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.
Au Revoir
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
chez toi je suis bien dans ma peau,
ta mode est magnifique,
tes rues sont romantiques,
écoute, on joue du piano
La plus belle histoire d'amour du siècle,
un Berlinois, avec une Parisienne,
et chaque fois ces mêmes mots reviennent
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen
Je t'adore - Ich liebe dich - doch ich muss gehen,
Bon voyage - Madame, Monsieur,
Gute Reise - A Paris, je dis adieu,
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen,
Oui je t'aime - Mon coeur est brisé,
en hiver comme en été
Les vacances bien sûr une bonne idée
S'embrasser sur la place de la Concorde,
et même sous le portique de Notre Dame,
plus tard ils pleurent comme une fontaine
Mais chaque fois ces mots s'entament
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen
Je t'adore - Ich liebe dich - doch ich muss gehen,
Bon voyage - Madame, Monsieur,
Gute Reise - A Paris, je dis adieu,
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen,
Oui je t'aime - Mon coeur est brisé,
en hiver comme en été
Les vacances bien sûr une bonne idée
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen
Je t'adore - Ich liebe dich - doch ich muss gehen,
Bon voyage - Madame, Monsieur,
Gute Reise - A Paris, je dis adieu,
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen,
Oui je t'aime - Mon coeur est brisé,
en hiver comme en été
Les vacances bien sûr une bonne idée
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen
Oui je t'aime - Mon coeur est brisé,
en hiver comme en été
Les vacances bien sûr une bonne idée
The lyrics of BZN's song "Au Revoir" express a bittersweet love story between a Berliner and a Parisienne that takes place in the city of Paris, which is referred to as "la grande ville lumière" (the great city of light). The singer feels comfortable and at ease in Paris because of its beautiful fashion and romantic streets. The couple's beautiful love story is considered the most beautiful love story of the century. The seemingly perfect love story ultimately comes to a heartbreaking end as the couple is forced to say goodbye to each other, using the words "au revoir," "auf wiedersehen," "je t'adore," "ich liebe dich," "gute reise" and "bon voyage" to say their final farewells to each other. The singer expresses how their heart is broken, and they still love the other person even in the winter and summer. Despite their painful goodbye, the singer acknowledges that their vacation together was a good idea.
The song conveys a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past, as the couple reminisces on the beautiful memories they shared together in Paris. The use of French, German, and English languages in the song not only signifies the multilingual and diverse culture of Paris but also emphasizes the universal nature of love and heartbreak beyond linguistic and cultural boundaries. The image of the couple weeping like a fountain after their emotional farewell conveys the depth of their love for each other, even as they part ways.
Overall, "Au Revoir" is a poignant and emotional love story that captures the essence of saying goodbye to a loved one, highlighting the pain of separation while cherishing the memories that were shared together.
Line by Line Meaning
Paris, la grande ville lumière,
Paris, the grand city of lights,
chez toi je suis bien dans ma peau,
I feel comfortable in your presence,
ta mode est magnifique,
Your fashion is magnificent,
tes rues sont romantiques,
Your streets are romantic,
écoute, on joue du piano
Listen, we're playing the piano
La plus belle histoire d'amour du siècle,
The most beautiful love story of the century,
un Berlinois, avec une Parisienne,
A Berliner, with a Parisian,
en Suisse, l'annonce du mariage,
The announcement of their marriage in Switzerland,
et chaque fois ces mêmes mots reviennent
And each time the same words come back
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen
Goodbye - Until we meet again
Je t'adore - Ich liebe dich - doch ich muss gehen,
I adore you - I love you - but I must go,
Bon voyage - Madame, Monsieur,
Have a good trip - Madam, Sir,
Gute Reise - A Paris, je dis adieu,
Good journey - To Paris, I say goodbye,
Oui je t'aime - Mon coeur est brisé,
Yes, I love you - My heart is broken,
en hiver comme en été
In winter as well as in summer
Les vacances bien sûr une bonne idée
Vacations are certainly a good idea
S'embrasser sur la place de la Concorde,
Kissing on the Place de la Concorde,
et même sous le portique de Notre Dame,
And even under the porch of Notre Dame,
plus tard ils pleurent comme une fontaine
Later they cry like a fountain
Mais chaque fois ces mots s'entament
But each time these words begin
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen
Goodbye - Until we meet again
Oui je t'aime - Mon coeur est brisé,
Yes, I love you - My heart is broken,
en hiver comme en été
In winter as well as in summer
Les vacances bien sûr une bonne idée
Vacations are certainly a good idea
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen
Goodbye - Until we meet again
Oui je t'aime - Mon coeur est brisé,
Yes, I love you - My heart is broken,
en hiver comme en été
In winter as well as in summer
Les vacances bien sûr une bonne idée
Vacations are certainly a good idea
Au revoir - Auf wiedersehen
Goodbye - Until we meet again
Oui je t'aime - Mon coeur est brisé,
Yes, I love you - My heart is broken,
en hiver comme en été
In winter as well as in summer
Les vacances bien sûr une bonne idée
Vacations are certainly a good idea
Contributed by Mia W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.