The Surprising Place You Can Find Singapore's National Anthem
National anthems are a curious business. They're stirring, they're patriotic, and they often have very interesting histories.
For instance, "The Star-Spangled Banner," per History, which has been the United States' national anthem since 1931, was written by Francis Scott Key in 1815. Key was a Baltimore attorney who witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, and the subsequent defiant raising of the stars and stripes over the fort reportedly inspired him to write the song.
Many will, of course, be familiar with this tale. The significance of the fact that the flag was indeed "still there" doesn't tend to be lost on many people. Around the world, many nations are very proud of their national anthems, which bring tears to numerous eyes as they boom out at big events. The national anthem of Singapore, however, is a particularly fascinating example, actually being printed out (in its entirety, no less) in a unique and surprising place.
Encik Zubir Said composed the national anthem
The National Heritage Board reports that Singapore's national anthem made its debut in 1958. It was composed by Encik Zubir Said, and was first played to honor the completion of renovation works on the Victoria Theater. The song is simply titled "Majulah Singapura," or "Onwards Singapore," and it became the national anthem the following year.
Said read these words, he stated in 1967 (per National Heritage Board), at the theater itself, and considered them perfect building blocks for a song that espoused the virtues of togetherness and pride that defined the people of Singapore. "May our noble aspiration bring Singapore success," reads the National Heritage Board's translation of the song's lyrics. "Come, let us unite, In a new spirit, Let our voices soar as one, Onward Singapore." Powerful words indeed.
As Said suggested, they are indeed intrinsically linked to the spirit of Singapore. So much so, it seems, that the entire song was printed on one denomination of Singapore's bank notes.
The banknote that features the entire national anthem
As the Monetary Authority of Singapore states, Singapore has always been a powerhouse when it comes to trade, and its currency reflected this. The first Singaporean coins were made from metal that arrived from trading partners. In 1999, artist Eng Siak Loy created the designs for a new series of banknotes, the Portrait Series, and one denomination in particular had a very special distinguishing feature.
Per the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the $1,000 (Singapore Dollar) note features every word of "Majulah Singapura" in the tiniest of lettering.
The Republic of Singapore has a history of being creative with its currency. The Monetary Authority of Singapore states that a very unique rectangular coin was created in 2010. It was minted to celebrate 45 years of Singapore's self-governance, and was called the $5 Silver Proof Colour Coin.
As World Atlas reports, Singapore has an entirely unique status, and certainly warrants the pride necessary to print an entire national anthem in an unlikely place. It is a city-state and an island nation simultaneously, a claim that no other realm on Earth can make.