TBR (To Be Read): National Day lyrics and what they say about four decades of Singapore
SINGAPORE – If Singaporeans know any poetry by heart, it is the lyrics to the three dozen or so National Day theme songs that have been penned annually since Hugh Harrison's gung-ho injunction to Stand Up For Singapore in 1984.
Not many know that Singapore's first National Day Song – as well as the vigorous Count On Me Singapore (1986) and We Are Singapore (1987) – were written by a Canadian man who worked at an advertising company hired to come up with the songs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Sing60 Music Festival in December to feature singers Mavis Hee, Benjamin Kheng, Shabir and Shazza
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox (Clockwise from top left) Mavis Hee, Benjamin Kheng, Shabir and Shazza will be performing at the two-day Sing60 Music Festival. SINGAPORE - Sing60 Music Festival, a two-day music extravaganza dedicated to local music in the SG60 year, is set to take place at Fort Canning Park on Dec 6 and 7. With performances over two stages, the line-up features over 60 home-grown acts from various genres and generations. The main segment, Homegrown Icons, at a Fort Canning Green stage, includes both contemporary pop acts such as singer-songwriters Benjamin Kheng, Charlie Lim, lullaboy, Shye, Shabir, Imran Ajmain, Shazza, Iman Fandi, Dru Chen, Glenn Yong, as well as the Talentime All-Stars, a group comprising seasoned singers Ann Hussein, Clement Chow, Faridah Ali, Gerry Rezel and Max Surin. The segment also features Mandopop singer Mavis Hee, singer-songwriter Corrinne May and hip-hop artiste Lady Kash. Bandwagon Sessions, also at Fort Canning Green, features indie and alternative music acts ranging from established ones like The Great Spy Experiment and Caracal to newer bands such as Carpet Golf and Motifs. The third segment, Bunker B2B, takes place at Fort Canning's historical World War II bunker Battlebox and features pairings of different generations of electronic music artistes in back-to-back DJ sets and live performances. Covering genres ranging from house and hip-hop to techno and experimental, the line-up includes veteran names like Aldrin, Ollie Des and Aresha, as well as rising acts Deformed and Taz Angullia. Festival Village, a marketplace co-curated with F Zine, the youth-focused media brand formerly known as Female magazine, will showcase a mix of home-grown food, artisanal crafts, fashion and lifestyle brands. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore BTO income ceiling, age floor for singles being reviewed: Chee Hong Tat World Netanyahu says Israel's new Gaza offensive will start soon Singapore 'It's so close': Crowds turn up for Red Lions, mobile column at National Day heartland celebrations Business Singapore can deliver and thrive in a fragmented global economy: Morgan Stanley analysts Asia As global supply chains shift, China's exports of factory robots see a sharp rise Singapore askST Jobs: How to deal with the dread of returning to work after a holiday? Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Sing60 is a follow-up to Sing50, the SG50 concert at the National Stadium in 2015 organised by The Straits Times (ST) and The Business Times (BT) which celebrated Singapore's 50th year of independence. Sing60 is driven by a pay-it-forward ethos. Every ticket sold will fund a youth from an underserved background to attend the event. Singapore-based R&B soul-pop singer-songwriter lullaboy is best known for regional hits such as Someone Like You (2021) and Shortcut To Heaven (2022). PHOTO: LULLABOY There will also be a UOB-sponsored ChildAid segment that includes performances by talents who were part of the ChildAid charity concert series held almost annually since 2005, such as singer Amni Musfirah. Another Sing60 segment spotlights young performers who are benefactors of Gift A Guitar, a charity initiative that provides underserved youth with guitars and music lessons, led by arts and culture non-profit The Rice Company Limited (TRCL) and charity organisation The Music Society, Singapore. Standard tickets start from $40 for a one-day pass. From Sept 1, tickets can also be purchased using Culture Pass credits given to Singaporeans to encourage them to attend local arts and heritage activities. Singapore singer, songwriter and producer Shye is one of the acts performing at Sing60. PHOTO: SING60 Sing60 is organised by TRCL and produced by non-profit arts and culture organisation Global Cultural Alliance. It is supported by Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (Compass), National Arts Council, Tote Board Arts Fund and Cultural Matching Fund. ST and BT are the official media partners. ST editor Jaime Ho says: 'The Straits Times has always been supportive of home-grown music talents, both through our coverage and through events such as the ChildAid concert series. 