In the early Seventies, the band switched to hard rock and had its first successes, including a brace of Top 40 hits. After original singer Veerman left and drummer Keizer took his place behind the microphone, the band made a musical U-turn and opted for commercial radio pop, adding female co-vocalist Annie Schilder and laying the foundation for their status as the most popular Dutch band ever (in terms of hit singles and albums). BZN has had over 50 hits in the Dutch hit parade to date.
BZN's claim to fame started with the song "Mon Amour" (1976), which held the #1 hit parade ranking for over 5 weeks. Outside of the Netherlands the band has had some success as well, amongst which several hits in South Africa (such as "Yeppa" in 1990) and minor successes with their French-language songs in Canada.
Through the years there have been many lineup changes, the most important of which have been the departure of Schilder in 1984 (replaced by Carola Smit) and in 1988 of the brothers Cees and Thomas Tol (keyboards), who until then had been responsible for most of the music and lyrics. The band remained nevertheless successful, making their last major change in strategy when they decided to write in Dutch instead of English as of 2003.
BZN are also responsible for the initial success of singer Jan Smit (singer), who was discovered by BZN at the age of 10 and went on to have pop and schlager successes in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
On February 15 2006, BZN announced they would do one final tour and then call it quits. This goodbye tour is scheduled to last until June 2007.
A La Campagne
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aimeriez-vous venir avec moi
Il fait beau, le soleil brille
Le port de pêche est abandonné
Un chemin ensoleillé
Un oiseau blanc, vole à la branche
Ma bicyclette est démodée
J'aime mieux jouer que d'étudier
Et quelque jour
Au bout d'une heure
Je pense à toi
A l'ombre des marronniers
Ha ha ha, je joue au lieu de travailler
Tu doutes de ces paroles
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
Buvons de grâce, la champagne
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
Pas de misère, c'est un train de vie
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
Buvons de grâce, la champagne
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
Pas de misère, c'est un train de vie
Rien n'est parfait
Sur la montagne, je dis à Jean de venir chez moi
Il fait beau, le soleil brille
Comme si lui ne le savait pas
Allez-y, au paysage
Tous les enfants sont toujours gais
Figure-toi, deux mois de vacances
Je tente ma chance
J'aime mieux jouer que d'étudier
Et quelque jour
Au bout d'une heure
Je pense à toi
A l'ombre des marronniers
Par Par tous les temps un tour en bicyclette
Est formidable (ha-ha-ha)
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
Buvons de grâce, la champagne
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
Pas de misère, c'est un train de vie
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
Buvons de grâce, la champagne
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
Pas de misère, c'est un train de vie
The lyrics to BZN's song "A La Campagne" are about enjoying the pleasures of country life. The song opens with the invitation to come along for a bike ride into the countryside, where the weather is beautiful and the fishing port has been abandoned. The singer describes the sunny path and the sight of a white bird flying in a nearby tree. He admits that his bicycle is outdated, but he still has a good time playing and enjoying the idyllic surroundings. Throughout the song, he repeats the phrase "ça vaut la peine," which means "it's worth the effort" or "it's worth it" in French. He talks about how life in the countryside is free from misery and a good way of life, and how it's worth drinking champagne and enjoying life in that setting.
The lyrics describe a carefree attitude and a love for simple pleasures. The song's message is that sometimes it's better to go out and enjoy life than to study or work too much. The repeated phrase "ça vaut la peine" emphasizes the singer's belief that the effort is worth it when it comes to living a happy life in the countryside.
Overall, BZN's "A La Campagne" is a celebration of the joys of rural life and a reminder to enjoy life's simple pleasures. The song's melody and upbeat tempo add to the light and carefree tone, making it an enjoyable and catchy tune.
Line by Line Meaning
Sur un vélo, à la campagne
The singer is inviting someone to accompany him on a bike ride in the countryside.
Aimeriez-vous venir avec moi
He is asking if the person would like to come along with him.
Il fait beau, le soleil brille
The weather is good and sunny.
Le port de pêche est abandonné
The fishing port is deserted.
Un chemin ensoleillé
There is a sunny path.
Un oiseau blanc, vole à la branche
A white bird is flying to a branch.
Ma bicyclette est démodée
His bicycle is outdated.
Je tente ma chance
He is taking a chance.
J'aime mieux jouer que d'étudier
He prefers playing over studying.
Et quelque jour
Maybe one day.
Au bout d'une heure
After one hour.
Je pense à toi
He is thinking of the person he invited.
A l'ombre des marronniers
They are under the shade of chestnut trees.
Ha ha ha, je joue au lieu de travailler
He laughs while admitting that he plays instead of working.
Tu doutes de ces paroles
He acknowledges that the other person may doubt his words.
Ça vaut la peine, à la campagne
It's worth it to be in the countryside.
Buvons de grâce, la champagne
Let's drink champagne.
Pas de misère, c'est un train de vie
There is no hardship, it's a way of life.
Rien n'est parfait
Nothing is perfect.
Sur la montagne, je dis à Jean de venir chez moi
On the mountain, he tells Jean to come over to his place.
Comme si lui ne le savait pas
As if Jean didn't already know.
Allez-y, au paysage
Enjoy the scenery.
Tous les enfants sont toujours gais
All the children are always happy.
Figure-toi, deux mois de vacances
Imagine, two months of vacation.
Par Par tous les temps un tour en bicyclette
A bike ride is fun in any weather.
Est formidable (ha-ha-ha)
It's great (ha-ha-ha).
Contributed by Sarah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.