare was the top 27th track trending for music. The band added that the song was six years in the making. The vocals are by Sunil and Piyal Perera with the rest of the band, while the melody is by Piyal Perera and the lyrics are by Chandradasa Fernando. The concept is by Sunil Perera.
The video is by Meraki United by Randy Chriz, and follows animated versions of the Gypsies as they travel the Galle Road in a bright pink car. In typical Gypsies fashion, the video shows the lack of road discipline and misuse of public services and security forces by politicians, highlighting social issues in the country through song and dance.
They then take us to “The World of Gypsies”, where we are reminded of some of the Gypsies’ iconic creations. Towards the end of the video, Piyal is seen shaking Sunil Perera’s hand before handing him a leaflet that says “Thank you Sunil Aiyya”. We then see that Piyal has stepped out of the vehicle, which flies towards the moon with Sunil Perera, as well as Ronnie Leitch, who passed away on 1 October 2018.
As the song credits are shown, we see Sunil Perera flip through the channels of the car’s radio, which plays various tracks by the Gypsies as well as hard-hitting interviews given by Sunil Perera, before ending with what many consider a Baila anthem in Sri Lanka, Sumihiri Pane.
Since premiering, the song has been viewed over 81,000 times on YouTube and is the perfect tribute to Sunil Perera, who, along with the Gypsies, produced hit after hit and took forward baila music in the country. The comments the song has received reflect not only how loved the band is, but also how legendary a singer Sunil Perera was, with many sharing their appreciation for what the band and its iconic singer have done for the local music industry.