'Sing60 Music Festival is a celebration of some of the best singers, bands, songwriters and musicians from Singapore, artistes from different generations and genres who represent the diversity of Singapore's vibrant music landscape.' Singaporean singer and songwriter Imran Ajmain made a name in the region with Malay R&B/pop hits. PHOTO: GUMBIRA BT editor Chen Huifen adds: 'Local songs have long deserved a bigger stage, and there's no better moment than SG60 to shine the spotlight on our music scene. Sing60 presents a rare, intergenerational snapshot of local music – past, present and future – and The Business Times is proud to support this important tribute to the nation's soundscape.' Mr Lee Suan Hiang, chairman of the Sing60 Committee, says the festival is a cultural milestone in a year that marks Singapore's 60 years of nationhood. 'It is not only a celebration of six decades of music, but also a reflection of how the arts have shaped our national identity, binding us together across communities and generations as we look toward the future.' Sing60 is headed by two veterans in the local live entertainment industry, Jeremiah Choy and Lim Sek as creative directors, and festival director Nicholas Tee, Global Cultural Alliance's head of artistic development. The artiste line-up is curated by music media platform Bandwagon, as well as music website Life In Arpeggio founder Kevin Ho and creative producer Esther Goh. Sing60 Music Festival is a two-day festival that takes place across two stages at Fort Canning Park on Dec 6 and 7. PHOTO: SING60 Book it/ Sing60 Music Festival Where: Fort Canning Park When: Dec 6 and 7, from 3pm Admission: Tickets are available via Sistic (go to , or call 6348-5555) at $40 for a one-day pass (20 per cent off with early bird promotion until Aug 31) and $60 for a two-day pass. From Sept 1, Culture Pass credits can be redeemed to purchase tickets. Info: For the full line-up and details, go to
Independent Singapore
21 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
French woman hears ‘Happy Happy' in MRT announcement, asks Singaporeans what it means
TikTok screengrab/ Audrey Thiloy SINGAPORE: Puzzled at an announcement she heard on the Blue Line, a woman from France asked Singaporeans to let her know what 'happy happy' could possibly mean. As it turns out, like other visitors to the Little Red Dot, she misheard 'Berhati-hati di ruang platform,' which means 'mind the gap' in Malay. Audrey Thiloy posed her question in a TikTok video posted on Friday (Aug 8), which has since been viewed almost 700,000 times. @audreythiloy HAPPY HAPPY ✨ in sg MRT #tiktoksg🇸🇬 #tiktoksg #sgtiktok #mrt #metro ♬ original sound – Audrey Thiloy ૮ • ﻌ – ა 'I'm in the MRT in Singapore, and every time I am on the Blue Line, the MRT lady keeps telling, 'Happy, happy.' Please, people from Singapore, tell me what 'Happy Happy' means,' said Ms Thiloy in her video. 'I have it in my head. Like it's stuck in my head and I don't know what it means, the Happy Happy,' she added, which everyone who has ever had an earworm is likely to relate to. So far, her post has received over 2,000 comments, and many TikTok users have been more than happy (see what we did there) to oblige her with answers. One wrote, 'It's 'Hati-hati' (ha-tee ha-tee), it means be careful. Not 'happy happy'.' To this, the post author replied, 'Hahaha, oh ok 😭🙏🏻 I'll be careful then.' Another had an even more complete explanation, writing, 'So in Singapore when (the announcement) tells you, 'Please mind the yellow gap' in English, there are 3 more languages besides English, which are Mandarin, Malay: 'Berhati-hati di ruang platform', and last in Tamil.' One noted that in places such as Chinatown or Kovan, the announcement is even in Hokkien as well. A TikTok user provided a YouTube link as an example: Another took the opportunity to deliver a mini-lecture on languages in Singapore: 'The national language of Singapore is Bahasa Melayu (Malay), as stated in the Constitution of Singapore. However, Singapore has four official languages: Malay (national language) English (main working and administrative language) Mandarin Chinese (spoken by the Chinese community) Tamil (spoken by the Indian community) While Malay holds symbolic importance, used in the Singapore national anthem, 'Majulah Singapura', English is the most commonly used language in government, business, and education.' She is not the first visitor to the city-state to have heard 'happy happy' instead of 'Berhati-hati'. In 2014, a travel blogger from the UK wrote , 'There are 3 things I like about the Singapore Mass Rapid Transport (MRT),' one of which was 'when you stop at a platform, a lady says 'Happy Happy'.' 