‘Go, Lanka’ – The World Cup song that’s going for a six

In cricket-crazy Sri Lanka, the notion of two sides of 11 men each playing with a ball and some sticks in the hot midday sun is not just perfectly normal and nothing out of the ordinary; it is also an integral part of the entire country’s psyche that is much more than a mere pastime or professional sport.

And what with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 now taking place on Sri Lankan soil, cricket fever has reached an all time high in all parts of the island. With Sri Lanka being hailed as favourites to win the coveted cup this year, many of the country’s leading and upcoming recording artists have released catchy, upbeat songs that talk about the might of the Lankan lions, and instill in every listener a sense of national pride.

‘Go, Lanka’ by the curiously titled Random Project is one of those songs. But there are several things about this song that sets it apart from the others – a cut above the rest. For one, it is sung completely in English, the international language spoken and understood by a majority of the people in the cricketing world. Then there is the fact that it takes the listener back to the year 1996 when, as the proverbial underdog, Sri Lanka won the World Cup for the first time and the entire nation roared its approval.

King Ratnam, who penned the lyrics to the song, explains it best. “I always had this passionate desire to do something with the words ‘go, Lanka’. I feel there’s something inherently Sri Lankan about the word ‘go’. At school sportsmeets, national-level sporting events and in virtually every competitive sphere of this country, this word is used liberally to urge your favourite person/team on. For example, I studied at Trinity College, Kandy, where we would always shout ‘go, Trinity, go,’ at every big match, marathon or 100 metre race. It’s part and parcel of being Sri Lankan. So, with this simple, yet powerful concept in mind, we came up with our song,” he says.

King wanted to keep the lyrics to the song as simple and as attractive as possible. “With ‘Go, Lanka’, we have tried to capture the glory we had back in 1996. For many that historic victory is still very much a mystery. Many can’t fathom how underdog Sri Lanka made it that far,” says King.

To quote from the song: “We are the lions who made history; for some it’s still a mystery. Bring the joy of glory, Sri Lanka. We are right behind you; go, Lanka.”

The song has a catchy and upbeat feel to it, and its lead vocals are performed by talented Sri Lankan vocalist Jagath Cabandugama. He is the marketing Manager for Picture This PVT Ltd, an AV production company well known for profiling that also happens to be the producer of this unique song. The 27-year-old Jagath is also a former member of a popular rock band called High Octane. “He’s back in Sri Lanka after many years in the US. A very fresh voice in Sri Lanka – which is, of course, a plus to our production,” says King.

Jagath is backed up by three other artists, one of whom is King himself and all of whom are newcomers, who add a harmonious breath of fresh air to the song. The others in the quartet are Krishan Wickremesinghe and King’s brother Camilo Ratman. This group is collectively known as the Random Project. “Chucky (the composer), Krishan, Camilo and I were singing buddies in school. We sang in the Trinity choir for years. Always dreamed about doing mainstream music together. That’s why we are calling it the Random Project – because we’re random, from all over,” explains King.

The melody and music for the song was composed by Chanaka Unnanthanna, who King is not shy to call a prodigy. “Extremely talented guy… born musician. He goes by the name Chucky. Prior to ‘Go, Lanka’ he worked on the song ‘Road of No Return’ performed by popular vocalists Bertram Charles and Devashree de Silva,” says King.

A music video for the song, also produced by Picture This, was launched on February 23, and is currently receiving wide airplay on national television. Before the release of the video however, the song was uploaded to YouTube, and in just six days, it recorded over a 1000 views. . You can also catch an exclusive interview with producer King Ratnam and vocalist Jagath on E FM. There is also a Bhangra remix on YouTubeb, done by Brandon Nanayakkara.

King also mentioned with gratitude Eben Rajaratnam for mixing, Brandon for mastering, and also Maheen Senanayeka, Subramianium Eswaaran, Riyaz Hassan, Ganesh Deivenayagm and Kabilan Jegatheeban who supported him and the Random Project in many ways in the production. This song, although it is about the whole Sri Lankan team, is dedicated to one special individual. And that is, Sri Lanka Captain Kumar Sangakkara who shares a special connection with the Random Project boys.

“The song is for the Sri Lankan team and for the Sri Lankan cricketing spirit. But it’s especially dedicated to Sanga, because we all have a special connection to him. He was a Trinitian, in the same generation as ours. Jagath is Sanga’s first cousin, and his mother Lakshmi is Sangakkara’s aunt. That connection also contributed our desire to do this,” says King.  Picture this, says King, the company’s Visual Director, plans to produce a common theme song for the winner of the game – highlighting the game, rather than the nation that wins. “It’ll be about the game of the cricket,” he says. Wrapping things up, King talks about the timeliness of the ‘Go, Lanka’ song. “Through this song we’ve touched on the present situation of the country – now we stand as one nation – no war, no division. This is our game, our religion, our pride, our one passion. In line of the current situation, and coming out of 30 years of war, we need to win this cup to celebrate the fact we are united once again,” he says.