NDP songs as Popular Culture

Production

The first song, “Stand Up For Singapore”, was the theme of the National Day Parade of 1985, to commemorate 25 years of self-governance, and as a “call for action” to all Singaporeans, to continue giving their all for their country in their quest for success. Composed by Hugh Harrison, a Canadian who specialised in advertising, the song was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, under the copyright of the Ministry of Information, Community and Arts (MICA), and National Art Council (NAC). It was performed at the National Day Parade by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, amidst much grandeur and fervor.

Following its success, it the state decided to make it an “Official National Day Theme Song”. Subsequently, “Count On Me Singapore” and “We Are Singapore” became the Official National Song in 1986 and 1987 respectively. Both were also composed by Hugh Harrison, and arranged by Jeremy Monteiro. In “We Are Singapore”, the national pledge is cleverly inculcated within the song. In 1990, the 4 National Songs were assembled, with “One People One Nation One Singapore”, which was also sponsored by Cold Storage, a supermarket retailer in Singapore since 1903. It also marked 25 years of independence for Singapore, in the nation’s Silver Jubilee.

The NDP Theme Songs thereafter were known as “National Day Songs”, and took on a less formal status. Designated by the National Day Parade Executive Committee, they would still articulate a theme that the year’s parade would revolve around. Local songwriters like Dick Lee and Ken Lim, were employed to write the songs. It would be performed by local artistes like Kit Chan, Stefanie Sun, Tanya Chua and Taufik Batisah. However, the copyright remained under the authority of the NAC and MICA. Often at National Day Parades, the 4 “National Songs” would still be performed in a medley, reaching a climax in the fireworks display.

from left to right: Stefanie Sun, JJ Lin, Tanya Chua, Mavis Hee and Kit Chan

Many of the songs were also birthed from the “Sing Singapore Festival”, created by the NAC in 1984 to encourage song compositions from local singers and songwriters. Also, it aimed to 'develop a strong sense of belonging to Singapore through group singing' (National Arts Council 1988), forging national identity. This encouraged a “bottom-up” production, where citizens could be involved in this process of expounding the state’s values.

With state-controlled popular culture, art becomes reduced to a mere replication of the values and ideology formed by the government, where political, social, and cultural messages are delivered across subtly, veiled in the innocuous form that is popular culture.

Distribution

Over the years, National Day songs have become an indispensible part of every National Day Parade, aired on the various mass media channels in Singapore a month before the Parade. Hearing it, the songs often signal the arrival of National Day, setting the appropriate mood among its citizens.

In the past, songs were released in parts as television commercials, and song sheets were distributed at schools, National Library and its branches, and Community Centres. Now, technology enables the songs to be more easily-accessible and pervasive. It is aired over the radio, local television stations, TV mobile, television screens at MRT stations, and via videos found on YouTube.

Its distribution is not just controlled by the state, but actively exchanged among the people too, via music or video files shared online.

The songs are also played and taught in schools, sometimes incorporated with dance steps as a form of “mass dance”. With people being the only resource in Singapore, this is one of the ways in which its citizens are exposed to state values and ideology from a young age .

Consumption

Its nature as song allows it to be sang along, its lyrics catchy and easily remembered. It is able to arouse emotions easily within the singer, and in this way National Day songs aim to instill feelings of loyalty and patriotism, from inspirational to sentimental tunes. Illustrated by The Business Times (1 August 1987), 'Music is an exercise in harmony. A government is made of of people... but it becomes a government only when these different people believe in, and find, the harmony of a common ground... Singing is an act of affirmation ... Every word, when sincere ... become emotive reiterations of a being in harmony with all else.'

The ease of singing allows for mass participation, the ideology overtly accessible to all at once, their act of vocalizing the song allowing for its influence to be exerted upon them unconsciously. Then-NAC chairman, Prof Tommy Koh said, 'We want to literally fill the city with the sound of music ... Not everyone is gifted, but everyone can participate'. Many participate in it actively and unquestioningly, fully consuming the sensations of grandeur and elevation. School children especially, unconsciously consume ideological messages that underlie the song, and sing the songs because they find it a “fun” experience.

However, there are many that do not consume the songs implicitly, or consume the song but do not fully assimilate its ideology, because a song does not translate completely into action. There are instances of refusal to consume the songs, and instead, new cultural products that go against state ideology, like “Not the Singapore song book”, or Dick Lee’s subversion of “Count on me Singapore”, are created.