Suggestions to SAF Songs!

Katyusha
Date: 1938
Lyrics: M. Isakovsky
Music: M. Blanter
Translation: Igor Koplevsky

Song about a girl longing for her beloved, who is away on military service. First sang in public by women as they send off their men during WW2. It then became popular among the Russian soldiers. (There are contemporary remix n renditions)

Apple and pear trees were a-blooming,
Mist (was) creeping on the river.
Katyusha set out on the banks,
On the steep and lofty bank.

She was walking, singing a song
About a grey steppe eagle,
About her true love,
Whose letters she was keeping.

Oh you song! Little song of a maiden,
Head for the bright sun.
And reach for the soldier on the far-away border
Along with greetings from Katyusha.

Let him remember an ordinary girl,
And hear how she sings,
Let him preserve the Motherland,
Same as Katyusha preserves their love.


Now the common complaint by local women is that Singapore men are so unromanticsh at times. While browsing utube, I found a good solution! As the guys knw, we sing songs about protecting and serving our country, 2yrs of our time, yadda yadda...etc. Why not one that allows us to sing about our love and love for our nation YAY!!!!!!!!!!!
So this russian song I found sparked off this idea. I mean blah army songs are simply siansational. Im not surprised if NSFs sing more popular songs nowadays.
Maybe this is what is lacking in our nation building? We have our national day songs and stuff. But are singers n writers simply being tasked to write such songs? If they were to write it out of their own will, e.g, like many folk songs that sing abt country, love and family, would it be more appealing? Are some of us nostalgic abt national day songs, (well i can rmbr the stand up singapore song only, not the latest ones) Haha im doing an essay on nation building n SG politics, hence all this, YAY! *flag-waving*. Sadly we know we are never encourage by our papa, mama, to be musicians, artists and such, much less history majors (No good, cannot earn money 1 wor, my prof, he's PR, said a local dentist told the same thing to his daughter, when his daughter claim she wants to be a pianist, and his statement made her cry, sadz). I mean our national songs are all top down, always created for the big day, whereas other cultures are more botton up, a popular song that is raised to a national level, therefore it is so readily accepted and not overbearing, attached to some political nature other than simply being popular. Is there a song that is nationalistic cus the singer wants it to be, not bcus its National Day 201X? Of cus the state will definitely coopt such culture devices to enhance the nation-state. Then again Singapore's multiethnic society is both a plus n minus for nation-building. Perhaps our local music scene will come up with something eventually????