Places Of The Heart: Cultural icon Dick Lee finds fount of inspiration in Marina Bay

Who: Dick Lee, 68, home-grown singer-composer and Cultural Medallion recipient, has penned songs for some of Singapore’s best-loved stage musicals, such as Beauty World (1988) and Fried Rice Paradise (1991). He also composed the iconic National Day theme song, Home (1998).

Lee recently curated the landmark multimedia exhibition, SingaPop! 60 Years Of Singapore Pop Culture. It is on at the ArtScience Museum till Dec 28 and explores the island’s multicultural society from the 1960s to the 2020s.

“I rediscovered my love of Marina Bay on solitary morning jaunts – when I try to put in my 10,000 steps a day – during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

I took to walking as a form of exercise back then partly because it was an excuse to be outdoors without having to don a pesky mask all the time.

I live in the Chinatown precinct, so taking long walks regularly each week to Marina Bay during the pre-dawn hours gives me quite a workout.

I love the contrasts of my walk, which takes me from the Chinatown of old Singapore to the glittering metropolis of the city and then to the Housing Board heartland – beautiful facets of our beautiful home.

Also, the routine allows me to take in the almost surreal landscape of the city, with the sun’s rays barely visible on the distant horizon, and the streets and buildings cloaked in semi-darkness.

On one of my walks, I happened to get close to the Merlion, and in the half-light of the wee hours, saw a solitary sentinel in that pocket park – devoid of gawking tourists or babbling travel guides.

I was overcome by the symbolic power of the 70-tonne half-fish, half-lion statue – a nod to Singapore’s history, with the fish body evoking the island’s connection to water as Temasek in the early 13th century, and the lion’s head being a reminder of the legend in the 14th century that is linked to the founding of Singapura, the Lion City.

Looking past the majestic landmark, I was reminded of family outings to the Satay Club at the old Esplanade when I was a child, squatting on the low wooden stools that the hawkers laid out.

The rustic outdoor ambience was heightened by the smoky aroma of sizzling satay on skewers, their oily, spicy marinade dripping in the heat of burning charcoal, causing the red-hot embers to shoot out flames and sear the meat to a crisp in parts.

Returning to the present, I could see the miracle of Singapore’s urban transformation writ large.

Marina Bay today shimmers like Singapore’s jewelled heart, where glass towers and the sky’s reflection merge upon serene waters. By day, gardens soar and the city hums with ambition.

By night, lights seem to waltz across Marina Bay, weaving dreams and possibilities in a spectacle of modern grace – a living poem in stone, steel and glass – as can be seen in the architectural gems of Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and ArtScience Museum.

For a fleeting moment, my mind went back to the days when Singapore was called a ‘cultural desert’ in the 1960s and 1970s.

During those fledgling days of nation-building, critics said we lacked a local arts scene in our relentless pursuit of economic growth.

But I take heart now as I gaze at the Esplanade’s theatres, where my own productions and concerts have been staged over the years.

Over at the ArtScience Museum, my debut exhibition, SingaPop! 60 Years Of Singapore Pop Culture, explores how a multicultural society has honed its own identity, from the birth of Singlish to the rise of hawker food to the transformation of local fashion, music and films. It also features interactive elements and anecdotes from my lived experiences.

This beautiful bay stands for everything Singapore is about: our determination, resilience, survival and ingenuity.

And as the sun rises behind the awe-inspiring Marina Bay Sands, my heart never fails to be filled with pride, my mind brimming with new ideas and my eyes moist with tears.

Marina Bay stands for the fact that dreams can be realised, a tenet that has guided most of my life.

I will never forget former prime minister Goh Chok Tong’s declaration in a 1999 speech to Parliament where he said Singapore would be a world-class city.

And look at us now.”