10 S’pore Songs From the 80s / 90s That Are So Memorable, Most S’poreans Remember Their Lyrics

Last Updated on 2023-06-08 , 2:20 pm

Nowadays, even if you have the best song in the world, you’ll still be overshadowed by viral hits like PPAP or Gangnam Style, because viral songs are now more popular than classic songs.

In the past, it was different: a song stayed in a person’s mind for years, and then became a classic. And in the past, we all supported local singers, because why not?

Here’re the top 10 classic songs that still remained intact in our mind–if you know the lyrics, you should either be happy that you once lived through an era whereby songs were nice, or you should be sad that you’re now an uncle or auntie.

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关怀方式

You knew I was going to start with this, didn’t you? This song has become the most classic song in the history of Singapore. A theme song for the 1995 telemovie 七月俏佳人, it has overshadowed the film (not that the film isn’t good–it’s in fact, one of the best Singapore productions), and taken the world by storm. In fact, it went “viral” through word-of-mouth then. Bet no one back then expected this!

And oh, it is so popular, they’re still singing it today, and they look the same after 30 years.

Also, did you know that we’ve done a video related to this song? Here, watch this to the end for a shocking ending:

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看电视

Whoever says that repetition will make things worse surely haven’t seen this video. This song was played so many times in TV that we then grew to like it, and slowly, loved it so much that we won’t mind hearing it a thousand times.

And oh, this is not based on my own view: soon after this song became a hit, there’s even a Stefanie Sun version.

Just too bad that TV died before the song died.

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Home

Some people called it the best NDP song. Some people called it the best Singapore song. Whatever it is, this is a song that, even after so many years, stayed in our home and memories–it’s simple yet powerful, soft yet impactful and soothing yet thought-provoking. If every NDP song could be this good, we’ll all be playing NDP songs in our playlist.

Oh, in case you’re not aware, there’s a Chinese version, and it’s just as good.

And, it’s so classic, there’s a version with popular local singers. Not surprising, right?

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天黑黑

Our dearest songbird Stefanie Sun started from somewhere, and it all started from this. Being a small nation, this song, and Stefanie Sun, showed us that to be a popular singer, it doesn’t matter where you’re from. This song, initially released in 2000, is still being sung regularly in KTV!

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沉默的羔羊

Fact 1: Do you know you can find this song in KTVs? Fact 2: Do you know there’re two versions of this song in KTVs? Fact 3: Do you know the MVs in the songs in KTVs are…funny? You won’t see Lee Nanxin throwing cards or Zoe Tay acting cool–in one MV, you’ll just see rivers and road. In another MV, you’ll see a pretty girl dancing.

And Fact 4: I don’t need to introduce this song. If you haven’t heard of it before, you’re too young.

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I Dream

You might not agree with me, but this song made waves in Singapore back in 2004. While you can’t hear it often in 2016, it remains one of the classics, because it was the first time that people realized dream could be reality.

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城裡的月光 

When Nathan Hartono sang this in Sing! China, you know it’s got to be a classic. A theme song for the drama 豆腐街, it’s yet another song that outlived the TV drama, and possibly the TV as well. Even if you don’t understand the lyrics, you’ll still know that it’s just as poetic as the singer.

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老师早安

Okay, this might be a little too old, and a little too classic, but sing it to any 90s kid and they’ll beam. Just take a look at the MV: it’s not a school in Malaysia, but one in Singapore during the 80s. Watching the MV not only brings back memories, but also reminds us how fast we’ve developed.

And if you’re wondering…yes, that’s Chan Liping, when she was the real Ah Jie.

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Phua Chu Kang Rap

This could be the reason why there were less breakdowns in the past: Phua Chu Kang was there to police people. The iconic Phua Chu Kang might have retired, but the song hasn’t. Please, LTA, use this song again? I promise I’ll move in if you play this song in the train.

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Hokkien Peng

If they made us sing this song while doing our route march, I tell you ah, I tell you ah, I tell you ah, we confirm can clock 100km without any break. We’ll be full from the laughs, and NS would be so much more fun.

But wait. Even “Purple Light” is banned. This shouldn’t even be in YouTube, no?