Lady Gaga song in National Day Parade

Here is one of Singapore’s more cringe-inducing moments. Someone decided it’s a good idea to change Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance into a song about National Day Parade 2011 door gifts. Well it didn’t quite work out. Time and again I open this video to relive the moment of awkwardness. I feel our nation owes Lady Gaga an apology for this. It’s embarrassing and we aren’t at our proudest.

Take a look at the lyrics though, see what they emphasized. Apparently a lot of effort is made to localize an imported song to make it ours. The song embodied our nation’s general strategy — to take what’s proven outside and give it a local spin. There’s Newater, there’s coffee Kopi-O, so what went wrong? It just didn’t blend — saucy song with cheesy lyrics, unless you are PSY with Gangnam Style, you can’t pull it off.

Here are the lyrics:

Ohhh
Time for the fun pack song
Ohhh
We like the fun pack song

Let’s start with the bag
That’s right, grab your bag
It’s the fun pack bag
Attack the fun pack

(Repeats)

Hold up your flag, don’t you forget
You can wave it if you feel like it
Let’s wave the flag
Wave wave wave
Let’s wave the flag
Take out your light stick, it’s two of a kind
It’s interactive, means you can join
Just pretend
Oh oh oh… It’s a disco

(Rap)

You know that I want you
And you know that I need you
I want a wet, wet tissue

I want Newater and I want a cold drink
You and me, let’s share a bit
I want a biscuit and I want a sweet
You and me, let’s share this treat

Kopi-O
Time for the fun pack song
Kopi-O
We like the fun pack song

Let’s start with the bag
That’s right, grab your bag
It’s the fun pack bag
Attack the fun pack

I want Newater and I want a cold drink
You and me, let’s share a bit
I want a biscuit and I want a sweet
You and me, let’s share this treat

Kopi-O
Time for the fun pack song
Kopi-O
We like the fun pack song

Let’s start with the bag
That’s right, grab your bag
It’s the fun pack bag
Attack the fun pack!