"What Do You See?" ( in
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
) is a song by
Singaporean band
Electrico
Electrico is a pop rock and indie Singaporean band originally formed as Electric Company in Singapore in 1996. This band is still active with the present line-up which includes David Tan, Desmond Goh, William Lim Jr.
History
1996–1997: For ...
. It was commissioned as the official theme song for the 2009
National Day Parade
The National Day Parade (NDP) is an annual parade held in Singapore to commemorate its independence. Held annually on 9 August, it is the main public celebration of National Day, consists of a parade incorporating contingents of the Singapo ...
. The song is one of the few National Day Parade theme songs that does not mention the word "''Singapore''" in its lyrics. Its lyrics were cited by
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his 2018
National Day Message
The National Day of Singapore ( ms, Hari Kebangsaan Singapura; zh, 新加坡国庆日; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் தேசிய நாள்) is celebrated every year on 9 August, in commemoration of Singapore's independen ...
.
Music video
Directed by Bertrand Lee, the music video opens with a
bokeh effect later sharpens to reveal band member David Tan. The camera then traces him around the
downtown core of Singapore at dawn as he walks past activities of daily life. He ends up at
Marina Barrage by morning, performing with the band for the song's finale.
NDP '09 theme Behind the Scenes MTV shoot
/ref>
Parody
A few weeks after the release of the music video, Singaporean blogger Lee Kin Mun (better known by his pen name, ''mrbrown'') made a parody of the song by the title of "''Le Kua Simi''" ("See what see" in Hokkien). The parody video was shot in four countries, France, the Netherlands, England and Singapore. The parody discusses the latter's car and his travels.
2014 remake
This song is also reused as a new National Day song in 2014 together with the other song, We Will Get There/One People, One Nation, One Singapore, sung by Fauzie Laily, Jack and Rai, Kartik Kunasegaran and Shaun Jansen in its acoustic version.
See also
* Electrico
Electrico is a pop rock and indie Singaporean band originally formed as Electric Company in Singapore in 1996. This band is still active with the present line-up which includes David Tan, Desmond Goh, William Lim Jr.
History
1996–1997: For ...
* National Day Parade
The National Day Parade (NDP) is an annual parade held in Singapore to commemorate its independence. Held annually on 9 August, it is the main public celebration of National Day, consists of a parade incorporating contingents of the Singapo ...
References
External links
*
NDP Official Website
* {{YouTube, yTnvqQFFc1c, Parody video by mrbrown
Lee Kin Mun (), better known as mrbrown, is a Singaporean blogger best known for publishing social and political commentary amid Singapore's tight media restrictions. His podcast attracts some 20,000 downloads per day. In 2007, Lee was the o ...
2009 songs