List of Singaporean patriotic songs
This article contains a list of Singaporean patriotic songs
A patriotic song is one which inspires feelings of pride in one's country. The list has both traditional folk songs that have special meaning to Singaporeans, as well as modern songs composed specifically for national celebrations, particularly the National Day Parade held on 9 August each year, Singapore's National Day.
Generally speaking, there may be said to be two types of Singaporean patriotic songs. The first type are traditional folk songs that have, over time, come to have special meaning to Singaporeans. Many of these are in vernacular languages – Malay, Mandarin and Tamil, for instance. Examples of such songs include Malay song "Di Tanjung Katong", Mandarin song "Xin Yao", and Tamil song "Munnaeru Vaalibaa".
The second type are the comparatively modern songs, mostly in English, that were composed specifically for national events – particularly the National Day Parade held annually on 9 August – and for use in schools. Each year since 1985, the National Day Parade Executive Committee has designated one such song as a National Day Parade theme song. The song is usually broadcast on radio and television starting from a month before National Day, and is given prominence during the Parade itself. Examples of such songs include "Stand Up for Singapore" (1985), "Count On Me, Singapore" (1986) and "One People, One Nation, One Singapore" (1990). In 1998, there were 2 National Day Parade theme songs, "Home" and "City For The World" and one of them was reused for National Day Parade in 2004. Then in 2007 they used two National Day Parade theme songs, "There's No Place I'd Rather Be" and "Will You?".[1] As for the National Day Ceremony song, My People My Home, it was conducted by Dr Lee Tzu Pheng, it came out in the late 1990s and was reused for National Day Parade 2012, together with Love at First Light which is sung by 27-year-old singer, Olivia Ong.
In 1984, the National Arts Council inaugurated the Sing Singapore Festival, the aim of which was to discover and promote home-grown music and artistes. According to the Council, it also hoped to nurture a love for music and singing and cultivate a greater sense of togetherness amongst Singaporeans. The programme led to the creation of a number of new songs by Singaporean composers, some of which were selected for National Day celebrations. These included "Home" (1998) by Dick Lee, "Where I Belong" (2001) by Tanya Chua, and "A Place in My Heart" (2003) by Kevin Quah. Local singers such as Taufik Batisah, Kit Chan and Stefanie Sun have performed songs in the Sing Singapore collection.[2]
Critical reception
While some of these modern made-to-order patriotic songs have become popular in the country, they have not received universal acclaim. They have been criticized as artificial and propagandistic, "National songs foisted on you from above" as opposed to "Singapore Songs arising from grassroots".[3]
A minor controversy also erupted over "There's No Place I'd Rather Be" (2007). Some people queried why the song does not mention Singapore by name,[4] while others commented that the song was "touching" and that they related to it immediately, and that "[t]he spirit of patriotism is woven so well in the song".[5] One correspondent to the Straits Times asked: "How did such a dreadful song become the National Day song?", lambasting the melody as "uninspiring" and the lyrics as "insipid" – "it is quite obvious what the brief to [the composer] was: Write a song to persuade Singaporeans who have sought greener pastures to come home."[5] The song's composer Jimmy Ye defended it, saying, "There's no need for it to be so in-your-face just because it's a National Day song". He noted that he had submitted the first draft of the song to the National Day Parade song committee, which had returned it with several changes. There was no mention of why "Singapore" got left out: "I guess the committee wanted to have a soft-sell approach too".[4]
Apart from "There's No Place I'd Rather Be", earlier songs like "Shine On Me" (2000), "Where I Belong" (2001), and "We Will Get There" (2002) also do not mention Singapore by name.
