1. Frank Boeijen is a Dutch singer/songwriter, who was the front man of popular (and eponymous) pop group De Frank Boeijen Groep from 1980 until 1991, the year he went solo. As leader of De Frank Boeijen Groep, Boeijen was one of the pioneers of Nederpop; along with the likes of Doe Maar en Het Goede Doel. After the peak of Nederpop passed, Boeijen broke new ground by touring theatres with his band and bringing pop music to new auditoriums and audiences. Read Full BioTwo musicians from The Netherlands are known as Frank Boeijen:
1. Frank Boeijen is a Dutch singer/songwriter, who was the front man of popular (and eponymous) pop group De Frank Boeijen Groep from 1980 until 1991, the year he went solo. As leader of De Frank Boeijen Groep, Boeijen was one of the pioneers of Nederpop; along with the likes of Doe Maar en Het Goede Doel. After the peak of Nederpop passed, Boeijen broke new ground by touring theatres with his band and bringing pop music to new auditoriums and audiences. As a solo artist, he has kept to this theatre based approach of his music and maintained a productive pace.
Frank Boeijen was born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands on November 27, 1957, as the last in a family of ten children. His father was a typesetter in a factory. His older brothers were into American pop music; in the Boeijen household, Bob Dylan and Neil Young were often to be found on the record player (years later, Boeijen would write a song about this, appropriately titled Robbert Zimmerman). Young Frank learned to play the guitar. After finishing high school, Boeijen started a musical collaboration with guitarist Wout Pennings. Boeijen en Pennings released an album together in 1977. The songs of the album were re-recorded and the album was re-released a year later, with Rob de Nijs acting as producer. It was appropriately titled Boeijen en Pennings. To fulfil live engagements, drummer Henk Wanders en bass player Nels Busch joined the duo.
Pennings left the band in 1979 and was replaced with guitar player Wil Theunissen. The name was changed into the Frank Boeijen Groep. The b-side of their fist single, a song entitled Verjaardagsfeest was picked on up by radio disc jockey Frits Spits, who played the record a lot during his evening show. The group released their debut album, simply entitled Frank Boeijen Groep, album later that year. On the base of the airplay of Verjaardagsfeest, the album reached the Tipparade.
Nederpop, pop music with Dutch vocals, was becoming a mainstream success in the early eighties, and the Frank Boeijen Groep hitched a wagon to that train, when their single Linda, reached the Top Forty. Zwart Wit, another single, written after a racial murder had taken place in Amsterdam, became a number one hit. 1982's Twee and 1983's 1001 Hotel became big sellers.
In 1984, the Frank Boeijen Groep was awarded the Zilveren Harp by Conamus. In that same year, album Kontakt was released. Lead guitarist Wil Theunissen quit the group later that year and replaced with Maarten Peters, who himself was replaced two years later by Ger Hoeijmakers. In 1985, the group released Foto Van Een Mooie Dag. Single Kronenburg Park -- named after Kronenburger Park a park in Nijmegen, Boeijen's place of birth and residence -- became a huge success. Follow up, In Nature, released in 1986, didn't do as well, but still sold respectively.
Towards the end of the eighties, Boeijen's music fell somewhere in between het levenslied of André Hazes, the chansons of Ramses Shaffy and the pop of Doe Maar. According to Frank Boeijen and his manager Paul Schouwenaars the group had outgrown clubs and tents. With the release of album Welkom In Utopia in 1987, the group decided to tour Dutch theatres. The Welkom In Utopia tour started in the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam in September of the same year. Two more albums were released: studio album Een Zomer Aan Het Eind Van De Twintigste Eeuw (1989) and live album Hier Komt De Storm. During these years, Frank Boeijen dated Sky Channel presenter Amanda Redington. The two would marry in 1990. The album Dans In Slow Motion, released in 1988, was written for her. In juni 1994 scheidden ze weer van elkaar.
