If this is the Official ASEAN Anthem...it Sucks!

Ok, I have to admit; this is the very first time I heard this. Not that I'm not interested, but I just knew there would be a boo-boo in the selection process.

Listen to this first and I'm sure you would agree with me on some of my feedback --






... HORRIBLE, isn't it?

*rant starts here*


What was that all about?!!! Is that all you guys at the Headquarters can come up with? What is this? -- A chorale competition?

You let a "choir" sing the ASEAN anthem like any western group of people doing a western artform of group singing? The way it was sang DOES NOT represent Southeast Asia AT ALL!

We need some leader-shifting! We NEED NEW and YOUNG leaders over there! You old blokes at the HQ need to retire already and listen to your choir songs in Nursing Homes! Horrible, horrible taste!

And WHY IS IT SANG IN ENGLISH? It should be sang in Bahasa! The most widely-spoken language of the region. Aren't we pushing for it to be the official language? Where's your consistency?

I have nothing against choir singing, but this DOES NOT represent ANY of the countries in the ASEAN. Hey, you people at the ASEAN HQ -- you have been wondering for decades why ASEAN never appealed to the majority of the youth...


...well, here's one of the answers. Bodoh!

*Rants ends here*
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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT OUR NATIONAL ANTHEMS

The oldest national anthem in our region is “Lupang Hinirang” of the Philippines composed in 1898. The newest is “Patria” of Timor Leste composed in 1975.

The longest anthem is “Indonesia Raya” of Indonesia with 32 lines from 3 verses and 2 choruses. And the shortest, on the other hand, are “Allah Peliharakan Sultan” of Brunei and “Negaraku” of Malaysia, both with only 6 lines.

The only anthem sung in a non-Southeast Asian language is “Patria” of Timor Leste which is in Portuguese. There are no Tetum version (the national language) written up to this day. The Philippine anthem is the only one written in 3 official versions – Spanish, English and Filipino.

A survey of 500 people reveals that 89% of them thought that the National Anthem of Singapore is sung in Chinese – it is in fact, sung in Malay.

The only Southeast Asian anthem written by a foreigner (a European) is -- with much irony -- "Phleng Chat" of Thailand. The only country in the region that didn’t fall to colonizers has a foreigner to compose its national anthem.


More info by country here...


BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Anthem Title: الله فليهاراكن سلطن (Allah Peliharakan Sultan)
English Translation: "God Bless the Sultan"
Composer: Awang Haji Besar bin Sagap
Lyricist: Pengiran Haji Mohamed Yusuf bin Abdul Rahim
Date of Composition: 1947
Date of Adaptation: 1951 & 1984

BURMA
Anthem Title: " Kaba Ma Kyei "
English Translation: "Till the End of the World, Burma"
Composer & Lyricist: Saya Tin
Date of Composition: n/a
Date of Adaptation: 1947

CAMBODIA
Anthem Title: "Nokoreach"
English Translation: “Royal Kingdom”
Composer: Cambodian folk tune
Lyricist: Chuon Nath
Date of Composition: n/a
Date of Adaptation: 1941 & 1947

TIMOR LESTE
Anthem Title: "Pátria"
English Translation: "Fatherland"
Composer: Afonso de Araujo
Lyricist: Francisco Borja da Costa
Date of Composition: 28 November 1975
Date of Adaptation: 20 May 2002

INDONESIA
Anthem Title: “Indonesia Raya”
English Translation: “Great Indonesia”
Composer & Lyricist: Wage Rudolf Supratman
Date of Composition: 1928
Date of Adaptation: 1949

LAOS
Anthem Title: "Pheng Xat Lao"
English Translation: “National Hymn of Lao”
Composer: Dr. Thongdy Sounthonevichit
Lyricist: Dr. Thongdy Sounthonevichit (original), Sisana Sisane (new)*
Date of Composition: 1941, *1975
Date of Adaptation: 1947

MALAYSIA
Anthem Title: "Negaraku"
English Translation: "My Country"
Composer: *The tune was originally used as the state anthem of Perak
Lyricist: n/a
Date of Composition: 1957
Date of Adaptation: 1957

PHILIPPINES
Anthem Title: “Lupang Hinirang”
English Translation: “Chosen Land”
Composer: Julian Felipe
Lyricist: Jose Palma
Date of Composition: 1898 (tune), 1899 (lyrics)
Date of Adaptation: 12 June 1898
*Sung in Spanish from 1899-1918, sung in English from 1919-1940s, sung in Filipino from 1966 to present.

SINGAPORE
Anthem Title: “Majulah Singapura”
English Translation: “Onward Singapore”
Composer & Lyricist: Zubir Said
Date of Composition: 1959
Date of Adaptation: 1959

THAILAND
Anthem Title: "เพลงชาติ" ("Phleng Chat")
English Translation: “National Song”
Composer: Peter Feit (Phra Jenduriyang)
Lyricist: Luang Saranupraphan
Date of Composition: 1932
Date of Adaptation: 10 December 1939
*The only anthem played at 8.00 and 18.00 by law.

VIETNAM
Anthem Title: “Tiến Quân Ca”
English Translation: "Army March"
Composer & Lyricist: Văn Cao
Date of Composition: 1944
Date of Adaptation: 1945

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