Oldie but goodie: Classic NDP tune gets remake to spur on Singaporeans in Covid-19 fight

Although it's been a few months since National Day, some of us might have heard a familiar tune on our screens recently.

Featuring local artistes Aisyah Aziz, Alfred Sim, Joanna Dong and Shabir, the latest Covid-19 campaign video has the four combining vocals for a 2002 National Day Parade (NDP) remake, Together We Will Get There. 

Instead of the upbeat tune in the original version sung by Stefanie Sun, the song has been rearranged into a gentle ballad. 

The three-minute-long music video is meant to be a tribute to those that have been working tirelessly in the country's fight against Covid-19, and to uplift the spirits of Singaporeans. The video premiered on Saturday (Nov 13) on the government's official YouTube channel and has garnered over 20,000 views. 

In the video, we are introduced to a full-time national serviceman who is deployed as a Home Recovery Buddy, a driver in charge to conveying patients to treatment facilities, a telemedicine doctor, and a Covid-19 patient who is on the Home Recovery Programme. 

With minimal dialogue, the music video captures the struggles of each role — from having to deal with frustrated callers and patients, to being isolated from one's family. 

Faced with their own struggles, the lyrics of the song seemingly serve as encouragement for all to stand together:

"So why don't we try? If we stand side by side, I know we'll build a new world, a world of hope for ever after." 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also retweeted the music video, saying that the lyrics of song "hold added poignancy in our present circumstances".

[embed]https://twitter.com/leehsienloong/status/1459461736969359360?s=20[/embed]

The heartwarming vibes from this video are a refreshing change from the previous Covid-19 campaign, highlighting Singapore's three-pronged approach to test, trace and vaccinate, which featured Annette Lee and Mark Lee. 

And of course, who can forget the vaccination video with Singaporean's most memorable contractor, Phua Chu Kang? In fact, the video was so good, it even attracted the attention of CNN International. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com