Since gaining independence in 1965, Singapore has conducted many nation-wide campaigns to lay the foundation of a young nation. These have covered a wide range of topics such as courtesy, workplace productivity and observing good personal hygiene. As part of these campaigns, songs and jingles were some of the ways used to get the message across more effectively.
Dive into the conversation between our arts librarian, Kong Leng Foong, and our guest, Dr William Wan. Dr Wan is presently the General Secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement and also a Justice of the Peace. He is active in community-based work with grassroots and organisations such as Project We Care, Singapore Scout Association (SSA), SG Cares Culture Building Committee, and others. Dr Wan has received several awards, including the Active Ageing Award (2011), President's Volunteerism and Philanthropy Award (2017), and the SSA Distinguished Service Award (2018).
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09:40] Dr Wan talks about the 1980 Courtesy Song ("Make Courtesy Our Way of Life”) and the Singapore Kindness Movement's song released in 2018, "Greater Everyday”
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26:14] Dr Wan shares some of the human stories that he has encountered in Singapore that show little acts of kindness.
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39:36] Leng Foong and Thiru revisit iconic campaign songs of yesteryear.
Listen to the podcast as we take you down memory lane and explore Singapore's musical history and the development of its music scene through the National Library's collections and digital archive, MusicSG.
Credits:
1. The songs "Make Courtesy Our Way Of Life” (1980) and "Greater Everyday" (2018) appear courtesy of the Singapore Kindness Movement.
Listen on MusicSG ("Make Courtesy Our Way Of Life”) https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/music/music/track/ebdd7595-bd86-4f7c-8b4d-f7f9c47e83b0
2. "Good, Better, Best” (1982) Source: Enterprise Singapore, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore.
View on Archives Online: https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/audiovisual_records/record-details/5ac06c24-1164-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad
3. "大家说华语” (1980) courtesy of the Speak Mandarin Campaign.
View on Archives Online: https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/audiovisual_records/record-details/59ddeec4-1164-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad
4. "There's A Part For Everyone” (1988) by Gerald Png, courtesy of MINDEF.
Listen on MusicSG: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/music/music/track/df2681b9-f516-4304-ac3c-93a225ff675b
5. "Together” (1999) © Government of the Republic of Singapore. Permission required for reproduction.
Listen on MusicSG: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/music/music/track/35946efc-972d-4ea5-9d7b-abe3f5c9a13e
What is Radio DDC?
Welcome to Radio DDC, the National Library's new podcast featuring stories from our collections. In this four-part series, we look into Singapore's musical history, with highlights from the library's digital music archive, MusicSG. Each episode features a conversation with special guests from the industry, and is helmed by our arts librarians who will share their personal experiences and anecdotes as we traverse through the topics on Musical Theatre, Film Songs, Indie Music and Campaign Jingles.
Why Radio DDC, you may ask? The DDC in our name refers to the Dewey Decimal Classification system that the library uses to classify books.
About National Library Board, Singapore:
The National Library Board (NLB) nurtures Readers for Life, Learning Communities and a Knowledgeable Nation by promoting reading, learning and history through its network of 27 public libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. NLB also forges strategic partnerships that encourage awareness, appreciation and greater discovery of Singapore's history through its rich collections on Singapore and the region.
About MusicSG:
MusicSG is a non-profit digital archive run by the National Library, Singapore, set up to digitise, archive and provide access to all forms of published Singapore musical works. It assembles a collection of music composed or published by Singaporeans, music produced or published in Singapore, and music related to Singapore.
Subscribe to our podcast channel wherever you listen.
We would love to hear what you think about our podcast. Leave us a rating or review. You can also write to us with your feedback at enquiry@nlb.gov.sg.