National Day is around the corner and as there is no new theme song this year, it makes us recall all the other theme songs we have had so far and how some of them still resonate with us after all those years.
1. Home by Dick Lee ( this version is sung by The Sam Willows and Josh Wei)
Sang as the NDP theme song in 1998 and 2004, this song is still a hot favorite. Why? The lyrics for one are beautifully crafted and evokes nostalgia, one that speaks of Singapore, as a home where our families are, a place where we can always return to, a place of comfort.
It is a place where we will “know every street and shore”, not meant to be taken literally but to mean that Singapore is a place we are familiar with, as we have grown up here and as much as we may travel, we will never feel as comfortable, as being in Singapore. The song speaks of things and emotions we can identify with and tugs at the heartstrings of all Singaporeans out there. It is no wonder we love this song so much.
2. Where I belong by Tanya Chua
Honestly, this song wasn’t one of the fist few NDP songs that came to mind. The name of the song and the first few stanzas were not as easily remembered. However when I saw the chorus, I was like oh, it’s this song!
Chorus:
Where I belong, where I keep my heart and soul Where dreams come true for us Where we walk together hand in hand towards a future so bright Where I belong, where I keep my heart and soul Where we’re one big family I want the whole world to know, I want to shout it out loud That this is where I know I belong
Once again, you notice that it speaks of this sense of belonging, of dreams and emotions. The place we grew up in, nothing can ever replace our feelings for it. It will always be part of us no matter where we go and what we do.
3. Stand up for Singapore
A really, really, old NDP song from the 1980s. If you remembered singing this song when you were kids, that was the era of really good, simple NDP songs. They didn’t need to be super-well crafted, with many stanzas. It was short and catchy, with meaning to its lyrics and children could remember the lyrics because of that. When you can remember the lyrics of a song, the song is effectively a good song and with all that meaning in it, it really builds that sense of loyalty it sets out to do.
4. Count on Me, Singapore
Similar to Stand up for Singapore, the lyrics are really easy to remember especially the chorus.
Chorus:
Count on me Singapore, Count on me Singapore Count on me to give my best and more, count on me Singapore
From these few NDP songs, we can roughly gauge that the focus of these songs were for Singaporeans to reach for their dreams and achieve great things for Singapore internationally, as we were a growing nation.
The thing about old NDP videos or songs is that they aren’t as showy or as dramatized. The videos weren’t made to involve people from different careers or the like. It was just simple snippets of Singaporeans in their daily lives and that was all it needed to make it a really good song that we had feelings and emotions for.
5. One People, One Nation, One Singapore
This is a classic. Notice that the chorus is also really short and sweet. Doesn’t need to have many variations to the chorus. Just catchy enough to be repeated and evokes this strong sense of unity.
Chorus: One people, one nation, one Singapore That’s the way that we will be forevermore Every creed and every race, has its role and has its place One people, one nation, one Singapore
Now that you have listened to all of these old NDP songs and as we bask in the National Day atmosphere, let’s be proud to be Singaporeans and grateful for what we have achieved over the years. If you have other NDP songs you feel that we should add to our list, share with us or let us know which is your favorite.
Writer: Samuel Low