Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Did Corrinne May's "Song for Singapore" do it?



Not for me it didn't.

Lovely girl with great vocals. But it was too much lounge music to connect emotionally too. And it just lacked the confidence that it could actually be a true Singapore song. So it just too easily went for treacly nationalistic imagery.... Brothers and sisters flying flags together....? Give me a break.

Nope. It just didn't work.

The Kit Chan/Dick Lee song "Home" still worked. Though far from perfect, it had the common sense to stay away from imagery associated with "peace, and prosperity and progress for our nation" kinda stuff. Just simple things about home and family, and what Singapore really meant to all of us. Yeah, home is where the heart is. And of course the river, that unfortunately had stopped flowing since Marina Barrage. Thanks Kit and Dick for that song - one that will I am sure eventually become a classic Singapore song.

Oh, and by the way....someone should arrest the fella who designed Corrinne May's dress that evening.

3 comments:

The said...

Yes - that dog-collar dress....

gigamole said...

quite grotesque, it was.

Anonymous said...

i didnt get to see the dress but i think the song is fine as it is. it is still going to be a classic 5-10 years down the road. finally, a Singapore song that is easy on the ears and not overly dramatic. A song that every Singaporean can hum to without possessing a wide vocal range. the lyrics are beautifully harmonious too. give it some time and appreciate it for its earnest honesty.