let's take a little trip back in time....

This entry's a little bit late, but here's my little National Day tribute to Singapore.

I LOVE National Day. No secret to that. Old friends would know that I get very high especially when it comes to National Day. Its my favourite holiday, apart from Chinese New Year and Christmas! And one reason why I love National Day so much is because of the wealth of patriotic songs that keep popping by every year. So this year, I decided to piece together a youtube timeline of all the national day songs since 1998, the year where national day songs first became an annual event. So here goes!

1998 - Home by Kit Chan
The song that started it all, and probably the very best. Kit Chan and Dick Lee gave us an instant classic, one that never seizes to tug the heart strings of every Singaporean. Every time I hear the familiar tune, I feel a sense of warmth that no other song can bring. Great tune, great lyrics, I love it. =)


1999 - Together by Evelyn Tan and Dreamz FM
I remember this was the year I first watch the Parade 'Live' on the actual day itself! And that performance left a great impression on me, because the atmosphere was just addictive. From that year on, I would always try to get my hands on tickets. Haha. I liked this song, and though it wasn't as popular as Home, but it was definitely one of the better NDP songs! Listening to it invokes lots of memories.


2000 - Shine On Me by Jai and Mavis Hee
Oh this song will always hold a special place in my heart, because this was the theme song of the parade in which I performed in. I remember we were SO stoked about this song, it had a catchy tune and when we sang in life, the atmosphere was just electrifying! Almost as electrifying as when the national anthem was sung! Sigh.


2001 - Where I Belong by Tanya Chua
When I first heard it, I remember thinking that the lyrics to this song were actually quite retarded. Haha. I still think so, but nowadays, I think its a cute kind of retarded. It has an amazingly simple and catchy melody though! I watched the parade on National Day as well, I remember that it wasn't as spectacular as the previous year's but yeah, Tanya was great!


2002 - We Will Get There by Stefanie Sun
Sigh. A personal favourite of mine. This was the song that I was hoping to hear since I fell in love with Stefanie Sun. It was even featured in Stefanie's 5th studio Album, 'Leave' as well! Haha. I loved it, because it was different from the songs of previous NDP. This had a more contemporary and rock/rougher feel to it. And of course, it was sung by Stefanie Sun! Woo-hoo! I particularly loved the MV of this song though, don't really know why. Maybe its the sight of Stef standing atop the then newly launched Esplanade! Haha! Also, this marked the last time I actually watched the Parade 'Live' on the actual day itself!


2003 - One United People by Stefanie Sun
YUP! She sand the NDP song two years in a row! I remember that Stef performed this song while standing atop this super duper tall pillar, it was just amazing! Haha. I don't really have much to say about this song, if Stefanie didn't sing it, I probably wouldn't remember it as fondly though. Haha, still its much nicer than many of the other songs that came out later. Haha


2004 - Home by Young Voices Choir & JJ Lin
'Home' was once again the NDP song of 2004, but this time round, there were two different versions of it. A drama-mama version sung by a Young Voices Choir and a hip-hop Mandarin version sung by JJ Lin. This video's that of the version sung by the choir! I didn't particularly like these two new remixes of the old classic. I still love Kit Chan's rendition of 'Home' and I personally think no other singer can ever replace her. Sigh. But still, 'Home' is 'Home'. Its such a nice song. Amazing.


2005 - Reach Out For the Skies by Rui En & Taufik Batisah
HAHA, this is the year where the song had a silly dance to accompany it. HAHA. I remember my cousins dancing to it when it was being sung at the parade. I never really remembered or took notice of the lyrics, though the line 'Let's reach out for the skies, with wings we soar up high!' is admittedly quite addictive. That's about the only line I could remember from the song though. Haha, still kudos to it for being the first NDP song to incorporate a fun dance.


2006 - My Island Home by Kaira Gong
Oh I actually like this particular song! I felt it was reminiscent of 'Home', maybe a less touching version, but it definitely is a song that invokes loads of bravado and gusto, emotions that are perfect for a NDP song. Its a pity that this particular song never got popular. Definitely one of the more underrated NDP songs out there.


2007 - There's No Place I'd Rather Be by Kit Chan & Will You by Janani Sridhar, Asha Edmund, Emma Yong, Lily Anna Rahmat, Jai Wahab, Shabir Mohammaed, Sebastian Tan and Gani Karim
This was the year where there were actually 2 different theme songs. I remember the song sung by Kit Chan was subject to alot of criticism because some people thought the lyrics were questionable. Haha The other song will always be remembered as the one with SUPER DRAMA MV. Haha damn hilarious.



2008 - Shine For Singapore by Hady Mirza & Joi Chua
I think this was the most forgettable of ALL the NDP songs. I don't really have much of an impression of this particular song. Yup, didn't really like it. In fact NDP 2008 was probably one of the most unmemorable ones ever. Haha.


2009 - What Do You See by Electrico
And of course... this year's song. For my comments on it, read my entry dated 21st July. Haha

Well. I love my National Day songs! Here's to many more prosperous years and beautiful songs to come! Happy 44th Birthday Singapore! =D