The National Anthem
| Title | Date | Author(s) | Copyright owner(s) | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majulah Singapura (Onward Singapore) |
1958 | Lyrics and music: Zubir Said |
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts[6] | Official Malay lyrics: Mari kita rakyat Singapura English translation: Chinese translation: Tamil translation: |
National Day Theme Songs (by year)
| Year | Song | Singers | Composer | Lyricist | Music Director | Music Video Director | Chinese Version | Singers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Stand Up for Singapore" | Hugh Harrison[7] | Hugh Harrison[7] | |||||||
| 1985 | ||||||||||
| 1986 | "Count on Me Singapore" | Clement Chow | Hugh Harrison[7] | Hugh Harrison[7] | ||||||
| 1987 | "We are Singapore" | Jonathan Tan, Roslinda Baharudin, Anne Weerapass and Robert Fernando | Hugh Harrison[7] | Hugh Harrison[7] | ||||||
| 1988 | ||||||||||
| 1989 | "Five Stars Arising" | Lim Su Chong" | ||||||||
| 1990 | "One People, One Nation, One Singapore" | Faridah Ali, Jacintha Abisheganaden, Stephen Francis and Clement Chow | Jeremy Monteiro[7] | Jim Aitchison[7] | ||||||
| 1991 | "It's the Little Things" | Patrick Seet | Ivan Chua | |||||||
| 1995 | "My People My Home" | Dr Lee Tzu Pheng | ||||||||
| 1996 | "Count On Me Singapore" | Clement Chow | ||||||||
| 1997 | "Singapore Town" | The Sidaislers | ||||||||
| 1998 | "Home" | Kit Chan | Dick Lee[7] | Dick Lee[7] | 家 | Kit Chan 陈洁仪 | ||||
| "City for the World" | ||||||||||
| 1999 | "Together" | Evelyn Tan & Dreamz FM | Ken Lim[7] | Ken Lim[7] | 心连心 | Evelyn Tan & Dreamz FM 陈毓云、梦飞船 | ||||
| 2000 | "Shine on Me" | Jai Wahab | Jim Lim[7] | Jim Lim[7] | 星月 | Mavis Hee 许美静 | ||||
| 2001 | "Where I Belong" | Tanya Chua | Tanya Chua[7] | Tanya Chua[7] | 属于 | Tanya Chua 蔡健雅 | ||||
| 2002 | "We Will Get There" | Stefanie Sun | Dick Lee[7] | Dick Lee[7] | 一起走到 | Stefanie Sun 孙燕姿 | ||||
| 2003 | "One United People" | Joshua Wan[7] | Joshua Wan[7] | 全心全意 | ||||||
| 2004 | "Home" | Kit Chan and JJ Lin The MTV versions were choral renditions performed by Young Voices, which comprises the Choirs from the Tanjong Katong Girls' School and Tampines Primary School. |
Dick Lee[7] | Dick Lee[7] | 家 | Kit Chan and JJ Lin 陈洁仪、林俊杰 | ||||
| 2005 | "Reach Out for the Skies" | Taufik Batisah and Rui En | Elaine Chan[7] | Selena Tan[7] | 勇敢向前飞 | Rui En 瑞恩 | ||||
| 2006 | "My Island Home" | Kaira Gong | Joshua Wan[7] | Joshua Wan[7] | 幸福的图形 | Kaira Gong 龚诗嘉 | ||||
| 2007 | "There's No Place I'd Rather Be" | Kit Chan | Jimmy Ye[7] | Jimmy Ye[7] | ||||||
| "Will You" | Janani Sridhar, Asha Edmund, Emma Yong, Lily Ann Rahmat, Jai Wahab, Shabir Mohammed, Sebastian Tan, Gani Karim | Jimmy Ye[7] | Jimmy Ye[7] | |||||||
| 2008 | "Shine for Singapore" | Hady Mirza | Benny Wong[7] | Benny Wong[7] | 晴空万里 | Joi Chua 蔡淳佳 | ||||
| 2009 | "What Do You See?" | Electrico | Electrico[7] | Electrico[7] | 就在这里 | Kelvin Tan 陈伟联 | ||||
| 2010 | "Song for Singapore" | Corrinne May | Corrine May[7] | Corrine May[7] | ||||||
| 2011 | "In a Heartbeat" | Sylvia Ratonel | Goh Keng Long[7] | Haresh Sharma[7] | ||||||
| 2012 | "Love At First Light" | Olivia Ong and Natanya Tan | Iskandar Ismail[7] | Paul Tan[7] | ||||||
| 2013 | "One Singapore" | 68-member choir "Sing A Nation" | Elaine Chan[7] | Selena Tan[7] | ||||||
| 2014 | "We Will Get There" | Farisha Ishak, Fauzi Laili, Tay Ke Wei and Rahimah Rahim | ||||||||
| 2015 | "Our Singapore" | Dick Lee & JJ Lin[8] | Dick Lee[9] | Dick Lee[9] | ||||||
| 2016 | "Tomorrow's Here Today" | 53A | Don Richmond[9] | Don Richmond[9] | Huang Junxiang | |||||
| 2017 | "Because it's Singapore" | Jay Lim | Lee Wei Song[9] | Jay Lim[9] | Miso Tan | |||||
| 2018 | We Are Singapore (Remake) | Charlie Lim, Vanessa Fernandez, Aisyah Aziz, Shak'thiya Subramaniamm, Joanna Dong and THELIONCITYBOY | Charlie Lim (Preface), Hugh Harrison (Original chorus)[9] | Charlie Lim (Preface), Hugh Harrison (Original chorus)[9] | Dr Sydney Tan, Charlie Lim, Evan Low | Li Lin Wee | ||||
| 2019 | Our Singapore (Remake) | Rahimah Rahim, Jacintha Abisheganaden, Stefanie Sun. JJ Lin, Dick Lee, Kit Chan | Dick Lee[10] | Dick Lee[10] | Dr Sydney Tan[10] | Royston Tan | ||||
| 2020 | Everything I Am | Nathan Hartono | Joshua Wan[11] | Joshua Wan[11] | Dr Sydney Tan[11] |
Songs with English lyrics
