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.
Alleen
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
lalalaaa lalaaa
refrain:
Je bent alleen, als niemand samen met je lacht
alleen, als liefde is gedoofd
alleen, als er geen vriend meer op je wacht
en bij verdriet, geen mens je tranen droogt
Alleen, is eenzaam turen naar de maan
alleen, is missen waar'k van hou
alleen, heeft 't geen zin om op te staan
want alleen is leven zonder jou
Kon ik maar reizen, door de tijd
naar een moment waarop ik met jou heb gevrijd
Je laten weten, van mijn berouw
dat ik nooit gezegd heb, dat ik zielsveel van je hou
Alleen, is eenzaam turen naar de maan
alleen, is missen waar 'k van hou
alleen, heeft 't geen zin om op te staan
want alleen is leven zonder jou
lalalalaa lalaa
lalalaaa lalaaala
lalalalaa lalaa
lalalaaa lalaaa
Al die momenten, die mooie tijd,
zijn niet opeens vervlogen in vergetelheid
In mijn gedachten, ben jij er toch
herinneringen, heb ik immers altijd nog
refrain
The BZN song "Alleen" is a poignant and emotional ballad about loneliness and the pain of missing a loved one. The song is focused on the feelings of someone who is alone, and emphasizes the pain that can come with the absence of a partner, friend or loved one. The lyrics express the idea that being alone can feel like torture, and that there is no escape from this state of being.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses regret for the things that they failed to say or do when they had the chance. They long to go back in time and make amends or express their love, and they mourn the fact that they can never undo what has been done. The lyrics are full of powerful imagery, such as the idea of "lonely gazing at the moon", which highlights the sense of emptiness and desolation that comes with being alone.
The song's refrain repeats the word "alone" multiple times, emphasizing the central theme of the song. The chorus is especially poignant, as it expresses the idea that life without the person they love is meaningless. Ultimately, the song provides a moving and cathartic exploration of loneliness and the pain of losing someone you care about.
Line by Line Meaning
Je bent alleen, als niemand samen met je lacht
Being alone means no one's laughing with you
alleen, als liefde is gedoofd
Being alone is when love has died
alleen, als er geen vriend meer op je wacht
Being alone is when there's no friend waiting for you
en bij verdriet, geen mens je tranen droogt
And when you're sad, no one's drying your tears
Alleen, is eenzaam turen naar de maan
Alone is staring at the moon, feeling lonely
alleen, is missen waar'k van hou
Being alone is missing what I love
alleen, heeft 't geen zin om op te staan
Being alone makes it pointless to get up
want alleen is leven zonder jou
'Cause alone is living without you
Kon ik maar reizen, door de tijd
If only I could travel through time
naar een moment waarop ik met jou heb gevrijd
To a moment when I made love to you
Je laten weten, van mijn berouw
Letting you know of my regret
dat ik nooit gezegd heb, dat ik zielsveel van je hou
That I never told you how much I love you
Al die momenten, die mooie tijd,
All those moments, that beautiful time
zijn niet opeens vervlogen in vergetelheid
Aren't suddenly forgotten in obscurity
In mijn gedachten, ben jij er toch
In my mind, you're still there
herinneringen, heb ik immers altijd nog
I still have memories, after all
Je bent alleen, als niemand samen met je lacht
Being alone means no one's laughing with you
alleen, als liefde is gedoofd
Being alone is when love has died
alleen, als er geen vriend meer op je wacht
Being alone is when there's no friend waiting for you
en bij verdriet, geen mens je tranen droogt
And when you're sad, no one's drying your tears
Contributed by Taylor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.