In the spring of 1991, Boeijen announced the ending of his group. In November of that year, he released his first solo album Wilde Bloemen. The musicians on the album were drummer Norman Bonink, guitar player Peter van Benthem and bass player Michel van Schie. Van Schie was replaced by touring bass player René te Voortwis, and pianist Ton Snijders was also recorded. Wilde Bloemen featured several duets with other well known Dutch musicians, among them were: Twee Gezichten, a song written and recorded with Henk Hofstede of The Nits); and Het IJs, written and recorded with Henny Vrienten of Doe Maar).
In the summer of 1993, Boeijen recorded Jazz in Barcelona; an album concerned with the break up between him and Amanda Redington. The subsequent theatre tour was a big success, with sold out shows every evening. Traces of Boeijen's break up were also to be found on next album De Ontmoeting (1994 - an even more spare and intimate affair than Jazz In Barcelona. De Ontmoeting also featured a single, Twee Mannen Zo Stil, with music and lyrics by Boeijen and Stef Bos. Although the single failed to mount the charts, over the years it became a Nederpop classic, often played at funerals. In the same year, Boeijen produced an album for Liesbeth List, the female voice of Ramses Shaffy's recordings. In 1995, another live album, Stormvogels, hit the shelves.
Boeijen returned with two new albums in 1997: a greatest hits compilation, Het Beste En Het Mooiste and an album of new material, Vaderland. The year before, Boeijen had travelled extensively through Asia, and a lot of the songs, although concerning Boeijen and The Netherlands, were written from a distant perspective. In 1999, De Ballade van de Dromedaris, recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studio's appeared, followed by live album Door De Jaren Heen, containing several duets with Ramses Shaffy, Liesbeth List and Stef Bos. Both albums were big sellers. In 2001, Heden, was released. Drummer Norman Bonink left the group to join BLØF. He seat was filled by Oscar Kraal. Helder contained a collaboration between Boeijen and BLØF front man Paskal Jakobsen, single Geen Gevaar. The song was released in the summer of 2002. In the same year, Boeijen won an Edison award as best singer.
2. Frank Boeijen is also the name of the keyboardist for the Dutch group The Gathering.
Zeg Me Dat Het Niet Zo Is
Frank Boeijen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
Zeg me dat het niet waar is
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
Zeg me dat het niet waar is
Ga je mee vanavond
Naar ons lievelings restaurant
Een tafel voor twee
Ik heb gebeld
Ze weten ervan
En we drinken
Totdat de zon op komt
En we vergeten
De oneerlijkheid van het lot
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
Zeg me dat het niet waar is
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
Zeg me dat het niet waar is
Kom we gaan
Trek je jas aan
Anders word het te laat
Kom eens hier, ik houd je vast, ik laat je nooit meer gaan
En ik vertel je een grap die je laat huilen van de lach
En we vergeten de blikken van de mensen in de stad
We doen net alsof het niet zo is
Alsof het niet zo is
Alsof het niet waar is
We doen net alsof ze gewoon verder leeft
Alsof ze gewoon verder leeft
Zelfs als het niet zo is
The song "Zeg me dat het niet zo is" by Frank Boeijen is a plea for someone to deny a painful truth. The lyrics repeatedly ask the person to tell the singer that it's not true, that the thing that's hurt the singer isn't real. The song then goes on to describe an evening out with someone, possibly the person being asked to deny the truth. The singer describes drinking and forgetting the "unfairness of fate." It's a bittersweet song, with the singer trying to hold on to good memories and ignore the bad.
The first verse sets the scene as the singer and someone else are making plans to go out. They're going to their favorite restaurant, and the singer has arranged everything. They plan to drink and forget their troubles. The repeated refrain of "zeg me dat het niet zo is" ("tell me it's not true") is a plea for the other person to deny a painful truth.
The second verse takes us on the night out, and it sounds like they have a good time. They make each other laugh, hold each other close, and forget about the rest of the world. But the refrain repeats, reminding us that there is something painful that the singer is struggling to ignore.
Overall, the song is about how we sometimes try to ignore painful truths by holding on to memories or going out and having a good time. The repetition of the refrain makes it clear that the singer is struggling, though, and the bittersweetness of the song characterizes the human experience of trying to ignore pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
The speaker is desperately asking for reassurance that something they fear is not true.
