Revival of the Total Defence Song

The Total Defence (TD) song, "There's a Part for Everyone", was written in 1984. It is a familiar tune to many who were in school during the 1980s and 1990s. To keep the song relevant and reintroduce it to the current generation of Singaporeans, the TD song has been given a new upbeat arrangement and updated lyrics.

Just as Total Defence is a collective effort by all Singaporeans doing their part to defend what we cherish most and keep Singapore strong and resilient, the updating of the TD song involved everyday Singaporeans like the local band QuickPick and local singer-songwriter Gareth Fernandez who lent their musical talents to refresh the song for a new generation.

Significance of the New Lyrics

When Total Defence was launched in 1984, the narrative focused on Singaporeans rallying round the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in times of war, and the TD song lyrics back then reflected this emphasis. Over the years, the nature of threats and challenges facing Singapore has changed. Today, the biggest threat facing us is terrorism, which seeks to exploit racial and religious fault lines in our society to fracture the solidarity of our society.

The updated lyrics in the newly-arranged TD song reflect our renewed emphasis on psychological defence, which underpins the other four pillars in Total Defence. It means having the strength to hold dear to our common values, beliefs and principles as Singaporeans, and our conviction to defend all that we believe in.

For example, in the updated lyrics, the term "will" has replaced the original "skill" in the line "put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence". In the second verse, we have “What we have is worth defending, with a love that’s never failing", which is an expression of psychological defence.

However, lyrics which are still relevant and important today, such as the opening line "There's a part for everyone, in this land where we belong", are retained. The line "Always ready, strong and steady" also reflects the continuing importance of having a strong SAF.

Music Video

A 360° music video of the TD song is available on the TotalDefenceSG channel on YouTube.