Count On Me, Singapore

"Count on Me, Singapore" is a Singaporean National Day song composed by Canadian musician Hugh Harrison and arranged by Jeremy Monteiro. It was composed for the 1986 National Day Parade and was first performed by Clement Chow.[1] The song's production was sponsored by the beverages company Fraser and Neave.[2]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chow and a number of Singaporean singers sang a modified version of the song titled Stay at Home, Singapore to encourage Singaporeans to stay at home during the nationwide lockdown.[3]

Plagiarism allegations

In early March 2021, netizens uncovered multiple music-video versions of a song, "We Can Achieve", whose lyrics and melody are similar to that of "Count on Me, Singapore".[4] One of the publishers of the music videos, Pauline India, stated that it had purchased the copyright for the lyrics and music in 1999 from Indian songwriter Joey Mendoza, who claimed to own the copyright; Mendoza was accused of plagiarism as a result.[5] In response to the accusations, Mendoza stated that he composed "Achieve" in 1983, three years before "Count on Me, Singapore" was composed. After composition, he claimed to have performed to the song in an orphanage in Mumbai. He also claimed that the original masters of the song were destroyed in the 2005 Mumbai floods. The Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth, which owns the copyright to "Count on Me, Singapore", challenged the claim, saying that We Can Achieve "appears to have been substantially copied from 'Count on Me, Singapore'" and requested that Mendoza provide proof. Harrison and Monteiro, who composed "Count on Me, Singapore", also disputed the claims, with Harrison threatening to sue Mendoza for libel.[6][7] Mendoza retracted his claims on 18 March 2021.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Stephanie Ho (11 March 2015). "National Day songs". nlb.gov.sg. National Library Board. Archived from the original on 25 April 2026. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  2. ↑ Tan, Julie (1986). "Zippy tunes help woo the young". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. ↑ Goh, Yan Han (11 April 2020). "Stay at home, Singapore: Sing along, give with your heart, to those hit hard by Covid-19". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Lay, Belmont (11 March 2021). "'Count On Me S'pore' song turned into 'Count On Me India', word for word". mothership.sg. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Chua, Nigel (16 March 2021). "Indian composer claims 'We Can Achieve' written 3 years before 'Count On Me, S'pore' in 1983". mothership.sg. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Sng, Suzanne (18 March 2021). "MCCY refutes Indian composer's Count On Me, Singapore copyright claim". Singapore: The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Raguraman, Anjali (19 March 2021). "Count On Me, Singapore copyright saga: Jeremy Monteiro was in recording studio when song was written". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Indian composer withdraws claims to Count on Me, Singapore, apologises for 'confusion caused'". CNA. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
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