Zeg me dat het niet zo is
The speaker repeats their plea for reassurance, emphasizing the urgency of their request.
Zeg me dat het niet waar is
The speaker adds another layer to their request, making it clear that they cannot bear the thought of the feared possibility being true.
Ga je mee vanavond
The speaker is making plans with someone to go to their favorite restaurant.
Naar ons lievelings restaurant
The restaurant they plan to go to is one that they both love and frequent often.
Een tafel voor twee
The speaker has reserved a table for them both, emphasizing that this is intended as a romantic date.
Ik heb gebeld
The speaker has taken the initiative to make the needed arrangements for their date.
Ze weten ervan
The restaurant is aware of their reservation and is expecting them.
En we drinken
The speaker intends for them both to indulge in plenty of drinks during the course of their date.
Totdat de zon op komt
They plan to drink and enjoy each other's company until dawn.
En we vergeten
The speaker hopes that their date will allow them to forget the harsh realities of life.
De oneerlijkheid van het lot
The speaker wants them both to forget the cruel and arbitrary nature of fate.
Kom we gaan
The speaker is eager to start their date and is urging their companion to join them.
Trek je jas aan
The speaker is providing practical instructions to their companion, encouraging them to prepare themselves for the outing.
Anders word het te laat
The speaker is urging their companion to hurry, emphasizing that they don't want to miss their reservation.
Kom eens hier, ik houd je vast, ik laat je nooit meer gaan
The speaker is expressing their love and affection for their companion, promising to hold onto them tightly and cherish them forever.
En ik vertel je een grap die je laat huilen van de lach
The speaker is looking to share a happy, joyous experience with their significant other.
En we vergeten de blikken van de mensen in de stad
The speaker is hoping that their date will allow them to ignore the looks and judgment of strangers in the city.
We doen net alsof het niet zo is
The speaker wants them both to pretend that their fears have not come true, and that everything is still okay.
Alsof het niet zo is
The speaker repeats their request for them to pretend that their fears have not come true.
Alsof het niet waar is
The speaker is urging them to deny the possibility that something bad has happened, even when it has.
We doen net alsof ze gewoon verder leeft
The speaker is asking them to imagine a scenario in which someone they love hasn't passed away.
Alsof ze gewoon verder leeft
The speaker is emphasizing the importance of their pretend scenario: that someone they love hasn't passed away and is still living.
Zelfs als het niet zo is
The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of accepting a new reality when it's painful or traumatic.
Contributed by Claire A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sashaamsterdam
Ik krijg er tranen van in mijn ogen. Prachtig gezongen. Wat een onbeschrijflijk mooi nummer. Dank je wel voor het delen.
KillerQueenKim
Geen probleem. Ik doe het graag. :)
Johannes G
Wat ongelooflijk mooi gezongen wat een prachtige tekst dit raakt tot diep in de ziel!
Chester Mijnals
By for een van de mooiste Nederlandstalige liedjes
Lady DyAnn
er is gewoon 1 ding wat ik niet kan. en dat is luisteren naar dit lied zonder te huilen. zo mooi, zo duidelijk, zo lief, en liefdevol.
Theo van Steijn
Tijd om die troep te dumpen dan en je ziel weer eens te voelen
Summer
Ben zo afgevlakt door de medicijnen al jaren , dat ik niet eens KAN janken helaas
willempie
Miekjes World is dat het enige wat je niet kunt? Damn jij bent goed...
Paul Tielen
Je zult niet de enigste zijn,heb al zakdoeken vol gejankt op dit lied !! Ben ook zo'n hevige fan van al zijn liedjes
Bettina Kukken-van Woensel
Durf deze niet te vaak te draaien, het is geschreven in het jaar (1989) dat mijn moeder op 44-jarige leeftijd is overleden...alsof het over haar gaat en ik kan dan zelfs nu na 29 jaar nog makkelijk een potje om gaan zitten janken...