Home (Kit Chan song) explained

"Home" is a Singaporean song produced by Kit Chan and composed by Dick Lee. It was one of the first in a series of periodic songs commissioned for Singapore's National Day Parade, together with the other NDP song that year titled as City For The World. Released in 1998, it is sung in English with the Mandarin version being its B-side, both sung by Chan. Since its release, the song has been praised by music critics and the English version has been considered to be one of the most iconic patriotic songs that represents Singapore.^[1]

Background and release

The song was originally written for the Sing Singapore festival, which was aimed to inspire Singaporeans with a sense of community spirit and foster a united national identity.^[2]

In 2010, Chan performed the song at the 2010 National Day Parade.^[3] In 2011, the music video of a new arrangement of the song was launched on Total Defence Day. Chan is the executive producer of the music video. The new arrangement was performed by 39 local singers (including Chan), accompanied by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.^[4]

On 25 April 2020 at 7:55pm (SGT), all Mediacorp, SPH Radio and So Drama! Entertainment stations aired a rendition of Home by celebrities and musicians to commemorate the efforts of frontline and migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another video featuring ordinary Singaporeans was aired at 10:30pm the same day.^[5] In 2023, Chan remade "Home" for its 25th anniversary.^[6]

Covers by foreign artists

The song has also gained popularity outside of Singapore, and has been at times covered by foreign artists when performing their concerts in Singapore. In 2023, American rock band Weezer, led by Rivers Cuomo, covered the song during their 2023 concert.^[7] In 2024, South Korean artist Solar, who is also the leader and vocalist of girl group Mamamoo and its sub-unit Mamamoo+, covered the song during her concert in Singapore.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Abdul Hadi . Eddino . The 5 best NDP theme songs, from The Road Ahead to Home . The Straits Times . 28 July 2024 . en . 26 May 2023.
2. News: Sim . Royston . 2014-05-15 . No new National Day song for this year's parade . en . . 2023-09-01 . 0585-3923 . The ballad [...] was not written as a National Day theme song - singer-songwriter Dick Lee first composed it for Sing Singapore..
3. News: 8 July 2010 . Get ready for bigger, bolder, grander NDP . AsiaOne News . 1 September 2023 . https://archive.today/20130117084722/http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100708-225866.html . 17 Jan 2013.
4. Web site: See . Sharon . 15 February 2011 . Singapore classic "Home" gets remade for Total Defence Day . https://archive.today/20120904190123/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1110936/1/.html . 4 Sep 2012 . 1 September 2023 . .
5. Web site: Iau . Jean . 24 April 2020 . Sing along to Home on Saturday to thank front-line, migrant workers . 1 September 2023 . The Straits Times.
6. News: Ang . Benson . 2023-07-21 . Kit Chan remakes classic NDP song Home; new version is quieter and more introspective . en . The Straits Times . 1 September 2023 . 0585-3923.
7. Web site: Weezer's lead singer covers Singapore National Day Parade song Home . CNA Lifestyle . 28 July 2024 . en . 10 October 2023.
8. Web site: Wei Lin . Lee . K-pop group Mamamoo's Solar sings 'Home' during S'pore concert . mothership.sg . 28 July 2024 . en . 28 July 2024.