'Causing amusement every time, these two words seem to make everything better. Like she is saying, 'Hey, thanks for riding this train, you're rad, stay extra happy happy for your journey ahead, you wonderful person, you'.' /TISG Read also: F oreigner with kids in a stroller complains about not being given way in MRT lift () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
New Paper
a day ago
- New Paper
Actress Michelle Chia marries after two months of dating
Home-grown actress Michelle Chia has tied the knot with her non-celebrity boyfriend Jackson Tan, after they dated for more than two months. The news was first reported by Chinese-language evening daily Shin Min Daily News on Aug 9. The couple held their wedding on an Indonesian island on Aug 8. They chose the date as it is easy to remember and they could celebrate future anniversaries along with National Day, which falls on Aug 9. Eight is also a favourite number among the Chinese community, as it symbolises prosperity. Chia, who turns 50 on Sept 19, told Shin Min: "I didn't expect the biggest gift (my husband) would show up so suddenly in my life... The wedding on Friday was the best birthday gift I could ask for." They chose the wedding venue as it holds great significance for them. The couple celebrated Mr Tan's birthday there in February. The wedding was attended by about 40 family members and close friends, including artistes Jesseca Liu, Apple Hong, Priscelia Chan and Jayley Woo - Chia's co-stars from local TV series The Queen (2016). The wedding expenses were covered by Mr Tan, 41, a real estate consultant. "One of his wedding gifts was a five-minute fireworks show at the reception," Chia told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao in a separate interview. "I wept for a full five minutes while watching it." Chia, who said in an interview with Shin Min in 2016 that she had no plans to remarry, told Zaobao that Mr Tan changed her perspective on marriage. She was married to Malaysian actor Shaun Chen, 46, between 2009 and 2011. "Our relationship is like that of close friends," Chia said of Mr Tan. "We look forward to coming home every day after work, staying home together, watching TV and chatting about life. We drink coffee together in the morning and can chat non-stop for one or two hours. "He takes very good care of me, and our communication gives me a strong sense of security as well as confidence in our marriage." Michelle Chia (middle) with her The Queen co-stars (back row, left) Jayley Woo, (front row, far left) Jesseca Liu, (second from right) Apple Hong and (third from right) Priscelia Chan on her wedding day. PHOTO: KANNYTHENG/INSTAGRAM Mr Tan took part in Mediacorp's talent contest Star Search in 2007 and won the Mr Personality title, but left the TV station after nine months. He and Chia first met in 2008, but their paths did not cross often over the years. In September 2024, he wished her a happy birthday via a text message. Soon after, they met for coffee along with a mutual friend, but there was no spark at that time. It was not until 2025 that the couple began to interact more frequently, often meeting for coffee and chatting for four to five hours. "It felt like being a student again," Chia said. "We talked about everything, including our ideals and philosophies in life, growing and learning from each other. We realised we are really alike: I am the female version of him, and he is the male version of me." Their first date was at National University of Singapore's UTown, which was also where Mr Tan proposed to her. His sister, brother-in-law, nieces and nephews were also there that day. On their age gap, Chia said she does not feel like she is approaching 50, both in spirit and appearance. She added that she has many aspirations and remains energetic and positive. Mr Tan affirmed that what he requires in a partner is spiritual compatibility, and that nothing else matters. The couple currently have no plans for a honeymoon. Chia will fly to Beijing for filming, before travelling to India with friends in September. "My husband cannot accompany me due to work commitments. But I'll be back a few days before my birthday," she said.
