UPDATE (13 Mar): The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) has issued a statement on Facebook regarding the matter.
The ministry would like to thank Singaporeans for expressing their sense of national pride, saying that “it may be a copy of our song, but sometimes, imitation is the best form of flattery!”
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‘Count on Me, Singapore’ is one of the timeless songs that we, without fail, sing along to every National Day.
Though more than 3 decades have passed since it was composed, its popularity is not showing signs of waning. Just last year, the patriotic song received a jazzy remake.
However, it appears the song has struck a chord with others overseas too, albeit with minor modifications to the lyrics and title.
One such rendition of the song – from India – has received more than 87,000 views on YouTube within 6 months.
The clip was taken down on Friday (12 Mar) but has since been uploaded with a new title that state it’s a copy of “Count on Me, Singapore. Here’s the reposted video:
The modified versions of the song sound pretty much like ‘Count on Me, Singapore’, with the exception of ‘Singapore’ in the lyrics being changed to ‘India’ or ‘Mother India’.
The song was also re-titled ‘We Can Achieve’.
Produced and performed by Pauline Communications and Joey Mendoza respectively, the video features a ‘slideshow’ of the lyrics with occasional scenes showing what appears to be locations in India.
However, a quick search on SoundCloud reveals that the same track has been around since 2012. The song has since been removed from SoundCloud.
Several renditions of ‘We Can Achieve’ have also popped up over recent years and months.
Here’s one such performance by a group of children.
And another soulful rendition of the same song.
The lyrics of the song were even used as a form of teaching material.
Composed in 1986 by Canadian songwriter Hugh Harrison, ‘Count on Me, Singapore’ remains one of Singaporeans’ favourite NDP songs 35 years after its release.
Sung at every NDP, the ‘classic’ song is a reminder for Singaporeans to stand together as one – regardless of ethnicities and religions – as we collectively bring Singapore to new heights.
Regardless of the striking similarities, we’re glad that even folks outside of Singapore have learnt to appreciate our national songs.
Have you ever heard remakes of our other popular NDP songs? Share your discoveries with us in the comments below.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at hello@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from YouTube and SoundCloud.
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