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.
Good Old Volendam
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where once the fishermen sailed out to fight the sea
To feed their children, to raise them well
To make me what I am, I'm proud to tell
I will never leave you, my good old Volendam
The place where I belong
Only for you I sing this song
Until my dying day
I'm proud that I can say: "My Volendam"
Old seadogs gathering by the harbourside
To recall the early days, (the storms that they survived)
They were strong together, stronger than the sea
They built this paradise where I feel free
I will never leave you, my good old Volendam
The place where I belong
Only for you I sing this song
I will always love you
Until my dying day
I'm proud that I can say: "My Volendam"
I will never leave you, my good old Volendam
The place where I belong
Only for you I sing this song
I will always love you
Until my dying day
I'm proud that I can say: "My Volendam"
I'm proud that I can say: "My Volendam"
The lyrics of "Good Old Volendam" by BZN speak of a deep connection between the singer and his hometown of Volendam, a small fishing village in the Netherlands. The first stanza talks about how the town's past generations of fisherman fought against the sea to provide for their families and create the town's present state, which the singer is proud to call his own. The second stanza describes the gathering of "old seadogs" reminiscing about their past adventures and struggles, again highlighting the town's roots and strength. The chorus is a declaration of love and loyalty to Volendam till the very end.
The song is a tribute to the town of Volendam, and the singer's ethnicity (Dutch) is evident in the lyrics. The song speaks to the pride of one's hometown, a theme that is universally felt across cultures. The nostalgia felt by the "old seadogs" illustrates the passage of time and the town's ability to adapt and survive. It is a song that expresses gratitude to the town that has shaped the singer into who he is.
Line by Line Meaning
This is my harbour, where I feel free
The singer is expressing their sense of freedom and belonging in this place.
Where once the fishermen sailed out to fight the sea
Refers to the historical significance of fishing in Volendam, where the fishermen had to face the challenges of the sea.
To feed their children, to raise them well
The purpose of the fishermen's fight with the sea was to provide food for their families.
To make me what I am, I'm proud to tell
Volendam's past and the fishermen's hard work is responsible for shaping the artist's identity and they are proud of it.
Old seadogs gathering by the harbourside
Refers to the veteran fishermen who are reminiscing about the past.
To recall the early days, (the storms that they survived)
The seadogs are reminiscing about the storms and natural disasters they overcame in order to maintain their livelihood in fishing.
They were strong together, stronger than the sea
The fishermen had a strong community and fought the sea and rough conditions together.
They built this paradise where I feel free
The hard work, struggle and sacrifice of the fishermen is responsible for creating Volendam's fishing community and that's what makes the artist feel free and happy.
I will never leave you, my good old Volendam
The artist expresses their loyalty and love towards Volendam by promising to never leave.
The place where I belong
The artist feels a strong sense of belonging in Volendam, which is what makes it so special to them.
Only for you I sing this song
The song is a tribute to Volendam and is written solely for the purpose of celebrating it.
I will always love you
Until my dying day
The artist's love for Volendam is unconditional and they will remain loyal for the rest of their lives.
I'm proud that I can say: "My Volendam"
The singer takes pride in calling Volendam their home and considers it to be a privilege.
Contributed by James T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Suzanne Berger
Jan Keiser and Carola Smit's beautiful voice's will live forever...what a lovely part of Nederland to live in...such amazing folk, happy and hardworking and patriotic..would live to visit Volendam one day....love the Dutch folk!
Ingrid Maier
Excellent ππππ. Listening to these voices answers the question why BZN were so successful for so many many years. It doesn't get any better!!
BZN .... ΰ¨Ή αΆ«α΅α΅α΅α΅§βα΅€ β£β£β£
Frans Bakker
Het blijft nog steeds onwerkelijk als je Carola hoort en ziet zingen , loepzuiver en met een buitengewone mooie stem en duidelijke uitspraak .
Daar is geen 2de van !!!
Marja Nowacki
Prachtig nummer! Al woon ik dan wel niet in Voldendam, ik geniet van dit mooie lied.
Sinds mon Amour een super grote fan, en dat is altijd zo gebleven, al woon ik nu dan wel aan de andere kant van de wereld.
Saugekaktus
Fantastische muziek. De beste band ooit.
austrorus
the band might be no more. but on youtube, they are with us forever.
MrFirefox747
Great song, great music!!
Neli Fitkova
Jan singt so schΓΆn!
Linda DC
Fantastisch ππ
Ionica Porumbel
superb!