| Title | Date | Author(s) | Copyright owner(s) | First verse and/or chorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count On Me, Singapore | 1986 | Lyrics and music: Hugh Harrison Commissioned by the Cultural Affairs Division, Ministry of Community Development |
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the National Arts Council |
We have a vision for tomorrow, just believe, just believe There is something down the road that we can strive for Count on me Singapore, count on me to give my best and more Chorus: (Repeat Chorus) Together Singapore, Singapore! (x2) |
| Five Stars Arising | 1969 | Lyrics and music: Lim Su Chong |
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the National Arts Council[6] | First verse:[12] There's a new moon arising, out of the stormy sea Second verse: Third verse:(x2) Ending: |
| It's the Little Things | 1991 | Lyrics: Patrick Seet Music: Ivan Chua |
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the National Arts Council[6] | Chorus:[13] It's the little things that we share,
The children's laughter everywhere,
Over the years, I've grown
And no matter where I'll be,
You're always here for me |
| Moments of Magic | 1999 | Lyrics and music: Ken Lim |
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the National Arts Council[6] | Chorus:[14] Let us celebrate this moment,
Let us reach out for our dreams out there
We will always be a city of friends |
| One People, One Nation, One Singapore | 1990 | Lyrics: Jim Aitchison Music: Jeremy Monteiro Commissioned by the Ministry of Information and the Arts |
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the National Arts Council[6] | "First verse":[15] We've built a nation with our hands |
| Singapore Town | 1967 | Lyrics and music: The Sidaislers |
First verse:[16] You could take a little trip around
In a Singapore city bus Chorus: | |
| Singapura, Sunny Island | 1962 | Translated from Indonesian version | MediaCorp Pte. Ltd.[6] | First verse: Singapura, O Singapura |
| Song for Singapore | 2010 | Lyrics and music: Corrinne May[17] |
Chorus:[18] I want to sing | |
| Stand Up for Singapore | 1984 | Lyrics and music: Hugh Harrison Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture |
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the National Arts Council[6] | First verse:[19] Stand up for Singapore, do the best you can |
| There's No Place I'd Rather Be | 2007 | Lyrics and music: Jimmy Ye |
Chorus:[20] There's no place I'd rather be | |
| These Are The Days | 2015 | Lyrics and music: Lee Chin Sin |
Chorus: These are the days | |
| We Are Singapore | 1987 | Lyrics and music: Hugh Harrison Orchestration: Commissioned by the Cultural Affairs Division, Ministry of Community Development |
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the National Arts Council[6] | First verse:[21] There was a time when people said Chorus 1: |
| What Do You See? | 2009 | Lyrics and music: Electrico |
Chorus:[22] See the moon and the stars,
Look around at our faces,
With our hopes and dreams,
What do you see? What do you see? | |
| Will you | 2007 | Lyrics and music: Jimmy Ye |
First verse:[23] Will you make this island |
Notes
- The song highlighted in blue was designated as the "millennium song" by the National Arts Council.
- The four songs highlighted in pink were designated as "national songs" by the National Arts Council.
- Songs highlighted in red are National Day Parade theme songs.
- Songs highlighted in yellow were designated as "community songs" by the National Arts Council.
- The song highlighted in green is the winner of SG50: The Gift of Song.
Songs with Malay lyrics
| Title | Date | Author(s) | Copyright owner(s) | First verse and/or chorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chan Mali Chan | 2010 | - from Nusa Tenggara - | Not copyrighted | First verse:[24] Di mana dia anak kambing saya? Chorus: |
| Di Tanjung Katong | Composer Osman Ahmad, musician in 1930s. Reference found in MUSIKA: Arena Muzik Silam di Malaya. NLB. | Copyright controlled. | First verse:[25] Di Tanjung Katong, airnya biru | |
| Semoga Bahagia (May You Achieve Happiness) |
Lyrics and music: Zubir Said |
First verse: Sama-sama maju ke hadapan English translation: |
Notes
- Songs highlighted in yellow were designated as "community songs" by the National Arts Council.
