Anouk has released twelve studio albums to date, the most recent one being Wen d'r maar aan, released on 12 October 2018. She represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden, with the song "Birds". Her song made it to the final – the first since 2004 for the Netherlands; and finished 9th with 114 points.
Musical style
Anouk's musical style has been described as a combination of Joan Osborne, Melissa Etheridge and Alanis Morissette. She is known for explosive rock songs like "Nobody's Wife" and "R U Kiddin' Me", but has also made small and fragile songs like "Lost" and "Michel". In addition to her pop/rock sound she also experiments with soul, funk and hip hop.
Personal life
Anouk was married to her manager Edwin Jansen until 1998. She married Remon Stotijn (aka The Anonymous Mis), frontman of the reggae/rap band Postmen, on 16 March 2004. Stotijn is the father of three of her children; son Benjahmin Kingsley (b. 18 April 2002), son Elijah Jeramiah (b. 5 December 2003) and daughter Phoenix Ray (b. 3 June 2005). In May 2008, Anouk and Remon announced a "harmonious" mutual separation. In 2010 Anouk gave birth to her fourth child, a son named Jesiah Dox. Her son Sion Jethro was born in June 2014. In June 2016, she gave birth to her sixth child, a baby girl, Jelizah Rose, with her current partner, mixed martial artist and former basketball player Dominique Schemmekes.
down & dirty
Anouk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every single word you say
It's the way your lips shake
When you’re…
Getting down and dirty baby
Don't you ask me how I know
And why it's time for you to go
Before you were…
Getting down and dirty baby
I know I ain't supposed to cry
But I can't keep it inside
Cheater!
Thinking you could get away
But you don’t know who you’re dealin' with
All the love we had is gone
You gave it to the other ones
You're neve gonna find a love like mine
The way I'm…
Getting down and dirty baby
Now you're crying on my phone
You should've done that months ago
And now it's time for me to get…
Getting down and dirty baby
I know I ain't supposed to cry
But I can’t keep it inside
Cheater!
Thinking you could get away
But you don’t know who you’re dealin' with
No!
You don't!
I let you buy just a little time
So I could find a way to say… goodbye
A little more time before I slam the door in your face
So tired of the heartache and the nights I lie awake
I know I ain't supposed to cry
But I can't keep it inside
Cheater, yeah!
Thinking you could get away
But you don’t know who you’re dealin' with
Cheater, yeah!
Thinking you could get away
But you don’t know who you’re dealin' with
Cheater!
Cheater, yeah!
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
Goodbye baby
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
Bye bye bye bye
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
In Anouk's song "Down & Dirty," the singer confronts her cheating partner and reveals that she knows the truth about his deceitful ways. She calls him out for every lie he's ever told, pointing out the way that his lips shake when he's trying to cover up his infidelity. She tells him that he should've known better than to try and deceive her, especially while he was "getting down and dirty." The singer refuses to listen to his apologies or to forgive him for his behavior, declaring that all the love they once shared is now gone. She acknowledges that she's not supposed to cry, but she can't keep her feelings bottled up any longer.
The chorus of the song is focused on the singer's anger towards her partner, as she calls him a "cheater" and asserts that he doesn't know who he's dealing with. She had hoped that he would be a better man, but now she's ready to say goodbye and slam the door in his face. In the final moments of the song, we hear the singer repeating the phrase "no, you don't know who you're dealing with dirty boy," emphasizing the fact that she's not someone who will tolerate being treated poorly.
Overall, "Down & Dirty" is a powerful anthem about standing up for oneself and refusing to be a victim of someone else's betrayal. Anouk gives a voice to anyone who has ever been lied to or cheated on, offering a sense of empowerment and solidarity to her listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you've been lying boy
Anouk believes the boy has been dishonest with her
Every single word you say
She feels he is not truthful with her in anything he says
It's the way your lips shake
His body language is giving away his deceitful nature
When you’re…
Getting down and dirty baby
Anouk suspects that his lies are tied to his actions of fooling around with someone else
Don't you ask me how I know
She is not willing to reveal how she came to know the truth
And why it's time for you to go
She has made the decision to break things off with him
'cause you should've known better
Anouk believes he should have been true to their relationship
Before you were…
Getting down and dirty baby
She is certain that he cheated on her
I know I ain't supposed to cry
Although she knows crying won't change things, she can't help but be emotional
But I can't keep it inside
Her emotions and hurt are too much to keep bottled up
Cheater!
Anouk is calling him out for his unfaithfulness
Thinking you could get away
Anouk implies that he thought he could cheat and get away with it
But you don’t know who you’re dealin' with
She knows that he is underestimating her strength and ability to call him out
All the love we had is gone
She feels that the love in their relationship has disappeared
You gave it to the other ones
Anouk believes that he was having affairs with other people
You're neve gonna find a love like mine
She is confident that he won't find a love like the one he had with Anouk
The way I'm…
Getting down and dirty baby
The way Anouk was with him intimately is something he will never find in another relationship
Now you're crying on my phone
He is regretful and trying to make amends for his infidelity
You should've done that months ago
Anouk is not willing to give him another chance
And now it's time for me to get…
Getting down and dirty baby
She is ending things with him completely and moving on
No!
Anouk is rejecting him and his pleas for forgiveness
You don't!
She is emphatic that he doesn't know what he is dealing with
I let you buy just a little time
She granted him a little more time to make things right
So I could find a way to say… goodbye
Anouk needed to find the strength to end things with him
A little more time before I slam the door in your face
She gave him a little more time to come to terms with their relationship ending
So tired of the heartache and the nights I lie awake
She is exhausted from the pain that he has caused her
Cheater, yeah!
Anouk's anger is bubbling up again and she is calling him out once more
Bye bye bye bye
Anouk is done with him and is saying goodbye for good
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
Anouk reconfirms her beliefs that he didn't know what kind of person she is
Goodbye baby
The song ends with Anouk saying goodbye one final time
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
She repeats that he never truly knew who he was dealing with
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
She emphasizes once more that he never truly knew who he was dealing with
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
Anouk wants to make it crystal clear that he underestimated her and her strength
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
She wants to drive home the point that he had no idea who he was cheating on
No, you don't know who you're dealin' with dirty boy
The final line of the song restates that he didn't know who he was dealing with and lost something valuable because of it
Contributed by Ruby H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.