Local band revamps 32-year-old Total Defence Day song for younger audiences
Today is Total Defence Day. Local band QuickPick refreshes the 1984 Total Defence Day song, There's A Part For Everyone
You may have heard the song There's A Part For Everyone before, but not like this.
The 32-year-old Total Defence Day song has been revamped for younger audiences and to make it more current.
Singer and songwriter Gareth Fernandez rewrote parts of the lyrics while local band QuickPick reworked its melody.
Formed in 2007, QuickPick consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Jack Seet, vocalist and keyboard-player Calin Wong, drummer Jarrod Yeo, lead guitarist Huang Zhihao and bassist Jaesson Yeo.
Wong, 30, said the new version is more "pop".
She said: "The original song had a very military sound, with a lot of trumpets and a brass band. We modernised it and now it even has a guitar solo."
Seet, 36, said they wanted the song to be accessible to more than just one generation, which was why the lyrics have been changed, to not only reflect the shift in musical tastes but also the changing meaning of defence in Singapore.
Jarrod Yeo, 36, said the idea of changing the lyrics was to remove what was no longer relevant.
KEY PHRASE
He said one of the key phrases they replaced was "Put your heart, your skill, your mind to our defence" because Singapore used to be a very skill-based community.
It has been changed to "Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence" to make it more relevant now.
Jaesson Yeo, 32, said the revamped song focused more on psychological defence and is a transition away from military and civil defence.
He said: "Psychological defence is very relevant in this time and age, especially with the recent bombings in Jakarta. There is a climate of fear surrounding terrorism. I think the release of the song is very timely.
"We need to re-emphasise the message of Total Defence and get everyone in Singapore to realise there really is a part for everyone."
Wong said the music video accompanying the song was filmed using a camera that shot 360 degrees, which was new.
"So when people watch our videos on their computers or their phones, they can see the entire room, including the floors and the ceilings," she said. "By using your cursor or with just the swipe of a finger, you can rotate the camera to have a view of the entire room.
"If they like it (the reboot version), we hope they will pay attention to it and the message will get across to them."
Psychological defence is very relevant in this time and age, especially with the recent bombings in Jakarta. There is a climate of fear surrounding terrorism. I think the release of the song is very timely.
- QuickPick bassist Jaesson Yeo
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