- Semoga Bahagia was designated as the official Children's Day song.
Songs with Mandarin lyrics
| Title | Date | Author(s) | Copyright owner(s) | First verse and/or chorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 小人物的心声 (Xiao Ren Wu De Xin Sheng) (Voices from the Heart) |
1986 | Lyrics: Bok Sek Yieng Music: Tan Kian Chin |
Touch Music Publishing Pte. Ltd. | First verse:[26] 也许我一个人 |
Songs with Tamil lyrics
| Title | Date | Author(s) | Copyright owner(s) | First verse and/or chorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munnaeru Vaalibaa | 1966 | S. Jesudassan | Not copyrighted | Lyrics:[27] Munnaeru vaalibaa munaeri endrum The lyrics in Tamil Language:
The lyrics in English are: |
| Engkal Singapore | 1966 | Lyrics: Peri Nela Palanivelan Music: L Krishna Samy |
Not copyrighted | Lyrics: Engkal Singapore - ithu Engkal Singapore - inbam
எங்கள் சிங்கப்பூர் - இது |
| Singai Naadu | 2012 | Composed & Performed by: Shabir Tabare Alam Lyrics: Shabir Tabare Alam |
Copyright: Shabir Tabare Alam | Lyrics: Boomi, Unnai Azhaikkuthu
English Translation:
The land is calling you, come home |
Notes
- Songs highlighted in yellow were designated as "community songs" by the National Arts Council.
Notes
- Official website of the National Day Parade, archived from the original on 26 January 2018, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- Sing Singapore: Background, National Arts Council, 2005, archived from the original on 9 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- Tan, Shzr Ee (c. 2000), "'Authentic Fakesong': The Sing Singapore Campaign", IIAS Newsletter Online, International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) (26), archived from the original on 24 September 2015, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- Frankie Chee (12 August 2007), "Why no Singapore?", The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), p. L2.
- "National Day song gets mixed response", The Straits Times (Life!), p. 4, 18 August 2007.
- Sing Singapore: Useful Information: Copyrights of the Songs in the Sing Singapore Collection, National Arts Council, 2005, archived from the original on 9 June 2007, retrieved 24 June 2007.
- "National Day songs | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-19. Retrieved 2015-07-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- hytay@st (2017-05-17). "2018's NDP song: We Are Singapore part of a long tradition". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
- hermesauto (2019-05-22). "NDP 2019 theme song revealed, features 27 artists including JJ Lin, Kit Chan and Taufik Batisah". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
- hermesauto (2020-07-14). "NDP 2020 theme song seeks to promote community spirit and gratitude in the face of challenges". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
- Five Stars Arising, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 27 September 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- It's the Little Things, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 14 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- Moments of Magic, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 8 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- One People, One Nation, One Singapore, Sing Singapore National Arts Council, archived from the original on 14 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- Singapore Town, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 14 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- Jermyn Chow (8 July 2010), "Corrinne May's ode to Singapore: US-based Singaporean to perform National Day theme song at Padang", The Straits Times.
- NDP 2010 Theme Song – "Song for Singapore" by Corrinne May! on YouTube.
- Stand Up for Singapore, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 14 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- There's No Place I'd Rather Be, National Day Parade Executive Committee, 2007, archived from the original on 22 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- We Are Singapore, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 8 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- NDP09 theme song – What do you see?, National Day Parade Executive Committee, 2009, archived from the original on 15 July 2009, retrieved 14 July 2009.
- Will You?, National Day Parade Executive Committee, 2007, archived from the original on 14 August 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- Chan Mali Chan, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 8 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- Di Tanjung Katong, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 8 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
- List of works/arrangements for Choir, Phoon Yew Tien, retrieved 14 July 2009.
- Munnaeru Vaalibaa, Sing Singapore, National Arts Council, archived from the original on 8 June 2007, retrieved 23 June 2007.
Further reading
- Aisha Akbar, comp. (1966), Thirty-Six Best Loved Songs of Malaysia and Singapore, Singapore: Eastern University Press.
- Cheng, Shao Chang; Leong, Yoon Pin, chief eds. (1973), Our Songs, Singapore: Educational Publications BureauCS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link), 3 vols.
- Sing Singapore: A Celebration in Song, National Day 1988, Singapore: F & N Sarsi in conjunction with Psychological Defence Division, Ministry of Communications and Information, 1988.
- Teo, Lay Na, comp. (1980), Sing a Song of Singapore, Singapore: Educational Publications Bureau.
- Zubir Said (1990), Zubir Said: His Songs, Singapore: Times Books International for Singapore Cultural Foundation.