Yesterday, we wrote about how MCCY is awaiting a response from Mr Joseph Conrad Mendoza, the composer who insisted that the song he created, We Can Achieve, was original.
And now, one day later, the Indian composer has responded.
Indian Composer in ‘Count on Me, S’pore’ Saga Responds to S’pore Ministry & Speaks in Video
According to TODAYonline, Mr Mendoza says he has replied to MCCY’s queries on the matter.
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While his materials have been lost in a flood in 2005, he has 250 students, whom he’s taught the song to in 1983, as living proof of his claims.
It was added that he can send the videos of the children who’ve learnt the song and sang it in 1983 to MCCY.
As for other evidence, cameras were hard to get to in those days and the Shanmukhananda Sabha hall where the performance was held in 1990 has burnt down.
In 1999, the song was sold to Pauline Communications which was run by a community of religious sisters.
One of the sisters had the cassette but it “failed to stand the test of time”.
The Original Tune Just Came Into My Mind
According to Mr Mendoza’s video reply, the familiar tune that we sang every year just came into his mind one day while he was teaching You Are My Sunshine.
While he acknowledges that both songs are “very close” to one another, he has no words to say why that is so.
Mr Hugh Harrison, the composer of Count on Me, Singapore, on the other hand, finds it hard to believe that songs with such a similar structure exist.
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He added that it was before the internet and he got the idea while on a flight from Hong Kong to Singapore.
No Idea That Song Exists
In his reply to MCCY, Mr Mendoza also emphasised that he did not know about the existence of “Count on Me, Singapore”.
“With due respect to Singapore, her people and its culture and the composer, I had no clue that Count on Me, Singapore exists until up to a few days ago.”
He seeks the “goodwill” of his Singapore brethren and emphasised that he did not create the song for “money or fame”.
It was added that he is willing to pull the songs off platforms and ask teachers to stop singing the song.
“We can Achieve” was originally uploaded to Soundcloud in 2012 but has been removed from the platform.
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For those unfamiliar with the saga, you can catch up on it here:
- People in India Turned ‘Count on Me S’pore’ into ‘Count on Me India’ With Almost Same Lyrics
- Ministry Responded to India’s Version of ‘Count on Me, S’pore’; Many Videos Have Been Taken Down
- Everything About the Count on Me, Singapore Saga Whereby an India Composer Claims to Write It First
- Joey Mendoza Continues Claims That He Wrote ‘Count on Me, India’; MCCY Has Contacted Him
Feature Image: Screengrab from CNA video
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