national day songs

National Day is coming. After listening to this year's national day song, something in the suggested column of YouTube caught my attention: "The Problem with Singapore's National Day (NDP) Songs". Curious as I was, I clicked on it.

Here's what the maker of the video had to say.

It's not often that Singaporeans set aside their differences to show solidarity.

Even when we do, it's usually because we feel we've been represented poorly.

We'll palm our faces at the garish costumes of Miss Universe Singapore. We'll laugh till we cry at cheesy, low-budget videos meant to show off our best attractions, but we reserve our loudest groans for our National Day theme songs.

It's become customary to mock them that we probably won't know if we're listening to a good one.

These once-a-year tunes are so divisive that rumour has it, acclaimed local composer, Dick Lee, will accept national songwriting duties whenever he feels success getting to his head because he knows that the harsh criticisms he'll get from Singaporeans, will smack his ego down a few notches. Good on you, Dick.

So, what is it about our National Day songs that rub us the wrong way? They're not catchy enough; they sound too hip and modern; too old-fashioned, or they're just not relatable.

For the fun of it, I thought I'd listen to these melodic magnets of hate, to figure out if all this rage is justified. By the end of my experiment, I had to wash out my ears with acid. But it was worth it.

What I found was that melodies weren't the problem. For the most part. Just listen without paying attention to any of the words, and keep in mind how the music has to appeal to the ears of everyone from the young to the old.

They aren't terrible for what they are. Sure, they won't win any international awards. And they won't stay in your head for more than a day. But your grandmother can't compose something better. The folks who have been tasked to write and compose National Day songs aren't newbs fresh out of a primary school ukulele class. They are seasoned, full-time musicians who have found success in the world of music.

But their pedigree won't come through if they are only allowed to compose music that's simple and inoffensive. That means we're not likely to hear any Whitney Houston-style belting, or Queen's foot-stomping rock vibes, or funky jazz riffs. Without room to experiment, we're just going to keep getting safe, tried-and-tested hooks. When you consider these restrictions, the songs serve their purpose.

Which leaves us with the real problem: the lyrics.

They suffer from the same constraints as the music; they must appeal to all. But while the songs at least try to sound different from year to year, the themes in them are frequently rehashed. When you cover the same themes, you tend to use the same words, the same generic phrases and worn-out metaphors. This repetition becomes apparent when you realise that those simple words are conveying grand ideas that don't actually reflect reality.

Don't tell our children to look up at the sky and dream when the system encourages them to spend most of their time looking down at textbooks. Don't show your citizens images of all the races getting along merrily when one-third of the ethnic majority still have a problem with their children or grandchildren playing with minorities. Don't tell the people to learn from their forefathers when calloused hands can no longer shape dreams. The further away from reality the lyrics are, the more meaningless they become. I shouldn't be able to pair a country's national day song with a children's TV show and still have it make sense. 

It doesn't matter if a piece of music is good. You can't ignore the lyrics; music and words go hand in hand. If these songs continue to harp on what isn't true, eventually they'll feel patronising.

Alright, let's roll it back a little and establish the purpose of a National Day song. It's really meant to drum up interest and excitement for the big August 9 National Day Parade, which, in turn, is designed to be the one day in the year that Singaporeans can come together to celebrate the meaning of being Singaporean. All this, of course, feeds into the strengthening of the nation's social glue.

The bottom line is, a National Day song has to make Singaporeans feel good.

So why then, do we keep writing songs yearning for better times ahead? There are constant mentions of how the best is yet to come; how we have to keep striving for more. "We'll make our destiny." "Strive for your goals." "Will you scale new heights?" "Imagine what tomorrow it may bring." So much to look forward to." "Cause the best is yet to come."

In my listenings, I had a sneaking suspicion that one word was being used excessively. A word associated with the future. If only there was someone who could prove my suspicion right; someone who didn't respect himself enough that he would choose to waste time tallying song lyrics.

Okay, I did it.

Can you guess the word?

Since 2005, the word "dream" has appeared in all but one National Day song. "I have a dream of starting a life." "My dreams can take flight if I dare." "Together we'll make dreams come true." "It all started with a dream. And our dreaming isn't done." "Our dreams we'll all achieve." "Where dreams are born every day." "Will you let your dreams take flight?" "Your dreams and hopes will all come true." "Carried on a dream." "Our wildest dreams." "And see our dreams take flight."

Yup! There's no better way to make a population feel inadequate than by telling them they have not lived up to their potential. Bravo! Keep making the people pine for a time that will never arrive. Dreaming about the future, just like conjuring sepia-toned images of the past, can instil hope and inspiration, but they must be used like salt in baking: sparingly. Don't leave that carrot dangling year after year after year. How can people feel good about their lives if they're always told that they're still living in the shadow of their aspirations? That they haven't progressed?

For songs to be relatable and impactful, they have to be about the present. Singaporeans want to know what they can be proud of today. The nation is turning 53 in 2018 -- very young in sovereign years, but surely there's a cultural trait or two that we've nurtured over the years that we can wear on our sleeves; there must be something tangible we've accomplished that we can shout about. Will we ever hear a song that is brave enough to define the Singaporean identity as it stands today?

I suppose one can only... dream.

- Sad Coffee, "The Problem with Singapore's National Day (NDP) Songs"

Well, I don't really agree.

First, the songs are just saying that we have progressed far, and we should strive to progress more.

We should also look at the sky and dream to take breaks from studying. The American Optometric Association website states that individuals who do intense close visual work are more likely to develop myopia. Looking at the sky lets our eyes to take a break from studying to reduce the chances of shortsightedness. Daydreaming during breaks also lets our brain process what we have just learnt and remember the information better. Thus, we should look at the sky and dream in between studying so that our eyes will not be strained and we will have better eyesight.

In conclusion, I do not agree with Sad Coffee's evaluation and insights.

If so, why do Singaporeans think their national day songs are bad?

Well, you can't please everyone, can you? As Sad Coffee said, some people think the songs are too old-fashioned. When there is a change, others criticize the song for being too hip and modern. You cannot please everybody, as demonstrated in this Chinese passage:

父子俩牵着一匹马进城，半路上有人笑他们：“真笨，有马不骑！”

父亲立刻叫儿子骑上马，走了不久，又有人说：“这儿子真不孝，竟然让父亲走着！” 于是，父亲赶快叫儿子下来，自己骑到马背上。结果又有人说：“真是狠心的父亲，想把孩子累死！”

父亲只好叫儿子也骑上马背。谁知又有人说：“天啊，两个人骑在马背上，那匹瘦马实在太可怜了！”

No matter what you do, there will be people who criticize you. So, it'll probably stay as a fact that national day songs will be criticized by someone, somewhere out there, in the dark corners of the Internet.