National Anthem to get an update

08 สิงหาคม 2560

Thailand's national anthem receives a major tune-up with help from some of the Kingdom's top pop stars.

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Patriotism remixed

Kornrawee Panyasuppakun

The song we hear most often in our life is about get to a makeover. Not in content or melody, but the national anthem will become more modern and powerful.

For 85 years after the People's Party commissioned Phra Chenduriyang to compose the music weeks after the 1932 Siamese Revolution, the national anthem, or pleng chat, has come to serve as the collective identity of Thailand. Every day at 8am and 6pm, everything else is dropped as the anthem is played on all radio and television channels; the official version used in the broadcast was recorded in 1993, according to the Public Relations Department.

As Thailand prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Thai national flag on Sept 28, the government believes it's time to give the song a modern tone and look. Ormsin Chivapruck, a minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, said last month that while the melody and verses would remain untouched, the national anthem would become more "powerful" and inspire "love of the nation". Young pop singers will sing the official broadcast version, and a new music video will be produced to accompany the television broadcast.

The task of rearranging the music has been entrusted to well-known musicians/songwriters: Wirat Yoothawon and Nitipong Honark as well as experts at Sala Chalermkrung Foundation.

"Initially, the government's plan was only to change the accompanying video to the national anthem that people often see on television," Wirat Yoothawon said, adding that the images have been used for so long. "But since they were going to alter the image, they also decided that they might as well also slightly update the song by adding a little more oomph to its sound."

Wirat, a respected composer who has been in the music scene for 40 years and composed over 200 songs, said his job was to add the voices of selected singers to the original track, without altering the melody or lyrics that have been used for eight decades.

The six singers picked for the re-recording are all household names to fans of Thai pop music. Leading the chorus will be Kittinan "Kit" Chinsamran (a booming baritone crooner who shot to fame from The Voice); Surachai "Ta" Wongbuakhao; Suveera "Q" Boonrod; Peerapat "Bee" Tenwong; Jirakorn "Ae" Sompitak and Nat Sakdatorn.

Besides Wirat, famed producer/songwriter Nitipong Honark has also helped with the arrangement and coaching of the singers.

The team has completed two new versions of the anthem. The first uses the original music and vocals with the added new vocals to spice up the song. The other features the original music with the new vocalists.

"I feel this new group of singers has done a very good job," Wirat said.

But since the six new singers are all male, Wirat, Nitipong and the authorities are currently scouting for female vocalists to take part in the project as well.