Review: ‘The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌)' takes a nostalgic look at Singapore's past
Stefanie Sun in “The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌).” (Golden Village Pictures)
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
Running time: 128 minutes (~2.25 hours)
“The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌)” is a documentary about Singapore’s xinyao (新谣) scene, which are the primarily Mandarin songs that were composed and sung by Singaporeans. It traces the history of xinyao and offers insights into the growth and development of this subculture over the decades. It features interviews with Liang Wern Fook, Eric Moo, Billy Koh, JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun.
“The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌)” is not just an exploration into the local music scene in Singapore, but also a heartfelt tribute to the pioneers who made it possible. It feels like a giant thank you note to the country on having had the courage to embrace and cultivate this musical genre. Over the course of this documentary, you get a sense of longing about the good old days, and how Singapore grew along with xinyao.
Liang Wern Fook in “The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌).” (Golden Village Pictures)
Highlights
Nostalgic slant
Every interviewee reminisces about the heyday of xinyao, with an eye towards how the peak of this subculture also coincided with their better years. The strategic use of archival footage also contributes to this wistful desire for the simpler days of the past. This emotional approach makes it a more personal story rather than just a straightforward fact-finding exercise on the statistics of xinyao.
Historical coverage
The film also pegs the growth of the genre to significant milestones in Singapore’s development. Of course, the nature of xinyao mandates that it will flourish based on Singapore’s growth. Still, this technique appeals to our patriotism, resulting in us rooting for xinyao’s growth and success. And the slightly sad conclusion of the film galvanises strong emotions in you about the state of xinyao today.
Good variety of interviewees
The spread of interviewees covers the different perspectives of xinyao, and gives you a broader view of the factors that led to xinyao’s growth. The interviewees aren’t just singer-composers, and come from all facets of the industry, whether it be producers, observers and supporters. Rather than being a series of Chinese baby-boomers talking, it’s a diverse group of Singaporeans on camera.
Eric Moo in “The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌).” (Golden Village Pictures)
Letdowns
Loses its purpose midway
While “The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌)” starts out strong, it starts to stray when it comes to the modern era and becomes more of a personality showcase, rather than a narrative about xinyao’s rise. The tight focus that gripped you in the introduction gives way to a lackluster jumble of interviews. By the end, you’re not sure what the purpose of the second half of the film is for.
Overly long
The second half of the film could be trimmed a lot more judiciously, since by then the importance of the subject has been established. Some of the interviews go on for way too long, and don’t have as strong a connection to the topic as the earlier interviews did. And the cutaways… there’s really no need to have so many shots of a modern day xinyao performance at Bras Basah Complex.
JJ Lin in “The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌).” (Golden Village Pictures)
“The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌)” is an emotional story about the Singaporean music that was a part of so many people’s lives, and reminds us of our own rich heritage and purpose.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you’re in the music industry.
Score: 3.25/5
“The Songs We Sang (我们唱着的歌)” opens in cinemas 24 March, 2016 (Thursday).
