National Anthem Comparison
Indonesia vs Singapore
2
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
34
34 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Indonesia and Singapore, both Asia nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Indonesia's "Indonesia Raya" was written in 1924, while Singapore's "Onward Singapore" dates to 1958.
Both anthems share themes of Unity and Hope. Indonesia additionally explores Identity, Freedom and Nature, while Singapore also touches on Prosperity.
The emotional tones differ: Indonesia's anthem is Majestic, while Singapore's is Hopeful.
Indonesia's anthem predates Singapore's by 34 years, having been written in 1924 compared to 1958.
Shared themes
Indonesia
🤝 Unity 🏛 Identity 🕊 Freedom 🌿 Nature 🌅 Hope
Singapore
🤝 Unity 🌅 Hope 🌾 Prosperity
Shared themes:
🤝 Unity 🌅 Hope
Metadata
| Indonesia | Singapore | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1924 | 1958 |
| Adopted | 1945 | 1965 |
| Lyricist | Wage Rudolf Supratman | Zubir Said |
| Composer | Wage Rudolf Supratman | Zubir Said |
| Language | id | ms |
| Region | Southeast Asia | Southeast Asia |
Lyrics Side by Side
Indonesia
Indonesia Raya
Original
Indonesia tanah airku,
Tanah tumpah darahku,
Di sanalah aku berdiri,
Jadi pandu ibuku.
Indonesia kebangsaanku,
Bangsa dan tanah airku,
Marilah kita berseru,
Indonesia bersatu.
Hiduplah tanahku,
Hiduplah negeriku,
Bangsaku, Rakyatku, semuanya,
Bangunlah jiwanya,
Bangunlah badannya,
Untuk Indonesia Raya.
Indonesia Raya,
Merdeka, merdeka,
Tanahku, negeriku yang kucinta!
Indonesia Raya,
Merdeka, merdeka,
Hiduplah Indonesia Raya.
Translation
Indonesia, my homeland,
The land where my blood is shed,
There it is that I stand,
To be a guide for my motherland.
Indonesia, my nationhood,
My people and my homeland,
Let us proclaim,
Indonesia united.
Long live my land, long live my country,
My nation, my people, all of them,
Awaken its soul, awaken its body,
For the Great Indonesia.
Great Indonesia,
Be free, be free,
My land, my country that I love!
Great Indonesia,
Be free, be free,
Long live the Great Indonesia.
Singapore
Majulah Singapura
Original
Mari kita rakyat Singapura
Sama-sama menuju bahagia
Cita-cita kita yang mulia
Berjaya Singapura
Marilah kita bersatu
Dengan semangat yang baru
Semua kita berseru
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura
Marilah kita bersatu
Dengan semangat yang baru
Semua kita berseru
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura
Translation
Come, fellow Singaporeans,
Let us march together towards happiness.
Our noble aspiration
Is a successful Singapore.
Come, let us unite
With a new spirit.
Together we proclaim:
Onward Singapore!
Onward Singapore!
Come, let us unite
With a new spirit.
Together we proclaim:
Onward Singapore!
Onward Singapore!
Interesting facts
Indonesia
- 1. Wage Rudolf Supratman first performed Indonesia Raya on a violin at the 1928 Youth Congress, when he was twenty-five years old.
- 2. Dutch colonial authorities banned the song in 1930 and seized unsold gramophone records; young Indonesians sidestepped the ban by singing "Mulia, mulia" ("glorious") in place of "Merdeka, merdeka" ("be free") in the refrain.
- 3. The full song has three stanzas, but under Government Regulation No. 44 of 1958 only the first stanza serves as the official national anthem.
- 4. Supratman wrote both the words and the music; the familiar symphonic arrangement was created by the Dutch composer Jos Cleber in 1950 at the Indonesian government's request and tailored to President Sukarno's wishes.
- 5. After Supratman died in 1938 the rights passed to his sisters, but when the song was adopted as the national anthem it became state property, and the government later credited Supratman as its sole creator by law.
Singapore
- 1. The anthem is constitutionally required to be in Malay, even though the majority of Singapore's population is Chinese
- 2. Composer Zubir Said was actually born in Indonesia and immigrated to Singapore in the 1920s
- 3. Singapore's anthem was originally written for the reopening of the Victoria Theatre in 1958
Listen
Indonesia
Singapore
